The story of how collective action turned Nagdarwadi from a village in distress into a model for watershed development, inspiring the Marathi film Paani.
A Better Tomorrow
Stories, Practices, and Solutions
A three-year project by WOTR and HDFC Bank Parivartan aims to uplift 11,700 people in 40 tribal villages of Gadchiroli through sustainable agriculture, water conservation, and livelihood development.
The vital contributions of women farmers in India’s agricultural sector remain largely unseen because of various societal and structural barriers, even though they are the backbone of many rural communities.
Community support and dedicated intervention can effectively combat malnutrition, as highlighted by the inspiring stories of girl children
Amidst the challenges of the Covid-19 lockdown, Rayagada district in Odisha harnessed community strength to drive change. Through initiatives like sustainable agriculture, alternative livelihoods, and the construction of watershed structures, villagers collaborated to improve water management, boost incomes, and enhance resilience against climate and economic hardships.
In the remote village of Kolhua, Saroj Singh, a Mahila Pravartak, is transforming healthcare by promoting immunisation and improving nutrition, overcoming challenges and gaining the community’s trust.
Suraj Lal turned his carpentry passion into a business, crafting furniture for his village with WOTR and AHB’s support. Similarly, Bir Singh and his team in Dungripara built a successful construction enterprise, creating a path to self-sufficiency.
Borgaon Budruk’s Village Development Committee (VDC) and Village Water Management Teams (VWMT) have successfully addressed water scarcity through community-driven water conservation efforts, significantly improving local conditions.
The village of Borgaon Math relied on one hand pump, leading to shortages and conflicts. Bhagirathi, a farmer, often traveled long distances for water, impacting daily life and her children’s education .WOTR’s efforts have provided reliable water access, improving living conditions and education.
In rural Maharashtra, communities have become water stewards with support from WOTR. Villages like Borgaon Math and Bori Khurd have adopted rainwater harvesting, micro-irrigation, and organic farming, boosting water availability and crop yields.
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Innovation once drove survival and growth. Now, amid climate stress and inequality, it must shift toward impact, resilience, and long-term sustainability.
WOTR’s Annual Report 2024-25, Roots & Resilience, highlights rural resilience through science, technology, and tradition.
Across India, disasters are no longer singular events but a polycrisis—where climate extremes, ecological degradation, water stress, and livelihood insecurity interact and amplify one another
When we mix weather,climate and climate change terms together, it can lead to confusion about what actually caused an event, who is responsible, and what actions are most effective
Explore WOTR’s 13-year journey across villages in Odisha, reaching over one lakh people through community-led watershed and livelihood interventions.
The Global South is being asked to shoulder the world’s nature and climate ambitions while global finance continues to move decisively in the opposite direction.
Read a collection blogs which brings together five stories from WOTR’s blog, shaped by the everyday lives, struggles, and choices of people in rural India. Told from the ground up, these pieces reflect moments of resilience, learning, and collective effort around water, livelihoods, and social change.
A water storage capacity of 2.5 million litres was created, bringing 64.25 acres of barren land back under cultivation while reducing soil erosion and improving groundwater recharge.