Short description of the best practice

Soil and water conservation through a systematic ridge to valley area treatment (Continuous contour trenches (CCT), afforestation, farm bunds) is done that prevents soil erosion. The drainage line treatment is also carried out beginning from the ridge with gully plugs, nala bunds, gabion structures and check dams only at the lower outlets in prominent positions. Only the check dams are cement structures the rest are constructed from locally available material. All the work including marking of the structures, the layout of the plan is done by the Village Watershed Committee and the Panlot sevak and is supported by the engineers of WOTR. The plan is made by Participatory Net Planning method.
Wasundhara approach: It includes four key elements viz.
a.implementation of the project through Village Development Committee (VDC) which is a subcommittee of Gram Panchayat
b.formation of VDC wherein every section of the society is represented and women have 49% to 51% representation
c.village envisioning by villagers
d.wealth ranking that helps in obtaining contribution in equitable manner favoring disadvantaged.
-Fodder management through convergence: Fodder is one of the important factors that have to be taken care of for livestock. Various stakeholders have to act together for fodder availability issue. Through convergence various stakeholders (government departments and villagers) came together to form sub networks that helped mobilization of farmers/livestock keepers.
-Promotion of renewable energy sources, hot water chullas, tree plantation, health and sanitation, agricultural based technologies have also been given due attention.

Location

Wankute village which is located at the foothills of the Sahyadari ranges of Western Maharashtra in Sangamner taluka of Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra, India|

If the location has well defined boundaries, specify its extension in hectares:

1487.0

Estimated population living in the location:

1377.0

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Wankute is situated in Sangamner taluka of Ahmednagar district which is a rain shadow region. River Godavari forms the major drainage system of this watershed. The average rainfall in the area is about 600 mm.
the soil type is predominantly clay having a depth of 7.5 cm to 22.5 cm
The village is in a hilly terrain.

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

income sources can be clubbed as income from agriculture and allied business (68% of the total income) and non farm income (32% of the total income). 32% of the households have agriculture as their primary livelihood while 31% depend on farm labor income with 15% depending on Livestock for income.
most of the people in the village own land. Average gross landholding per household in Wankute is about 3.69 ha.
there are about 7% population comes under very poor category and is landless. Another 60%- 65% population fall under poor category and would also fall in BPL category. 20% population falls in medium category and 5% population is comfortably above poverty line.

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

- Soil and water conservation- the Participatory Net Planning (PNP) approach developed by WOTR has been adopted by NABARD and Government of Maharashtra.
- Increased water availability and increase in land productivity of the village.
- Wankute village won the JSW-the Time of India Earth Care Award 2010.
- The Wasundhara Approach developed by WOTR is being implemented in all WOTR projects as it addresses issue of equitable development. WOTR won the Kyoto Grand Prize for Wasundhara
- Fodder management through convergence helped in producing extra fodder which can be sold.
- Increase in number of users of clean and renewable energy resources.

Main problems addressed by the best practice

A. Environmental-
-  Large number of plantation has increased the green cover preventing soil erosion.
-  Soil is conserved by the land treatment which in turn enhances the productivity of the land for agri. Drainage line treatment helped in water conservation.
|B.   Economic-
-  Increased fodder and biomass availability. Fodder is now available throughout the year and extra fodder available can be sold.
|C. Social-
- Water, fodder and fuel availability has reduced women’s household labour
- Increasing attendance of school-going children, especially girls.
|D. Infrastructure-

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

Large number of plantation (110,000) on wastelands and mountains where earlier only black rock and cactus existed leading to carbon sequestration and afforestation. This led to reduced soil erosion and increased ground water level. The ban on felling of trees and free grazing of livestock on treated areas has also greatly helped the regeneration of trees, grasses and biomass.
Fodder innovation project helped in improved land use efficiency for fodder production and its use. This is linked to UNCCD theme which establishes sustainable systems for managing rangelands and livestock production in the rangelands in an economic and socially equitable manner.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

1. Address the issue of water availability through watershed development.|2. Address the issue of fodder availability through ‘convergence/ networked approach’ and promote the mechanism to negotiate improved fodder access in public (waste lands) and private grazing areas.|3. Promote Wasundhara Approach for watershed development.|4. Linking soil and water conservation activities to holistic development and Promote renewable and safe energy technologies to improve environmental quality of the area.|5. Promote Wasundhara Approach for watershed development.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

