THE NEED
Water stress and climate variability are increasingly threatening agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and food security in India. Addressing these challenges requires integrated interventions that go beyond short-term relief to build long-term ecological and livelihood resilience. United Way Mumbai’s Water and Soil Conservation initiative (Jal Sanjivani) focuses on restoring natural resources, improving water availability, and enabling sustainable agriculture practices — ensuring that agrarian communities are better equipped to withstand climate shocks. India continues to face severe and recurring drought conditions, with a significant proportion of land affected by water stress. Nearly 600 million people are estimated to be experiencing high to extreme water scarcity, and demand for water is projected to far exceed supply in the coming years. Over-extraction of groundwater, degradation of soil quality, erratic rainfall patterns, and inefficient water management practices have severely impacted farm productivity and rural incomes. For agrarian communities, these challenges translate into crop failure, rising debt, reduced livelihood opportunities, and increased vulnerability. In extreme cases, prolonged distress has contributed to migration and farmer suicides, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable, ecosystem-based solutions.
SOLUTION
Jal Sanjivani adopts a watershed-based, community-driven approach to improve water availability, restore soil health, and strengthen rural livelihoods. Interventions are designed based on local geography and community needs, ensuring long-term sustainability and measurable impact. By partnering with United Way Mumbai, organisations can support: Creation of water conservation and recharge structures Adoption of climate-resilient farming practices Access to efficient irrigation technologies Strengthening of farmer institutions and rural livelihoods Long-term restoration of natural ecosystems
- Check dams, gabion structures, and loose boulder dams
- Contour trenches and land treatment measures
- Strengthening of natural water bodies
These interventions enable improved irrigation, increased cropping cycles, and reduced dependency on rainfall.
- Improved sowing and crop planning techniques
- Efficient irrigation practices
- Pest and disease management
- Post-harvest handling and storage
This leads to higher productivity and more resilient farming systems.
- Reduced water consumption
- Improved crop yield
- Better input efficiency
- Soil health improvement through organic inputs
- Vermicomposting and sustainable agriculture practices
- Livestock health and management
These efforts help diversify income sources and reduce livelihood risk.
- Improve market access and collective bargaining
- Enable income diversification and financial resilience
- Strengthen community-led resource management
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