The document describes the work of Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR), an NGO working on watershed development and climate change adaptation in rural Maharashtra, India. WOTR aims to empower communities to secure livelihoods and well-being through sustainable ecosystem management. Its key activities include integrated water resources management, capacity building, women's empowerment, knowledge dissemination, and policy advocacy. The document outlines WOTR's operations, interventions, and the impacts of its work in strengthening community resilience to climate change.

2. STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITIES OF RURAL
COMMUNITIES TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN
SEMI-ARID AND RAINFED REGIONS OF
MAHARASHTRA

3. Who We Are?
Are?
Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR), an NGO was established in 1993.
Our Philosophy:
Land degradation and water scarcity are the most intense and commonly felt
needs of village communities that can bring diverse and competing groups of
people together to begin their development process.
Our Vision:
Communities, especially the poor within, are empowered to live in dignity and
secure their livelihood and well-being in sustainable ecosystems.
Our Goal:
To reach out to 1,500,000 direct stakeholders and cover 1,000,000 hectares
(2,500,000 acres) by the year 2015

4. WOTR’S Area of Operation
• No. of People directly impacted:
• WSD - +822,000
• SHGs - 92,100
• No. of Partner NGOs - 184
• No. of Watershed Villages - 1026
• No. of Project Villages 2172
• Total Area Covered (ha) - 596,000 ha
• No. of People Trained - 225,000

5. WOTR’s Core Areas /Competencies
• Integrated Water Resources Management / Watershed Development /Natural
Resources Management
• Capacity Building & Institutional Development
• Women’s Empowerment, Health and Environmental Education in Schools
• Knowledge Management and Dissemination
• ICT : Application of IT, Communication and Documentation
• Policy Advocacy , Networking and Linkage Building
• South to South Exchanges
• Consultancy Services
New Areas of Interventions:
- Renewable Energy for Rural Households
- Community Based Rural Tourism
- School for Sustainable Living and Livelihood
- Climate Change Adaptation

6. Policy Impacts
Capacity Building as a separate and pre-qualifying phase now adopted in all
Government as well as donor funded WSD projects.
The National Watershed Development Fund (NWDF) set up by Govt. of India
at NABARD based on this approach.
Participatory Net Planning (PNP) adopted by various state governments and
other projects
Has permission to treat Govt. Forest land under IGWDP & WOTR projects
Government of Maharashtra adopted the handholding approach of WOTR
involving NGOs and facilitating agencies as well as PNP for WSD.
The Rajiv Gandhi Watershed mission (MP) adopted the PNP & Village
Envisioning methodology. AP too has taken up PNP.
Replicability
All NGOs trained by WOTR have undertaken government and other
watershed development projects.
4 Village Development Committees have taken up watershed development
projects neighboring villages
WOTR has assisted projects in Tanzania and Kenya and implemented this
approach in Boroma district in Somaliland & now in Malawi

7. The Problem: Water Scarcity and Land Degradation
Today 1.7 billion people are water stressed around the world, by 2025 the
population would be over 3 billion.
70 % of Maharashtra is arid, semi-arid, hot sub-humid; 85%
agriculture is rain-dependent
58 % of India is arid, semi-arid, hot sub-humid; 70% agriculture
is rain-dependent
30% of the Earth is semi-arid & 20% is hot arid lands

9. The Problems: Water, Fodder and Fuel Scarcity,
Unproductive Lands, Distress Migration

10. The Problem: Poverty , Fractured Communities
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) 10

11. The Indian Sub-continent: a Hot spot
or many hot spots
Arid Zone Pakistan,
Afghanistan and
Western India
Himalaya
The Middle Hills of
the Himalaya
Ganga Basin:
Coastal regions
The Deccan Plateau

12. According to Professor Goswami (2008) of IITM
Instead of Indian monsoon being stronger and
wetter, there is a potential for monsoon to go to a
mega-drought state with high frequency of
severe drought through nonlinear feedback within
the climate system.

13. Vulnerability of the poor
Geographical exposure Climate effects
Poorest areas Increase in droughts, floods,
cyclones, mudslides
The poor:
most exposed to
worst impacts,
least able to
cope
Impacts
Vulnerability factors
• Food and water insecurity
Bio-physical & Socio-economic
• Increased forced migration
• Incidence of diseases
• Ecosystem changes
Source: adapted from IPPC, 2001, 2007; Tyndall & IIED, 2003

14. The Local Context to be Addressed
• Weather variations – disturbance in the regular weather patterns
(droughts and drought like situations: delayed monsoons, increased dry spells
between rains; sudden cloud bursts and unseasonal rains, floods for the down
stream villages)
• Natural resource base for livelihoods – Heavy dependency on natural resource
base with tiny percentage of people depend on non-land based income sources. Distress
migration and migration for work during the summer months.
• The Current attitudes: individualistic survival approach resource
exploitation with no care for tomorrow; survive on what one gets today – let tomorrow take
care for itself
• The isolated village approach
• Large number of vulnerable people: (1719 out of 4314 HHs with land less than 1 ha)