1. Promote sustainable agricultural practices like organic farming, micro farming, drip irrigation, water budgeting, etc|2. At present work is being carried out at Wankute for agro-met stations which will help farmers plan their agriculture activities.|3. Promotion of kitchen gardens and soak pits|4. Villagers own initiative to construct individual latrines, anganwadi (child care centre), high school (8th to 10th standard), roads, Public Health Centre etc.|5. Formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Samyukta Mahila Samitees (SMSs) to undertake a number of activities for drudgery reduction and enhancement of the quality of their lives|6. Women empowerment by organizing them into groups, training them on growth monitoring of their children as well as nutrition using locally available food, educational programs, personality development, personal care advisories etc. |7. Promoting solar lights, smokeless chullas, biogas, hot water chullas and gas cylinders through involvement of Women Self Help Groups.
1. Success of Wasundhara approach at Wankute helped WOTR to adopt the same in different project areas where watershed development has been conducted. |2. Wankute has been promoted as a “model village” for the same reason. Exposure visits have been arranged to Wankute to help others understand the benefits the integrative watershed development.
1. Locating the missing actors related to the issue of fodder availability in the area and understanding|2. Baseline data collection and analysis|3. Joint consultation with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), Revenue department and forest department for fodder development in their respective areas|4. Linking up with District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) for complimentary programs|5. Organizing regular visits to project villages by different actors|6. Six monthly meetings of all the players to track the progress|7. Formation Consultation groups at village level, block level and district level
1. Training to the villagers, exposure visits to neighboring villages, farmer to farmer extension, experience sharing workshops and gatherings.
2. Participatory Net Planning (PNP) to study each plot of land and design its treatment together with the land owner/farmer.|3. Wealth Ranking is done, and displayed, and is used to avail of the various government schemes and benefits as well as for the share in local contribution|4. Construction of drinking water wells, farm bunds, continuous contours, Hortipasture, nala bunds, check dams etc. through shramdan.|5. Plantations (110,000) on wastelands and mountains to increase the ground water level.

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Watershed Organisation Trust (acted as a Key Promotion Organization in Maharashtra for implementation of Fodder Innovation Project.)|"The Forum", 2nd Floor, Pune-Satara Road, Padmavati Corner, Pune-411009, Maharashtra, India|Jai Malhar Village Watershed Committee,Wankute|Village Wankute, Tal. Sangamner, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|District Animal Husbandry Officer, Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad|Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|Dy. Director. Social Forestry, Govt. of Maharashtra|Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|Dy. Conservator of Forest, Ahmednagar Forest Division,|Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|Asst. Conservator of Forest, Sangamner Forest Division, |Sangamner, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|Suprintending Agricultural Officer (SAO), Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Maharashtra|Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|Director of Research(DoR), Mahatma Phule Agricultural University (MPAU)|Rahuri, Dist-Ahmednagar, Maharashtra|Dy.Manager, Ahmednagar District Central Co-operative Bank, |Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

Jai Malhar Village Watershed Committee, Wankute; District Animal Husbandry Officer, Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad; Dy. Director. Social Forestry, Ahmednagar; Dy. Conservator of Forest, Ahmednagar Forest Division, Ahmednagar; Asst. Conservator of Forest, Sangamner Forest Division, Sangamner; |Suprintending Agricultural Officer (SAO), Department of Agriculture, Ahmednagar; Director of Research(DoR), Mahatma Phule Agricultural University (MPAU), Rahuri, Dist-Ahmednagar, Maharashtra;
Dy.Manager, Ahmednagar District Central Co-operative Bnak, Head office,Ahmednagar;

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• National initiative – non-government-led

Specify:

NA

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Local Village Development Committee (Jai Malhar Village Watershed Committee), which is a subcommittee of Gram Panchayat, formed under Wasundhara Approach.|Watershed Organisation Trust|Govt. of Maharashtra (The Agricultural Department, Soil conservation department and Forest department)
|Funders: Misereor, Community Action for Poverty Alleviation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, forest department, International Livestock Research Institute, Agricultural Department, Minor Irrigation department|For Fodder Innovation Project: Social forestry department, Forest department, Animal Husbandry department, an Agricultural University- Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, villagers

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

- Local Village Development Committee (Jai Malhar Village Watershed Committee) - President of the Village Watershed Committee helped in arranging monthly meetings, village mobilization, village level problem solving and implementation of village development activities.
- WOTR- facilitated the capacity building and implementation process by providing trainings and helping to mobilize the community
- Villagers- coordinated with the Forest department to treat the forest areas on the ridges within the watershed area of a village and establish forest protection committees in the respective villages.
- The agricultural department- did crop demonstrations
- Soil Conservation Department- constructed Continuous Contour Trenches
- Forest department- assisted in treating forest areas
- Funders- Misereor, Community Action for Poverty Alleviation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, forest department, International Livestock Research Institute, Agricultural Department, Minor Irrigation department
- For Fodder Innovation Project: Social forestry department, Forest department, Animal Husbandry department, an Agricultural University- Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, village community involved in joint consultation.

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Consultation
• Participatory approaches
• Other (please specify)

Specify:

they have given a share in local contribution based on wealth ranking and also through Shramadan.

