A project that touched about 75,000 lives, secured livelihoods, enhanced incomes, reduced vulnerability to climate change and improved the health of the ecosystem!

India is a hotspot for climate change with 50% of the population depending on nature-based livelihoods for sustenance (agriculture, forests, fisheries, allied occupations). As monsoon and temperature patterns become erratic, dependent communities, especially the poor, become more vulnerable as risks increase and traditional coping mechanisms fail. The macro-impact of climate change will slow India's economic growth, affect health and development, make poverty alleviation more challenging and degrade food and nutrition security.

Confronted by this challenge, WOTR launched a large-scale pilot project on Climate Change Adaptation  (CCA) in the semi-arid and rain fed regions of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with the aim to develop knowledge systems, strategies, measures and processes, which can up-scaled and widely adopted, to build the resilience and adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities.

The project adopted a knowledge-informed, multi­ disciplinary and participatory approach involving watershed-based ecosystems management; integrated water resources management; adaptive sustainable agriculture; locale and crop specific agro-met advisories; biodiversity conservation; renewable energy; institutional development; capacity building and empowerment of communities; development of tool kits, pedagogies and training modules; applied  research; development communication and policy engagement.

The CCA project has been implemented in 78 villages across four states covering a geographical area of over 47,033 hectares and impacting nearly 74,795 people.

Project components Implemented

·         Watershed Development

·         Water budgeting

·         Adaptive Sustainable Agriculture

·         Weather-based, farmer-centric Agrometeorology

·         Biodiversity and Ecosystem services

·         Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction

·         Diversified livelihoods

·         Alternate energy

1. Social mobilisation, “with the people, for the people, by the people”

For any project to succeed, community participation is the key element. Only with a sense of ownership can the project achieve sustainability and its desired impact. Therefore social mobilisation, and fostering a sense of ownership was given a high priority while implementing the project. This included a large number of awareness generation programmes, exposure visits, and building the capacities of community-based organisations such as the Village Development Committees (VDCs) and self-help groups (SHGs). Special provisions were made to include the participation of women, and marginalised sections of the community in the planning and implementation of the project.

2. Holistic approach

The project adopts a knowledge-informed, multi-disciplinary and participatory approach involving watershed based ecosystems management, integrated water resource management, adaptive sustainable agriculture, locale and crop-specific agro-met advisories, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, institutional development, capacity building and empowerment of communities, development of tool kits, pedagogies and training modules, applied research, development communication and policy engagement.

3. Partnerships for action

Given the complexity of climate change impacts on nature and people which requires an integrated adaptation response, this project has brought together a unique blend of partners across sectors and scales - the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Brot tor die Welt, Swiss RE, Dr. & Mrs. S.H.M Modi Hormus House Benevolence Trust Fund, RBS Foundation the Governments of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as financiers and enablers.

The project also brought together the Indian Meteorological Department (IMO), the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture  (CRIDA),  the  World  Agro-Forestry Council (formerly ICRAF) and the Mahatma Phule Agriculture University (SAU, Maharashtra) and the Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research (BVIEER) as technology and knowledge partners.

4. Aimed at scaling-up good practices

The aim of the project was to develop knowledge, system, strategies, measures and processes which can up-scaled and widely adopted to build the resilience and adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities. Under the CCA project, various research studies have been presented during different workshops, published in journals and particularly in the SDC – supported consolidation phase- ‘Scaling Up Good Adaptation Practices’-involving the World Resources Institute (WRI).

The primary objective of this phase was to contribute towards policy debates on adaptation and rural development in India. This was achieved through rigorous research and evidence gathering for synthesizing good practices into policy recommendations with a view to mainstream effective adaptation practices.