New Delhi: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) spent Rs 2.7 cr on Integrated Watershed Management Project (IWMP) and covered 48 villages benefiting 41,112 people by improving agricultural productivity and increasing farmer income since its inception in Madhya Pradesh, in FY 2018-19.
The company has been driving the IWMP, initiated in 2011 as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) project in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode with the Government of Madhya Pradesh at Damoh to uplift the marginalized and vulnerable community.
The project resulted in the replication at Bhopal and Hatta in Madhya Pradesh.
IWMP, with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), focuses on increasing the ground water table which boosts agricultural productivity and improves living standards.
The project broadly focuses on soil & water conservation, productivity enhancement and livelihood generation.
IWMP achieved the ground water availability of 6.2 meters against the baseline of 8 meters, percentage increase of income from agriculture by 339%, percentage increase of household income by 363% over the baseline.
The project is equal partnership with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), in Hatta which was implemented in 13 villages that is spread over 4,816 hectares of land covering 1,613 households benefiting 6,884 people.
The programme follows the ‘Ridge to Valley’ watershed treatment model which is based on a thorough examination of the village geography.
Factors considered in the situational analysis include topography, existing watershed structures, rain water drainage routes, existing storage tanks and irrigation channels.
Each village gets a combination of watershed structures that work in unison to achieve the final overall output.
Under the programme, Self Help Groups (SHGs) for livelihood generation are also formed in close co-ordination with the village councils resulting in the generation of additional income avenues.
The Company has entered into an ‘Agroforestry Livelihood Generation Programme’ at Araku Valley, a hilly region in Andhra Pradesh.
The project is regenerating the lost green cover through plantation of indigenous species and generating livelihood opportunities by planting fruit bearing trees for the tribal population in partner Naandi Foundation.
Various projects have been implemented in air, water & waste management and solid waste management. These initiatives are also extended to the supplier community of the company.
