The Water Collective – Helping Revitalise Rainfed Farming скачать в хорошем качестве

The Water Collective – Helping Revitalise Rainfed Farming

In the rain-dependent landscapes of Parvathipuram Manyam district in Andhra Pradesh, unpredictable rainfall, water scarcity, especially during the Rabi season, and the overuse of chemical inputs through monocropping have long threatened the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, most of whom belong to indigenous communities. But a transformation is taking root. WASSAN, with funding support from HDFC Parivartan, is working with tribal farmers across the Mandals of Seethampeta, Bhamini, and Veeraghatam to enable an agroecological transition toward natural farming. At the heart of this change are the formation of Water Collectives, a community-led initiatives that identify local water sources, develops irrigation plans, and manages shared infrastructure. In Karreguda village, for instance, farmers came together to install a solar-powered lift irrigation system. This ensured year-round water access, revived fallow lands, and enabled the cultivation of diverse crops like sunflowers, millets, groundnuts, and vegetables in the Rabi season. In addition to supporting Water Collectives, WASSAN has helped establish several rural enterprises to enable a holistic transformation of the production system towards agroecological intensification. As part of this effort, WASSAN has facilitated the creation of Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs), which provide farmers with bio-inputs essential for natural farming. As a result, farmers are moving away from chemical inputs and embracing natural practices. They have diversified their crops through multi-cropping and mixed cropping, and planted fruit trees along field bunds—steps that are fostering climate-resilient, ecologically balanced, and self-sustaining farm ecosystems. Today, over 350 farmers across 400+ acres are benefiting from this scalable and replicable model, turning the uncertainty of rainfed farming into a foundation for food and livelihood security. This film tells the story of how WASSAN is enabling farmer-led, community-driven solutions that build resilience in India’s most vulnerable agricultural regions. Watch the full film to witness the power of collective action and ecological transformation in India’s tribal heartlands. @WASSANIndia #WaterCollective #NaturalFarming #ClimateResilience #Agroecology #RainfedFarming #EasternGhats @HDFCParivartan #IrrigationSolutions #AndhraPradesh @Azim Premji Foundation