Responses received from field functionaries who had completed five and a half months of long-term soil and water conservation training at the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation during 2003–2009 were analyzed to determine training impact as well as training needs for effective implementation of watershed management Programmes in India. The majority of trainees (81%) had total service experience ranging from 10 to 20 years. Major responsibilities of trainees mainly involved in planning and execution of watershed and soil conservation projects. The topic of structural measures for soil and water conservation in non-arable lands received the highest mean score from trainees (2.57), followed by the application of RS and GIS, map reading, delineation, characterization of watersheds (2.38),water harvesting, storage, and recycling for irrigation planning (2.33). This study further indicates that capacity-building programmes improve not only individual knowledge but also the productivity of their working areas. This findings also identified that lack of appropriate literature on SWC technologies is found as a major technological constraint in order to implement watershed project more effectively.

Keyword: Capacity building; Impact; Knowledge gain; Training needs; Soil conservation; Watershed.