Under Water and Climate Change adaptation, Wasundhara village development program was initiated to enhance and stabilize the productive capacity of local ecosystems with interventions based on principles of Watershed Development, in semi-arid agro-climatic region of Bhoom block.
Key interventions of the program include development of water storage and harvesting structures, land treatments, promoting water conservation practices and social development activities as part of community capacity building. It also promotes climate resilient agricultural practices aiming at improved yield and crop quality.
To ensure its alignment with communities’ needs and sustainability of the initiatives, program focuses on building capacities of communities through formation and nurturing of Village Development Committees (VDC) and nurturing of existing women Self Help Groups (SHGs).While women SHGs are a platform to understand the social-economic dynamics and reach out to every household, VDCs are the platforms for decision-making and governance of the program. The program encourages villagers to assume their responsibilities as citizens and participate actively in gram sabhas that are the governing meetings at village levels. The project ensures participation by womenfully and equitably, receiving comparable socio-economic benefits and that they do not suffer the adverse effects in the communities.
Project implementation follows an approach that helps in organizing the rural communities for watershed development and rainwater harvesting in an inclusive, equitable, sustainable and gender sensitive manner.