Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India

As People of Action focused on increasing our impact, we must continue to invest in relationships, make decisions grounded in evidence, and mobilize our networks to create solutions that last. As we continue to support the incredible work that Rotary members are doing, we also want to find new ways to accomplish our mission, learn together, and demonstrate Rotary's power to create positive change.

In response, The Rotary Foundation created Programs of Scale to support Rotary member-led, evidence-based programs that have already demonstrated success. Scaling proven programs will benefit more people and foster policy development and sustainable programs.

Award recipient

Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India is a five-year evidence-based program designed to improve livelihoods of over 60,000 rural farmers across four states in India through the implementation of sustainable agriculture and water management practices. Farming communities will gain knowledge and skills in resilient agricultural practices such as drip irrigation, layered cropping, and fruit tree cultivation. The program will also use rainwater harvesting systems such as check dams and retention ponds to increase groundwater availability for farming by 40%, improving crop yield and productivity.

2024 Programs of Scale Grant Recipient

Strategic goal

Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India is a five-year evidence-based program designed to improve livelihoods of over 60,000 rural farmers across four states in India through the implementation of sustainable agriculture and water management practices. Farming communities will gain knowledge and skills in resilient agricultural practices such as drip irrigation, layered cropping, and fruit tree cultivation. Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India will also use rainwater harvesting systems such as check dams and retention ponds to increase groundwater availability for farming by 40%, improving crop yield and productivity.

The issue

In many parts of India, farmers depend on groundwater that has already receded to low levels. Climate change has made rainfall erratic and often results in drought. This depletes the groundwater even more, drastically reducing farmers’ yields. As groundwater supplies diminish in drought-prone areas, farming threatens to become unsustainable.

Gender roles play a significant part in water resource management and farming practices. Women and children often walk long distances to get water, which limits the time they have for educational and economic opportunities. Men are often left with no choice but to leave their villages to search for work in urban areas when it becomes impossible to support their families through farming. When a community depends on rainfall, it becomes more sensitive to climate change — and more susceptible to other threats.

Program background

Harvesting rain to increase groundwater and planting climate-resilient crops in arid environments are not new ideas. In fact, they have proved successful in India. Evidence shows that adjusting agricultural practices while also planting different crops can create a more stable income. These approaches align with government policies and efforts toincrease water supplies in villages throughout India. But the government recognizes that it needs partners in order to reach more people and achieve its goals.

Rotary has extensive experience in this field, and Rotary clubs throughout India have been working with partners to construct hundreds of check dams and provide training in alternative agricultural practices to help farmers increase their long-term economic security.

Sponsor

Rotary Club of Delhi Premier, Delhi, India

The Rotary Club of Delhi Premier will implement the program with clubs in Districts 3011, 3056, 3100, and 3132 including the Rotary Clubs of Jaipur Gurukul and Jhansi Fort, in addition to clubs in Alwar and Dausa.

Implementing partners

Global Vikas Trust

PHD Rural Development Foundation

Self-Reliant Initiatives Through Joint Action

Program details

Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India will use highly localized evidence-based interventions to build economically resilient communities, increase incomes, and improve quality of life. The program sites vary culturally and geographically, so the Rotary Club of Delhi Premier convened three experienced implementing partners from the target areas that have regional expertise in rainwater harvesting methods, drip irrigation, crop selection, and community organizing. Technical advisory partners bring additional expertise to site and crop selection based on evidence and sustainability. Through this program, Rotary will bring the partners together to share their knowledge for the benefit of all. To explain their approach of using data to scale their methods, members of the club have coined the phrase “Do. Document. Disseminate. Duplicate.”

The program’s goals include:

• Training farmers in alternative agricultural practices, such as using drip irrigation, choosing climate-resilient crops, and layering crops

• Constructing and renovating wells and rainwater harvesting systems such as check dams and retention ponds

• Mobilizing the farming community by developing and supporting farmer interest groups and water user associations

• Engaging women in farmer interest groups and water user associations to promote their inclusion and establish a platform where they can have a voice in community decision-making

• Rotary members who are familiar with local dialects and traditions will educate farmers about the benefits of harvesting rainwater and of drip irrigation systems that use harvested rainwater. They can also help farmers get government subsidies for drip irrigation and choose crops that have been scientifically proven to flourish with less water. Because the program sites are separated by large distances, Rotary members from different regions will be responsible for sharing knowledge and findings among implementation partners and technical advisory partners.

Key measurable results

Expected Outcomes:

• Gross increase in groundwater tables by 10-15% each year

• Increase area for cultivation by 20%-30% by increasing the availability of water

• Increase the income of around 60,000 farmers by an estimated 25-30% each year

• Reduce soil erosion on 4,113 hectares of land by planting native species and fruit trees.
  

Why this program is a finalist

Throughout India, Rotary clubs have supported the construction of rainwater harvesting structures and improved irrigation, which allow farmers to harvest crops more than once per year and increase yields. Improved harvests give farmers access to more cash in hand, which decreases migration to cities and improves socioeconomic conditions for families in rural areas.

Partners for Water Access and Better Harvests in India is an integrated approach to economic development and water security with environmental considerations. The program convenes experienced implementers and technical advisers while drawing on Rotary’s ability to mobilize resources, collaborate with local and national governments, and strengthen capacity at the local level. Rotary members will share what they learn with the government to make policy more effective.

Rotary members involved in the program’s design and implementation imagine it as a catalyst for a larger nationwide movement. Rotary will use what is learned from this program to further scale, sharing what works with the local and national government as well as corporate donors to enable the program to expand.

“In a country where only 50% of the arable land is irrigated, I have seen the plight of farmers who pray fervently to the rain gods so that they may have enough bountiful harvest and enough income to survive till the next crop,” says R.V. Kanoria, a member of program sponsor Rotary Club of Delhi Premier. “I have seen the spate of farmer suicides in years of failed monsoons. Making more water available is the panacea for the more than half of the population that subsists on agriculture.”

Contact

To learn more, write to Vikram Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Delhi Premier, at vikram.mehta@hlbindia.com.