Between January 2000 and June 2002, SAMUHA PLAN initiated a micro-watershed development project with funding from the CIDA Livelihoods Grant. This initiative was undertaken to reduce migration and generate income for project families. Due to two successive droughts, Land Resource Development (LRD) activities were initiated again in March 2003.
The focus of the LRD programme is to help families to drought-proof their lands through soil & moisture conservation treatments, plantations and farm planning.

Highlights 2002

Private Property Resources :

In the watershed villages, private property resources were developed on 337 family lands with 713 hectares of contour bunding, 11 farm ponds, 281 waste weirs, 3674 metres of diversion channels, 18 soak pits, 26 orchard horticulture plots and two agroforestry plots. In another 68 non-watershed villages, private property resources were developed on 1399 families' lands and six nala bunds built through LRD activities.

Watershed CPR Treated in 249 Hectares :

Watershed community property resources were treated in 249 hectares covering 931 mts of boulder checks, 1.5 hectares of block plantation, three km's of roadside plantation, five check dams and one nalabund.

10 Balavanas Set Up :

Ten Balavanas (children's forests) were set up next to government schools in 10 villages across 20 acres.

94 Families Benefit from LRD :

Ninety four families have benefited from the SAMUHA PLAN LRD activity initiated in March 2003. Bunding work was undertaken on 38 individual family lands.

KEY LEARNINGS:

The child-centred approach to LRD through environmental education and Balavanas - Children's Forests - has evolved as an innovative and meaningful way to emphasise long-term land resource sustainability.

While the focus of the LRD programme is to evolve a drought-resistant agriculture through land treatments, plantations and farm planning, SAMUHA PLAN has also realised its importance as a means to provide more immediate drought relief.

In the long term, stabilised land resources and local agriculture will also be essential to ensure the impact and sustainability of the integrated development programme portfolio.

IN THE PIPELINE...

... a Gram Panchayat-level weather watch mechanism that will help farmers to undertake local climate management leading to real time decisions on agricultural, crop insurance and drought coping through:

village groups of agriculture specialists

scientifically measured village-level rainfall and Gram Panchayat-level climatic data

area-specific Farmer Advisories based on the integration of localised data with regional meteorological data

... a Gram Panchayat-level drought relief mechanism that will help households to take steps to mitigate the effect of monsoon delay or failure on their lives through water and fodder-related interventions on private and common property resources