Conserving water to boost agriculture
For years, Ramnarayan Meena had been only limited to millets, paddy and wheat from his 9 bigha land. The limited water for irrigation left him with not many options. The income was meagre, just adequate to run his family. Ramnarayan had almost given up any hope to save some money and earn a better life for himself and his family.
But today, his life is completely/entirely different. Ramnarayan has not only tripled his farm income but has also increased his landholding! This was made possible when WOTR started working in Dhaduret village (Sapotra block) of Rajasthan. By attending regular meetings, capacity building programs and farmer field schools, Ramnarayan learned several climate-smart practices to improve his farm productivity.
- WOTR has constructed two dams in 2019-20 in Dhandhuret and several Pagara in this village. One of these pagaras was constructed around Ramnarayan’s land. To leverage better water availability for irrigation, he bought three more bighas of land and started diversifying his crops too. The results were great, which further encouraged Ramnarayan to fetch more land in partnership with another member of his community.
- Under WOTR’s guidance, Ramnarayan also learned about the benefits of organic farming. He cut down the use of chemicals and used bio-fertilizers which he learned to make in one of the workshops conducted by WOTR.
- With access to better irrigation facilities and by learning water conservation and organic farming practices, today Ramnarayan is a proud and successful farmer in his community. With his savings, he has been able to renovate his old kaccha house and is now living in a finely constructed house with his family. He remains in regular touch with the WOTR team to learn new things every day.
