WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION
Building resilience in agrarian communities through enhanced
water security and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
OVERVIEW
UPDATES
GALLERY
PARTNERS

THE NEED

India has experienced recurrent and severe drought almost every year since 2015 with about 42% of our land area being affected by it. 600 million people in India are presently facing high to extreme water stress. According to a report by NITI Aayog, by 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people. Continuous exploitation of ground-water and natural resources, mismanagement of available water and uncertainty of rainfall adversely effect more than half of the country’s agrarian community. This has the potential to create unsurmountable debt for farmers and has, in the past, led to farmer suicides. It can also be a cause for food scarcity, job losses, disease and exploitation.

SOLUTION

Jal Sanjivani aims to provide sustainable solutions for drought-affected agrarian communities. The interventions result in protection and an increase in surface and groundwater, agricultural efficiency, creation of alternate livelihoods and sustainable agri practices.

After a thorough study of the geography, measures are taken to conserve soil and
improve the availability of water. This includes the creation of check dams, water gabions, loose boulder check dams and other structures. This creates opportunities for multi-cropping.
Farmer Field Schools are organized to orient farmers to the process of sowing, selection of
seed, process of seedbed preparation, irrigation methods, control of insects and pests,
harvesting methods and proper storage of grain.
In order to ensure optimum usage of water, drip irrigation and sprinkler sets are distributed to the farmers.
Trainings are conducted on watershed management, improved agriculture, integrated
farming systems, benefits of using organic matter, vermicomposting, animal health checkups, etc.
Self Help Groups and Farmer's Producer Organizations are supported to enhance livelihood and generate alternative sources of income.