Ecological balance restoration
Holistic development of villages on a watershed basis, restoring ecological balance by conserving and developing degraded land and water — with strong emphasis on community participation.
NWDPRA rainfed watershed development
National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas — a central government scheme in which Coodu Trust served as coordinating agency across the rainfed blocks of Dindigul and Madurai districts, Tamil Nadu.
16
Watersheds in 2002–2003
600
Farmers trained, 2004–2005
700
People organised into user groups
2
Districts covered
The project
What this project set out to do
Project mission
National scheme to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability in rainfed regions through a comprehensive watershed management approach, aiming for holistic village development on a watershed basis.
The National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) is a national scheme on which Coodu Trust served as coordinating agency alongside the District Rural Development Agencies and the Agricultural Engineering Department. Activities concentrated in the rainfed areas of Dindigul (Thoppampatty block) and Madurai (North, South and other blocks), covering 16 watersheds — 6 in Dindigul and 10 in Madurai — in 2002–2003.
The programme built a participatory framework from the ground up. In the Madurai watersheds, 10 watershed associations and 10 watershed committees were formed, with 700 people organised into user groups and 450 into self-help groups — the reports count participants, not groups — so that the farmers and local communities most vulnerable to the challenges of rainfed agriculture could plan and manage their own resources.
In 2004–05 Coodu Trust ran a technological course on kharif and rabi crops in the Palani and Thoppampatti blocks of Dindigul, covering 10 watersheds and training 600 participants in raising and managing those crops. Each trainee was expected to pass the techniques on to other farmers in their own village.
The trust’s earlier published scheme breakdown puts the complete NWDPRA programme at 20 watersheds in two districts of Tamil Nadu.
- Rainfed agriculture
- Community institutions
- Farmer training
- Watershed management
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Shared land and water with no one to steward it
Without local institutions, degraded land and scarce water in rainfed villages have no community owner — development activities happen to people rather than with them.
Our response
Grassroots institutions in every watershed
10 watershed associations and 10 watershed committees formed in the Madurai watersheds, with 700 people organised into user groups and 450 into self-help groups — so development was planned and executed with direct community involvement.
The challenge
Farming at the mercy of the rain
Farmers in rainfed blocks were among the most vulnerable to failed seasons, with little access to modern crop management techniques or working examples to learn from.
Our response
Training plus first-hand exposure
600 participants trained on kharif and rabi crops across 10 watersheds in the Palani and Thoppampatti blocks of Dindigul — each expected to carry the techniques back to other farmers in their own village.
At a glance
The essentials
- Scheme
- NWDPRANational Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas — central government scheme. The 2005–06 report renders the acronym as “National Wasteland Development Programme for Rainfed Areas”.
- Period
- 2002–2006Recorded in the annual reports from 2002–03 through 2005–06
- Coverage
- 2 rainfed districtsDindigul (Thoppampatty and Palani blocks) & Madurai (North, South and other blocks) — 16 watersheds in 2002–03
- Beneficiaries
- Farmers & local communitiesThose most vulnerable to the challenges of rainfed agriculture; 600 participants trained on kharif and rabi crops in 2004–05
- Our role
- Coordinating agencyCommunity organisation, awareness, PRA and training, with the District Rural Development Agencies and the Agricultural Engineering Department
- Part of
- Watershed portfolioThe trust’s earlier published breakdown puts the complete NWDPRA programme at 20 watersheds in two districts — the corresponding figure in the 2003–04 report is not legible in the scan
Outcomes
What the project changed
Community ownership of resources
Watershed associations, watershed committees and user groups empowered local communities to take ownership of their resources — every activity planned and executed with direct community involvement.
Rainfed agriculture development
Comprehensive watershed management across two districts benefited vulnerable farming communities and enhanced agricultural sustainability in rainfed areas.
Get involved
Support rainfed communities
Join us in strengthening watershed institutions and farming skills so that villages dependent on the rain can build lasting agricultural sustainability across Tamil Nadu.