Manjari Corner
Manjari has partnered with Uttarakhand Gramin Bank for a Financial Literacy program in Pantnagar. Training session organized for SHG members at Dariba location on MGNREGA, labour rights and entitlement. Banda, Uttar Pradesh, where Manjari Foundation is actively working on water conservation, wins Best District award at 5th National Water Awards. Manjari signs MoU with GBPUAT, Pant Nagar to revolutionize livestock, agriculture, and allied sector-based livelihoods. Capacity-building workshop hosted on effective communication in finance & accounting.

Integrated Natural Resource Management

Preserving Natural Resources

Climate change is one of the biggest environmental threats the human race is facing. The threat is severe in rainfed areas of semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Bundelkhand, where poor farmers face acute water scarcity. The Rajasthan State accounts for 10% of India's total land area, and 5% of its population but has only 1% of the country's water resources. Recurring droughts coupled with a reduced number of rainy days, erratic monsoon rainfall, and lowering groundwater levels pose challenges for agriculture and human health. Lack of access to resources, knowledge, and a support system further exacerbates farmer vulnerability. Farming is a key source of livelihood but due to unpredictable weather patterns, marginal farmers face the challenge of food security.

Groundwater levels in Rajasthan have declined by 62.7%. The per capita availability of water in the state is only 807m3, which is less than
half of the national average of 2,000 m3, and is expected to decline further to 457 m3 by 2045.

Challenges

The agriculture sector is the biggest consumer of freshwater, and hence under constant pressure to use water resources more efficiently by improving the performance of both irrigated and rain-fed production. India needs to look after its resources today, or else scarcity will pose a serious threat to food security in the future. Irrigation is considered the most critical input for enhancing agricultural production to meet the food and fiber requirements of India's increasing population. About 70% of farm irrigation is done through wells/ tube wells energized mainly with electricity and diesel generators.

Strategic Approach

Manjari has been implementing an integrated approach to resource management aimed at empowering farmers to become self-reliant for the whole year. We are investing in creating water bodies where farmers can collect and harvest rainwater. We are also training community institutions (Pani Panchyats) at the village level to efficiently manage water resources. These institutions carry out participatory planning, implementation, monitoring, and supervision of the watershed program in their villages. We follow the philosophy of “per drop more crop.” Water is a critical input in agriculture. How much, at what time, and how plants are watered, have a determining effect on the eventual yield. Good seeds and fertilizer fail to achieve their full potential if plants are not optimally watered.

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'Manjari’ literally translates to “seed of Tulsi”, a sacred Indian plant. When women mobilise themselves to form institutions, they are empowered to sow their own ‘seeds of change’.