15. Impact Details
Livestock and Milk Production (1996 – 2009)
Livestock & Milk Production
250 1,600
1,400
200
1,200
No. of Livestock
No. / Milk in lit.
1,000
150
800
100
600
400
50
200
- -
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2005 2007 2008 2009
Av. Milk prod ( daily) - - - 241 653 662 788 550 490 378 360
Cross breed 14 15 19 39 58 85 113 97 88 40 51
Indigenous Cow 170 148 91 117 96 100 101 85 65 60 200
Sheep 1,323 1,017 1,092 1,172 1,301 992 434 610 604 510 1,487
Year

16. Our Response
An Action Research Approach Project

17. The Project Area Location Map

18. Wateshed Features and Villages Sangamner Clusters

19. Project Area and Scope
• Project area: 25 villages
• Direct impact: approximately 4314 HH of 23,345 persons of
which:
• STs are 1905 HHs (44%)
• SCs are 260 HHs ( 6%)
• OBCs are 279 HHs (7%)
• NTs are 83 HHs (2%)
• Others are 1787 HHs (41%)
• Total Project Area: 18,503 ha (185 sq.kms)
• Area Previously Treated: 8,634 ha (47%)
• Treatment not required: 1,976 ha (11%)
• Net Area to be Treated: 7,833 ha (42%)

20. Project Area
• The project area is widely representative - agro-climatically, demographically,
economically and vulnerability wise - of most of rain-fed agrarian India where the
bulk of the poor live.
• It represents 2 of the 9 agro-ecological zones of the state [Zone 5 (Transition
Zone 2) and Zone 6 (the Scarcity Zone)] and covers 40% of the state.
High congruence and relevance to Zones 3, 4 and 7. Altogether cover over 75%
of the state.
• Areas selected are culturally and ethnically different (tribal and non-tribal),
represent different levels of backwardness and integration with the wider
economy
• Area is reasonably well connected, accessible, not far from major markets, close
to taluka HQ and close to Mumbai and Pune.
• WOTR has long presence, substantial works, close relationship with the people
and governance framework – trust, relationships and credibility is crucial to
success of this project

21. The Project: Goals and Objectives
Overall Vision Food, water, livelihoods and income security and an improving quality of life
Vision:
to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities on a sustainable and equitable basis is
ensured.
Overall Goal To build the capacities of vulnerable communities in clusters to adapt to climate
Goal:
change, contribute to mitigation and undertake measures to reduce poverty and improve
well being on a sustainable and equitable basis.
Specific Objectives:
• Understanding how locally experienced climate related variations/ changes affect
agriculture and livestock productivity levels
• Development of climate smart tested approaches and best practices that can be quickly
adopted by village communities and up-scaled.
• Development and promotion of livelihoods that are resilient to climate variations and
promotion o f technologies and practices that enhance the productivity of water,
agriculture, livestock and livelihoods.
• Development of tools and IT enabled systems to validate, assess and adjust initiatives that
seek to promote adaptation as well as capture additionalities.
• Generation of knowledge from field experiences and its widespread dissemination with a
view to policy change.
• Support the Government of India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change.

22. Framework for Vulnerability and Climate Change
Adaptation
Emissions Implementation
Non
Climatic Mitigative Mitigation
Concentrations Drivers Capacity
Facilitation
Climate Climate
Non Climatic Factors
Change Variability
Implementation
Exposure Sensitivity Adaptive
Adaptation
Capacity
Facilitation
Impacts
Vulnerability

23. Contextual Vulnerability – Starting point Evaluation or
Internal Social Vulnerability
Climate Change
Political and
Climate Variability Economic , Social
Institutional
and Change and Cultural
Structures and
Structures
Changes
Contextual Conditions
Institutional Contextual Socio Economical
Vulnerability
Biophysical Technological
Project Responses

24. WOTR’s Engine for CC Adaptation…

25. Interventions & Measures…
A. Promotion of Climate Change Adaptive Behaviour
and Disaster Risk Mitigation
• Participatory, Comprehensive and Integrated Ecosystems
Management along Watershed lines
• Integration of Biodiversity Concerns in Adaptation Measures
• Promoting Food Security through Sustainable Agriculture
1. Micro-Farming /LEISA/IPM/INM/IMM/ SRI
2. Agro-Meteorological-Hydrological Monitoring For Advisories
3. Development of integrated crop- micro-irrigation systems linked
to agro-meteorological conditions.
4. Sustainable livelihoods
5. Gender and women’s empowerment

