Low-cost drought-proofing strategies help farmers in southern India

Collaborative project with Power Grid Corp of India has significant scale-out potential

Technologies developed in a national CSR award-winning watershed project in India have helped over 20,000 farmers in southern India conserve 200,000 m³ of water and earn higher incomes through alternate livelihood options. The project has a scale-out potential of more than 45 million ha in rainfed regions and can double the incomes of more than 70 million farmers in India using a holistic and sustainable model. The approach works across the agriculture for development value chain and was tested in some of the most challenging environments and situations.

In the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, India, frequent spells of drought and erratic rainfall have often hampered crop productivity and caused land degradation. Farmers of this region struggle with inconsistent income levels, fluctuating produce prices, and unavailable or costly labor.