NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Goal:

We aim to promote management of natural resources to strengthen the livelihood systems of marginalized communities as we search for ways to bring about sustainable improvement in their living conditions. In this context, we educate and demonstrate conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, (forests, land and water in particular) and build capacity of communities on resource utilization and management.

Key Achievements

Promoting a network of forest dependent people 278,513 (Male-144570, Female-133943) in 742 villages, protecting 31,228 ha of village forests. People have organized to protect and conserve forests, take up afforestation in degraded forestlands, marketing of NTFPs and advocate for rights over common property resources.

• Communities raised miscellaneous plantations in 54 ha and mango and cashew orchards in 174 ha in 29 villages in our operational areas.
• Implemented two watersheds covering 1000 ha of catchments areas.
• Demonstrated soil conservation measures in 97 ha land to 170 farmers in 10 villages through earth and stone bundings, gully plugging and 5% model. This has helped in soil conservation and increase in moisture retention capacity of soil. People have started cultivating the fallow lands and crop yield has increased by 15 to 20%.
• Supported construction of 3 water harvesting structures and installation of 36 lift irrigations through pump sets in 35 villages. These have enabled 554 small and marginal farmers to tap the water resources and raise vegetable crops in 196 ha lands during summer and winter. Thus the fallow lands are used for agriculture activities with additional income for small farmers which has also simultaneously checked seasonal migration.

For case studies for this project, please click here.