Rejuvenation in Bundelkhand: how an upland watershed got its groundwater back
- From
- 
          
            
            Published on
          
          16.02.21
- Impact Area
 
  The world of water management is replete with stories about traditional systems that break down, such as the one we reported in November from Karnataka, South India. Age-old, decentralized approaches to managing water and watersheds do fall apart, leaving farmers high and dry. However, a remarkable study published in the Journal of Hydrology documents just how rapidly farmers can reap the benefits when an old system is restored and enhanced.
Researchers at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and their collaborators selected for a five-year study two degraded watersheds in the hilly, semi-arid region of Bundelkhand, which is divided between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in central India. Farmers in the region – a third to half of whom subsist below the poverty line – live in villages that traditionally have an earthen rainwater harvesting tank called a haveli…
Related news
- 
  
      From bottles to solar pumps: how Cocoa farmers in Ghana are innovating to beat water stressSehlule Muzata28.10.25- 
            
            Environmental health
 Across Ghana's cocoa belt, the rhythm of the rains is no longer reliable. Once-predictable wet… Read more
- 
            
            
- 
  
      SOILutions for Security: CGIAR at the 2025 Borlaug DialogueMultifunctional Landscapes Science Program22.10.25- 
            
            Biodiversity
- 
            
            Environmental health
- 
            
            Environmental health & biodiversity
- 
            
            Food security
- 
            
            Nutrition
 From October 21–23, CGIAR will join global partners in Des Moines, Iowa for the 2025… Read more
- 
            
            
- 
  
      Nigeria Commits to Boosting Soil Health for Food SecuritySehlule Muzata20.10.25- 
            
            Climate adaptation & mitigation
- 
            
            Food security
 Nigeria, Africa’s fourth-largest economy and a key food producer, is launching the Presidential So… Read more
- 
            
            
