Harvest festival spotlight on water for farm households: How an award-winning community programme in Seoni was enabled by Reliance Foundation

Harvest festivals like Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bihu, and Lohri are a time to honour the bounty of nature and the hard work of farmers emphasizing the importance of agriculture in our lives. The celebrations are also a reminder of the critical need for sustainable water resource management. With challenges like unpredictable rainfall, depleting groundwater levels, and the impact of climate change, prioritizing water conservation is crucial to enable celebration of bountiful harvests.

It is in this effort to enable self-sufficiency and prosperity for farm households, that Reliance Foundation has been implementing comprehensive plans for village development. One of these isin Seoni, in Madhya Pradesh. Aimed at facilitating improved water resources, better livelihoods and a healthy environment, the intensive work at the field has been ongoing for over thirteen years now, showing visible results.

The district of Seoni was identified due to its challenges, including dependence on rainfed agriculture, low farm productivity, high cultivation costs, climate uncertainties, and poverty-induced migration. Through comprehensive community engagement and participatory village development planning, Reliance Foundation laid the groundwork for sustained progress.

Community mobilization and institution building are a key part of the programme. By training local institutions in integrated water security, natural resource management, and collaboration with gram panchayats and government departments, the initiative has empowered villages to become self-reliant. Rural communities equipped with perspective and skills against climate change as Climate Champions also play a pivotal role for sustainability. By 2024, 84 villages had achieved water security by 2024, through these efforts. This was facilitated through construction of 815 structures with a watershed approach, such as farm ponds, wells, earthen and concrete dams, and drinking water storage tanks along with soil and moisture conservation activities.

This initiative of Reliance Foundation in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, has been recognized for its innovative work including a recent CII National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2024, ‘Beyond the Fence’.

“The communities have made progress possible with their dedication and partnership. Together, we continue to pave the way for a more sustainable and water-secure future, for prosperity of farm households,” said a spokesperson from Reliance Foundation.

The Seoni project highlights the transformative potential of collaborative efforts in addressing rural challenges. By reducing crop failure risks, enhancing farmers’ productivity and bargaining power, and supporting alternative livelihoods, it has also helped create a resilient and sustainable rural economy.

Since 2011 the various efforts in Seoni district, have resulted in:

– 83 lakh cubic metres of water harvesting capacity created

– 4,093 hectares of land brought under efficient irrigation

– Sustainable agriculture practices, boosting crop yields with additional income for 2,730 farmers

– 1590 ha wasteland brought under cultivation.

Interventions such as those in Seoni are part of Reliance Foundation’s Bharat India Jodo programme that aims to empower rural communities, mitigating the risks of climate change through integrated interventions – water conservation, food and nutrition security, women’s empowerment, and access to knowledge resources. Water management is a central pillar of the initiative

Community-led initiatives for water conservation and sustainable farming practices empowering rural communities are a way of truly enabling them to celebrate the flourishing harvests of their labour and secure their future.

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