Page 87 - Non_Financial_Annual_Report_2021 (10th June).indd

Reimagine | Reinvent | Grow

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD
PROGRAM

With close to 42% of rural India engaged in agrarian pursuits,
we understand this segment’s plight and lack of opportunities.
Challenges like seasonal dependence, knowledge scarcity,
dearth of resources, etc., plague the growth of this sector.
However, we believe that armed with the right resources and
opportunities, there is tremendous scope for the rural economy
to rise above these challenges and unlock its potential to thrive.
Thus, we have been undertaking several initiatives to address
the urgent need of stabilising and diversifying farm-based
livelihoods in rural areas. One such Initiative is the Water
Management and Income Generation Program in Jawhar
block, Maharashtra. Further, we worked extensively to scale the
Khoripada program to include two new clusters in Hateri Dapti
& Malghar as they are especially susceptible rural regions of
Maharashtra. This Initiative has led to a significant lasting impact
among close to 2000 lives. Some of the key initiatives under this
program are:
• Water Management through Farm pond fencing
In the face of little groundwater and the absence of any
perennial water source, rainwater harvesting is the saving
grace that creates protective irrigation in the Dapti and
Malghar villages of Maharashtra. Since its inception, this
Initiative has helped build a total of 12 ponds totalling
a capacity to harvest rainwater up to 1.80 Crore litres of
water at one time. Five ponds with a capacity of 75 Lakhs
litres were added in FY 2020-21. Harvested rainwater
helps to store surface water for use both during and
after the monsoon. It is used for the protective irrigation
of horticulture plots and jasmine crops in the region,
thus powering prosperity and growth. Through this
protective irrigation, 35 acres of horticulture plantation was
propagated by the farmers, along with rabbi vegetable
cultivation by 14 farmers and propagation of jasmine plots
by 44 farmers.
• Capability Building to foster Sustainable Livelihood
Capability building has been a core focus area for our
sustainable livelihood initiative. We believe that skill
development can contribute leaps and bounds to alleviate
the challenges in distressed agrarian zones. Several training
initiatives were undertaken on farm cultivation, collective
87