Rejuvenating
Communities &
Ecosystems
Rejuvenating
Communities &
Ecosystems
The Fragility of Rural India
280 million rural Indians live in abject poverty – their fragile existence threatened by the severely degraded ecosystems, their vulnerability to climate change, and overdependence on unproductive agriculture as a livelihood.
Ecosystem
Degradation
Climate
Change
Low Agriculture Productivity
Over-dependence
on Agriculture
WOTR
Provides the
Solution
WOTR tackles the key causes of rural poverty by taking a holistic approach to rejuvenate rural communities and the ecosystems in which they live. The focus is on mobilising rural people and building their capacities to efficiently manage the land, water, and forests that surround them. Working at the grassroots, WOTR creates resilient rural communities that enjoy a fulfilling life within vibrant and sustainable ecosystems.
WOTR
Provides the
Solution
WOTR (Watershed Organisation Trust) tackles the key causes of rural poverty by taking a holistic approach to rejuvenate rural communities and the ecosystems in which they live. The focus is on mobilising rural people and building their capacities to efficiently manage the land, water, and forests that surround them. Working at the grassroots, WOTR creates resilient rural communities that enjoy a fulfilling life within vibrant and sustainable ecosystems.
WOTR
Provides the
Solution
WOTR tackles the key causes of rural poverty by taking a holistic approach to rejuvenate rural communities and the ecosystems in which they live. The focus is on mobilising rural people and building their capacities to efficiently manage the land, water, and forests that surround them. Working at the grassroots, WOTR creates resilient rural communities that enjoy a fulfilling life within vibrant and sustainable ecosystems.
Livelihoods
Women Empowerment
Health Sanitation & Nutrition
How WOTR Operates
WOTR’s Impact
WOTR has been working with rural communities in India for 3 decades now. Together with its partners, It has touched the lives of over 6.93 million across 7124 villages in 10 states of India – Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Karnataka. It has included participants from 63 countries in training and exposure programmes.
2.64
million hectares of degraded land restored
158
billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity created
15-20%
increase in agriculture productivity
108,157
people received drinking water facilities
25%
increase in non-farm income
50%
decrease in distress migration
2.64
million hectares of degraded land restored
158
billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity created
15-20%
increase in agriculture productivity
108,157
people received drinking water facilities
25%
increase in non-farm income
50%
decrease in distress migration
1.82
million hectares restored
158
billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity created
15-20%
increase in agriculture productivity
78,973
people received drinking water facilities
25%
increase in non-farm income
50%
decrease in distress migration
21,500
SHGs supported involving 2,52,829 women
57
FPOs supported to assist 20,251 members
192,133
individuals positively impacted through diverse health initiatives
521,000
people trained in various aspects of creating resilient futures
121%
increase in agricultural area under triple cropping
21,500
SHGs supported involving 2,52,829 women
57
FPOs supported to assist 20,251 members
192,133
individuals positively impacted through diverse health initiatives
521,000
people trained in various aspects of creating resilient futures
121%
increase in agricultural area under triple cropping
WOTR’s Impact
WOTR has been working with rural communities in India for 3 decades now. It has touched the lives of over 4.43 million across in 6,594 villages in 10 states of India – Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Karnataka. It has included participants from 63 countries in training and exposure programmes.
2.64
million hectares of degraded land restored
158
billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity created
15-20%
increase in agriculture productivity
108,157
people received drinking water facilities
25%
increase in non-farm income
50%
decrease in distress migration
2.64
million hectares of degraded land restored
158
billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity created
15-20%
increase in agriculture productivity
108,157
people received drinking water facilities
25%
increase in non-farm income
50%
decrease in distress migration
1.82
million hectares restored
158
billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity created
15-20%
increase in agriculture productivity
78,973
people received drinking water facilities
25%
increase in non-farm income
50%
decrease in distress migration
21,500
SHGs supported involving 2,52,829 women
57
FPOs supported to assist 20,251 members
192,133
individuals positively impacted through diverse health initiatives
521,000
people trained in various aspects of creating resilient futures
121%
increase in agricultural area under triple cropping
21,500
SHGs supported involving 2,52,829 women
57
FPOs supported to assist 20,251 members
192,133
individuals positively impacted through diverse health initiatives
521,000
people trained in various aspects of creating resilient futures
121%
increase in agricultural area under triple cropping
Ecosystem Based Approach
To effectively address rural poverty, WOTR employs strategic solutions that tackle its key causes so as to bring about sustainable change. By using an integrated Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach, WOTR regenerates degraded ecosystems to help rural communities adapt to climate change while expanding livelihood opportunities, improving health, nutrition and people’s well-being. This work aligns with major international priorities, such as Land Degradation Neutrality, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Ecosystem Based Approach
To effectively address rural poverty, WOTR employs strategic solutions that tackle its key causes so as to bring about sustainable change. By using an integrated Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach, WOTR regenerates degraded ecosystems to help rural communities adapt to climate change while expanding livelihood opportunities, improving health, nutrition and people’s well-being. This work aligns with major international priorities, such as Land Degradation Neutrality, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Bhojdari Village
Sangamner Block, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra
1082
Population
203
Households
1145 ha
Watershed Area
BEFORE WOTR : Bhojdhari was once crippled by acute water shortages, repeated crop failures, and the loss of cattle and livestock – resulting in large-scale distress migration. But today, after 2 decades of extensive work by WOTR across three projects, Bhojdhari, and the entire watershed it sits in, is thriving. And it has transformed the lives of those who live there.