Photographs courtesy Pramod Deshmukh
From Trickle
W
ater is a precious resource, especially for farmers in India, where agriculture is primarily rain-fed. Competition over finite water resources, compounded by climate change, has raised concerns about India’s food security, the livelihoods of farmers as well as the country’s economic development. The changing climate is affecting not just rainfall, but also the retention of soil moisture, which is essential for cultivation. However, a number of individuals and organizations are working to improve the situation. One such environmentalist is Pramod Deshmukh. He is the chairman of
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Sanskriti Samvardhan Mandal (SSM), a nonprofit organization founded in 1959 by his father, Keshav Deshmukh. It has a 60-year track record of improving the lives and livelihoods of over 30,000 families. “We initiated our Watershed Development Program in 1992,” says Deshmukh, “with an aim to ensure sustainable rural development. Since then, four major watershed projects have been completed, impacting 6,000 families in 19 villages. Ten additional villages will be served through an Integrated Watershed Management Project, jointly administered by SSM and the Maharashtra