In India, agriculture production in small farms remains low leaving smallholders unable to meet their dietary requirements. Low production level particularly for cereal crops is largely due to erratic and unreliable rainfall. Compounded by the smallholder’s inefficient knowledge and use of resources like labour, micro-nutrients, recycling of existing farm resources and rainwater, the current method of farming often contributes to soil and groundwater depletion.

Soil erosion and nutrient depletion have been some of the major challenges in Madhya Pradesh that adversely affect soil fertility as well as crop productivity. Especially in the Bundelkhand region, exposure to variable climatic conditions causes high physical vulnerabilities. Drought conditions are often frequently leading to unstable socio-economic conditions. Varying in temperature influence crop productivity in summer as well as in winter due to heavy frost.

Monsoon is being a critical determinant for agricultural activities and has been varying drastically in the past few years causing big losses due to the paucity of adequate knowledge and information at their level. High exploitation of water has led to depletion in groundwater table in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh. Limited access to sufficient water for smallholders in the region has restricted them to go for the next crop in many areas and are forced to migrate to feed their family.

Hanumantora is one of the target villages of the SAFBIN program located in Palkator Gram Panchayat of Shahgarh block of Sagar district Madhya Pradesh. More than 80 per cent of households of Hanumantora village belongs to the small and marginal farm category. They primarily depend on rainfed agriculture. The major source of irrigation is rainwater, open well and canal in few areas Having most of the area under the upland and considering the undulating topography, the majority of the farmers are limited to single crops.

Recognizing the importance of soil and water, Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) has included the sustainable way of conservation and management of soil and water through integrated approaches. Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network is a program aimed to contribute towards SDG-2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture co-funded by Caritas Switzerland and Caritas Austria and implemented by Caritas India through her implementing partner organisations Jabalpur Diocesan Social Service Societies Mandl and Manav Vikas Seva Sangh, Sagar in Mandla, Sagar and Vidisha districts of Madhya Pradesh India.

With the aim to reduce the soil depletion and water scarcity problem SAFBIN, through the smallholder farmers collectives (SHFC) and Gram Panchayat (GP) representatives planned and included few key activities to conserve the rainwater through the renovation of existing water bodies, construction of percolation tanks, check dams, Nala bunds, recharge pits etc. While discussing with the members, micro-irrigation systems like drip and sprinklers were also proposed where smallholder can learn and take benefit of the technology which will not only help in conserving the groundwater resources but also increase the net cropping area thereby augmenting the agriculture economy at the farm level.

Further to this, with the help of the SAFBIN team, SHFC members took initiative in selecting the sites to harvest rainwater with appropriate conservation measures in coordination with GP representatives where they decided to construct a check dam. Total human days generated through the check dam was 129 out of which, 38 human days contributed voluntarily by 19 SHFC members. The total small farm families benefited will be 10 with an extended area of 4-hectare land.

Part of integrated farming system approach, biological methods of soil conservation like crop rotation, appropriate crop selection based on the climate and soil, mulching, mixed cropping, re-use and recycling of farm resources and introduction of Olla irrigation system were also promoted by SAFBIN to reduce the surface runoff, increase in infiltration and thereby help in maintaining groundwater table while reducing the soil erosion.

SAFBIN program has been so resourceful for smallholders in developing capacities through continuous handholding in maintaining and managing their small farms. Smallholders have been educated in integrating crop-livestock -fruit trees with diversified homesteads.

Happy to see the collective efforts in soil and water conservation measures. This has encouraged our community people to move forward for more collective actions for our own development while managing the local resources meaningfully. Ms. Prem Rani Patel, Sarpanch, Palkatora Gram Panchayat