26. Regenerating Natural Resources and
Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) 26

27. Land Treatments: Catching Rainwater Everywhere!
Stone Bunds

28. Drainage Line Treatments: Water Conservation

29. Impacts On Food Security, Livelihoods and Education

30. Interventions & Measures (contd)
B. Promotion of Renewable Energy
• For household cooking and lighting
• Green field/ Emerging Technologies.
C. Capacity Building, Knowledge Generation,
Dissemination and Policy Dialogue
• Training, Experience Sharing and Advisory Services.
• Action Research and Communications (Print, Audio-Visual,
Electronic, Publications).
• Development of Tool Kits, Indicator Sets and Technology enabled
Monitoring systems.
• The School of Sustainable Living and Livelihoods (SSLL)
• Policy Advocacy and Dialogue

31. Bringing the Village Together
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) 31

32. How this is done: Coming together to regenerate the
Environment
The Village chooses to implement the project (self-selection)
Agree to non-negotiable disciplines
Village institutions are involved / set up:
• The General Village Body (Gram Sabha of all adult members)
• The Village Council and the Village Development Committee
(representative of all communities including landless poor)
• The Women’s Self-Help Groups & their Apex Body
• The Forest Protection Committee & others

33. What is done: Community Engagement
Village Envisioning for developmental activities
Designing and Planning the project, step by step
Capacity Building
Implementation
Maintenance of Accounts, Records and Reporting
Participatory Impact Monitoring & Peer Group Assessment

34. What is done: Important Aspects for continued
Community Engagement & Sustainability
Key Issues consciously addressed:
Inclusiveness and equity (community takes responsibility)
Gender Sensitivity
Transparency
Plan for Sustainability:
Maintenance Fund
Water Budgeting
Quality Education & with an eco-systems focus
Linkages with government and other service providers
Addressing related issues (eg renewable energy; rural tourism) 34

35. Snapshot of Some Planned
Innovations

36. Integration of Biodiversity Concerns…
• Ecosystems – the natural basis of human
beings – should be enabled to naturally adapt
to climate change
• Need for a toolkit
– To facilitate the integration of biodiversity
concerns into climate change adaptation projects
36

37. Livelihoods Climate
Change
Information
Adjusted
project
activities
Climatic
hazards
Livelihood
Sustainable
Resources CASDAAT
coping
(5 Capitals)
Strategies
Project
activities
Additionalities
Existing
Coping
Strategies
Climate Adaptive Sustainable Development
Assessment & Adjustment Tool (CASDAAT)37

38. Weatherstation
with sensors
1. Weather sensors
2. Weather Data collection
Weatherstation
Console Agromet
1. Weather data acquisition Console (Laptop )
2. Local storage 1. Storage and Archiving of weather
data
2. Storage of IK
3. Agromet advisory generation

39. 2. Agricultural Meteorology in the context of CCA

40. 3. Water Budgeting and Management
a. The Need for Water Budgeting and Management
b. Community mobilization for WB
c. Training of Jal Sevak (for agri-ment and WB), WB committee at village and cluster
level
d. Sub-committee for WB at village level
e. Promotion of water conservation practices: well recharge, micro-irrigation, check
for leakages, water in households
e. Activities: (i) Crop planning according to water availability
(ii) Judicious use of water through micro-irrigation
(iii) records of water budgeting in the village

41. School of Sustainable Living and
Livelihoods
• Ecological Community Organisers (ECOs)
• Rural Chroniclers (RCs)
• Water Use Promoters(Jal Sevaks)
• Agriculture Promoters (Krushi Sevaks)
• Health Promoters (Mahila Arogya
Pravartaks)
• School Strengthening Program

42. Knowledge Management
• On-going Action Research
• Thematic and issue based studies
• Best Practices and Experiences documented
• Dissemination of Knowledge Products and Processes

43. THE IMPACTS
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) 43

44. The Impacts of Watershed Development
Rainfall, Green Vegetation and Barren
Land (Jan.'96 and Dec.'99)
1500
1200
1197.45
900
858
819.5 773
600
300
115
30
0
Rainfall (mm) Green Veg.(ha.) Barren Land
(ha.)
January 1996 December 1999

45. IMPACTS on Water
Water harvested in a year of 400mm rain fall
• On 1000 acres 745 million liters
• On 1,490,000 acres , 1,110 billion litres/
annum (1.1 trillion litres)

46. Impacts on Agriculture Productivity and Local Employment
Consolidated for 5 villages
Consolidated for 10 villages

47. Darewadi-Impacts
Income From Agriculture (1996 – 2009)
60
50
40
Rs. In Million
30
20
10
-
Cash Crops Cereal Oil seed Pulses Vegetable Milk Fodder Total
1996 - 1.27 0.32 2.41 2.61 - 4.01 10.61
2001 15.10 1.93 0.02 0.75 5.25 1.06 8.54 32.65
2009 32.53 4.13 0.04 0.92 2.63 0.82 14.88 55.93

48. Water Shortages : Fading Memories

49. Thank You
for giving us your attention!
Do visit us at
www.wotr.org