Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs

From the Field | 'When we first visited Devappa Rajur's field in January 2023 in Malakasamudra village, Koppal district, Karnataka, he was primarily cultivating cotton, intercropped with cowpea. Unfortunately, a spell of heavy rain ruined his cotton crop and left him in a lurch. He was contemplating moving to Bengaluru for work as farming wasn't providing a steady income. We offered to help him transition to a sustainable traditional multicropping method called Akkadi Saalu as it benefits the farmer and the land. After working with us closely for 6-8 months, he decided to try this technique of growing food crops in the rabi season. He started by sowing 16 varieties of green manure plants (April-May), which were incorporated back into the soil after 40 days to rejuvenate it. We then introduced Akkadi Saalu, with groundnut as the primary crop and rows of complementary crops such as jowar, horse gram, field beans and sesame. In just 30 gunta (about ¾ acre) of land, Devappa cultivated 17 crops, including black gram, green gram, mustard, tomato, ridge gourd, radish, fenugreek, coriander, guava, lemon, curry leaves and magani, all grown organically. He was determined to farm sustainably so he prepared his own organic bio-solutions like jeevamrutha, panchagavya and trimurti tonic. Through this season-long transformation, Devappa's input costs decreased steadily, and his soil, hard and compact before, showed visible improvement. He harvested 3.5 quintals of groundnut, bringing in ₹28,000, along with ₹11,250 from the sale of field beans. Expanding his efforts, he planted trees like mahogany and sandalwood and even began fish farming, which provided him an additional income of ₹2,000 per harvest, amounting to an annual income of more than ₹50,000. Today, thanks to regenerative agricultural practices, Devappa has not only revitalised his land but also significantly increased his net income, and he is dedicated to continuing farming. At Prarambha, our goal is to empower farmers like Devappa by promoting sustainable practices such as Akkadi Saalu, and this is made possible through the support of SOIL Trust, WELL Labs and DCB Bank.' By Vishwanath, Field Team Member, Prarambha

Join our team in Karnataka! We're seeking an early-career researcher passionate about sustainable water management and eager to engage in fieldwork. Key: #Fieldwork, #stakeholderengagement, #Kannada, Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs

Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs is #Hiring APPLY NOW! Associate, Field Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs Location: Chintamani Taluk, Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka https://lnkd.in/gwCvm8BP #nonprofitjobs #indiajobs #devnetjobs #devnetjobsindia #genevajobs #NGOjobs #Jobopportunity #Jobvacancy #associate

👥💧 What are the alternatives to community-based management? Community-Based Management (#CBM) has long been the go-to approach for rural water service management. However, it often struggles with issues like limited technical expertise, accountability, and financial sustainability. See below some key alternatives described in Chapter 4 of the #REALwater's Professionalizing Rural Water Desk Study. These alternative models address key gaps in CBM, offering more sustainable and professional solutions for managing rural water services. Check out to learn more about the available research on managing rural water: https://lnkd.in/drZHTVrd USAID, USAID Global Waters, Aquaya, Aguaconsult Ltd., Cova, John Hopkins University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Skat Foundation, Safe Water Network, University of Technology Sydney, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, Water Mission, Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs | #ruralwater #waterservices #newresearch #waterprofessionals

The Department of Civil Engineering at GITAM Bengaluru organized a workshop titled "𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐬: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞" to mark #WorldRiversDay. The event featured an expert talk by 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐚, the retired MD of 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐭𝐝 and a member of Karnataka's Technical Steering Committee and Cauvery Master Plan. His session focused on the importance of watershed management and sustainable river systems. Students also shared presentations on river systems, #sustainability, and #waterconservation strategies, contributing fresh ideas to the discussions. Thank you to Shri Shankar Gowda and everyone involved for making this workshop a meaningful step towards sustainable water management. The Civil Engineering program at #GITAMBengaluru offers rich industry exposure through collaborations with leading organisations, including Clear Water Dynamics Private Limited, Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs, Gammon India Ltd, BMRCL, JSW, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and Coventry University. These partnerships ensure that students gain practical experience and insight into industry-relevant practices. Prof Acharya K.N.S | Dr. Basavaraj Katageri | Dr. Shubha Avinash, PhD | Bharath A | #SustainableDevelopment #WatershedManagement #RiverManagement #WaterConservation #CivilEngineering #GITAMdeemedtobeuniversity

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment's Centre for Policy Design joined hands with the Water and Society Programme at ATREE to organise a workshop on Collaborative Analysis of DPR Guidelines for Rejuvenation of Water Bodies in Karnataka. The workshop aimed at developing and refining the Detailed Project Report (DPR) guidelines for lake conservation in Bengaluru, which will subsequently be submitted to the concerned authority. Participants reviewed a model DPR framework prepared by ATREE, looked into existing Draft Guidelines, and discussed strategies for effective lake management, considering various aspects such as: ▪️ Lake health ▪️ Public participation ▪️ Biodiversity interventions ▪️ Policy implementation External Panelists included notable panelists from renowned organisations such as: ▪️ WWF-India ▪️ Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs ▪️ SayTrees ▪️ CDD India The event also saw active participation from the esteemed audience, who contributed through group activities and engaging in discussions, adding diverse perspectives and valuable insights to the dialogue.

🌍🚰 Exploring Paradigms in the Rural Water Sector Chapter 3 of the #REALwater Desk Study on Professionalizing Rural Water delves into the evolving paradigms that shape rural water service delivery. As the world adapts to growing demands and challenges, the way we think about water systems in rural areas is transforming. 💧 See below some of the key takeaways from the chapter. Check out the full report here (https://lnkd.in/drZHTVrd) for more insights into: - trends affecting rural water supply today - progress in #financing of rural water - alternative approaches to managing rural water services and much more! USAID, USAID Global Waters, Aquaya, Aguaconsult Ltd., Cova, John Hopkins University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Skat Foundation, Safe Water Network, University of Technology Sydney, Water Mission, Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs | #ruralwater #waterservices #newresearch #waterprofessionals

We signed an MoU with Jal Jeevan Mission, Assam to enhance the resilience and source sustainability of drinking water supply systems. Over the next year, we will help create a strategic roadmap with specific recommendations for the state government. For more details: https://bit.ly/3YoT02V #Assam

#ExpertsSpeak | In this video, Dr Nitin Bassi, Senior Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), talks about the decisions hydroclimatic models inform. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gU5ddWMP This video series is part of a larger discussion on climate and water resources modelling in India that we are having as part of the REAL-Water initiative. For more details about REAL-Water, visit: https://lnkd.in/ezwkUmKR USAID Aquaya Aguaconsult Ltd. UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures KNUST College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) RWSN - Rural Water Supply Network Safe Water Network Water Mission Hydroconseil John Hopkins University #climatecrisis #waterconservation

#ExpertsSpeak | In this video, Dr Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Dean (School of Environment and Sustainability), Indian Institute for Human Settlements, talks about framing policy around water resource management and more. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/g_2ymmUS This video series is part of a larger discussion on climate and water resources modelling in India that we are having as part of the REAL-Water initiative. For more details about REAL-Water, visit: https://lnkd.in/ezwkUmKR USAID Aquaya Aguaconsult Ltd. UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures KNUST College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) RWSN - Rural Water Supply Network Safe Water Network Water Mission Hydroconseil John Hopkins University #climatecrisis #waterconservation