To deepen our collective understanding of the issues, the opportunities, and the inspiring models that are shaping resilient rural communities, we have curated a set of must-read case story booklets by WOTR.
A Better Tomorrow
Stories, Practices, and Solutions
Integrated Farming Systems treat the farm not as isolated parts, but as a living ecosystem. Water harvesting, crops, trees, livestock, and fisheries are designed to support each other.
This article explores villages where watershed management, conservation, and community participation have shaped a new model of sustainable development.
In a recent conversation with us, Garima Dutt of YES Foundation shared how WOTR’s research-led, community-driven approach creates lasting impact.
Since 2019, WOTR and the Rotary Club of Poona have helped Dhamanvan and Shirpunje in Akole, Maharashtra, build resilience through community-driven initiatives.
Integrated Watershed Development (IWD) is a holistic approach to managing land and water resources. It is the process of managing human activities and natural resources on a watershed basis.
Localising sustainable development in rural contexts can help rural communities become engines of growth and prosperity while staying within the planetary limits.
Empowering rural women is key to gender equality and sustainable development. Learn strategies to drive change in rural communities.
Imagine a barren patch of land, lifeless, without hope, dismissed as worthless. Now imagine transforming not one, not two, but 90 such spaces into green, thriving hubs of life, prosperity, and sustainability. This is not a distant dream; it’s a mission. A mission to fuse the power of nature, technology, and human will
WOTR recently celebrated 30 years of transformative rural development at its “Ripples of Change” event. It spotlighted WOTR’s impact in rejuvenating rural landscapes and empowering communities.
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A glimpse into the cultural practices and land-based traditions of tribal communities in WOTR’s project regions.
Drawing from work with smallholder farmers—from Kumbharwadi in Maharashtra to Madaul in Odisha—WOTR has contributed key experiences, insights, and evidence to the Stories of Resilience 2025, a publication launched by the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil.
How can smallholders farm fish while safeguarding their local ecosystems? One promising answer lies in farm ponds.
Read how a school, and ultimately an entire village in Maharashtra, was transformed with clean toilets
Phool’s journey from uncertain, monocropping to stable, climate-resilient agriculture shows how access to irrigation, diversification, and community support can transform livelihoods.
Grasslands are often mistaken for empty lands needing trees, but they are rich, climate-resilient ecosystems. Understanding their unique biodiversity, carbon storage, and cultural value is essential to ensuring conservation efforts don’t unintentionally cause harm.
Making every drop count in Maharashtra’s rainshadow.
Recently, multiple large-scale awareness campaigns were conducted in 15 villages across diverse regions of Rangareddy and Jalna districts in Telangana and Maharashtra, respectively, where the Water Stewardship Initiative (WSI) is being implemented.