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

- Wasundhara approach created the necessary dynamics and incentives to the VDC, the Samyukta Mahila Samiti and the Panchayati Raj Institutions to demonstrate a positive discrimination in the favor of the disadvantaged. Village Development Committee gives special attention to its poor. |
The mechanism to share the benefits in terms of grass output, the priority to harvest the grass from this land is given according to: Landless poor livestock keepers, marginal farmers, farmers don’t have land for fodder cultivation, farmers don’t have irrigation facility and the better off farmers.|
- Fuel wood, dung cake and kerosene were earlier used for lighting and cooking purposes and in order to meet this need trees had to be cut down but as a result of women’s initiative, the village now has 160 solar lamps, 15 smokeless chulhas and 32 hot water chulhas.|
- Increase in land use area from 600 ha to 800 ha for Kahriff crops, from 30 ha to 400 ha for Rabbi and from 0 ha to 10 ha for summer crops. And increase in per acre production (Quintals) of rice from 10-12 Bags to 20 Bags.|
- Fodder which was available only for six months earlier, now is available throughout year and extra fodder is sold which has become a source of income for the villagers.|
- Waste land reduced from 300 ha pre-watershed to 55 ha post-watershed.
NA

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Convergence approach which was adopted for fodder management and demonstrated successfully at Wankute village is now being spread to other WOTR project areas in its Climate Change Adaptation project.
The Wasundhara Approach has been adopted by WOTR in its all project areas which amount to over 200 project areas. Also ridge to valley approach as demonstrated by WOTR has been adopted by NABARD and Government of Maharashtra for their project areas

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

The two of the best practices mentioned above requires decisions and activities to be taken collectively by the villagers. Nobody can do it in isolated independent way to adapt whole village and clusters need to take decisions together. Our experience has shown that the holistic approach adopted in these best practices strengthens the community which eventually helps them in adaptation to climate changes.
Water availability issue could be one which can help villagers to come together and solve the problem they are facing. However this can be taken as a starting point for holistic development as shown by the activities described above (Wasundhara Approach). The promotion of clean and renewable energy, health, nutrition, sustainable agriculture practices like organic farming, micro farming, drip irrigation, water budgeting etc will definitely help community to face the challenges posed by climate change. One of the approaches for this is “adaptation through mitigation”. The proposed automated agro-meteorological stations at the village level will help the local farmer link their agriculture planning to data obtained from their local station thereby helping them to act according to the climate.     
Also fodder innovation project has shown that villagers have started using the “convergence approach” to solve the other issues that they are facing. This could be a good example of adaptation wherein one uses his/her learning from one situation to implement in another.
The village falls under rain shadow region and hence the activities that have been conducted have helped in mitigating important issues that rise due of water scarcity. The soil and water conservation activities that have been conducted has helped in stabilizing the resource base (land and water) so that there is less erosion and increase in biomass, this not only conserved water (drinking water availability has increased from 9 months to 12 months) but enhanced land productivity (increase in the land use for Khariff from 600 ha to 800 ha, for rabbi from 30 ha to 400ha) and its economic value also (land value of cropped land increased from ` 80,000 to ` 200,000). Ban on cutting of trees and afforestation (plantation of 110,000 trees on wasteland) helped in greening of the area. These together with the promotion of clean (hot water chullas that consume far less fuel) and renewable energy conserved the trees.
Activities aimed at health, sanitation, women empowerment through SHGs, promotion of kitchen gardens and soak pits definitely has addressed issue of holistic development in the context of climate change.
Since earlier this year we have started the improved methodology for agricultural which conserve the biomass and uses natural source including the major amount of nutrients instead the use of chemicals. WOTR has also launched two year Ecological Community Organizer course for rural youth help in tapping right talent that eventually help in mobilizing community.

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

The Wasundhara Approach and Ridge to Valley approach for watershed development has been adopted by WOTR in its more that 200 project areas covering 126,525 ha land, and 176,274 population.|The fodder innovation project was done in Kelwandi village along with Wankute and will be spread to another 24 villages where WOTR is implementing Climate Change Adaptation Project.

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Yes

Specify which type of incentives:

• Policy or regulatory incentives (for example, related to market requirements and regulations, import/export, foreign investment, research & development support, etc)
• Financial incentives (for example, preferential rates, State aid, subsidies, cash grants, loan guarantees, etc)
• Fiscal incentives (for example, exemption from or reduction of taxes, duties, fees, etc)

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

2. Addressing the issue of equitable distribution of benefits and involving community to distribute benefits to the poorest of the poor. And it is village’s better off who need to take concrete steps towards it.
1. Wasundhara approach that led to local initiative to take up the activities. Participative nature of all the activities ensured the community’s continuous support throughout the project period and after the completion of the project also.
3. Village envisioning helped villagers to see their future and design their own path for development of their village
The local participation the key and hence awareness building and motivation is the only way out and hence best practice(s) mentioned above can be replicated if this is taken care of.

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• Sub-national
• National

Related to human resources

1. If one needs response to the adaptation the whole village must come together and manage it together for their children tomorrow.|2. All communities must be given their equitable space and representation to voice their demands.|3. Equity needs to be addressed and it is village’s better off who need to take concrete steps towards it.

Related to financial aspects

1. Villagers receive the money and that was transparently handled.|2. Villagers created funds for maintenance of watershed structures.

Related to technical aspects

1. A systematic ridge to valley approach for watershed development is essential|2. A detailed Participatory Net Planning is important because all structures that need to be put have to be site specific. If it’s not done with people nothing can be achieved.|3. Village envisioning creates a sense of accountability and responsibility among the community to shape their own future.