For decades, Gram Vikas has worked alongside communities to understand how water challenges have evolved and how solutions must, too.
The Water Secure Gram Panchayat (WSGP) programme builds on this expertise, ensuring that communities lead the way in securing their own water future. Because the best solutions are not imposed; they are shaped by those who know their land, water, and forests best.
In villages, shrinking forests and drying water sources are not just environmental issues. They disrupt daily life. With falling water tables and barren land, farming families are forced to seek work elsewhere. For many women, migration is not an option, and local jobs are scarce.
In Gramadebati, Odisha, the Maa Bhagabati SHG saw a way forward. When they approached Gram Vikas about their drying ponds and wells, they learned that deforestation was a key cause. Forest cover helps retain groundwater, and restoring it could bring lasting change.
“We approached Gram Vikas in February 2024 to address the drying up of our water sources. They told us that deforestation is a major reason for the depletion of the water table. Vegetation and forest cover are essential for slowing down the rainwater flow, which allows the soil to absorb the rainwater and maintain the groundwater level,” says Satya Jani, 45, who lost her husband a few years ago and lives in the village with her school-going son.
In Gramadebati, a village in Khetamunduli Gram Panchayat of Jagannathprasad block in Odisha’s Ganjam district, forty Adivasi families bravely confront the challenges of water scarcity and limited income opportunities. In the summer, the village faces shortage of water, at times forcing women to fetch water from wells. The residents primarily depend on agriculture for their sustenance, using water from village ponds and wells to irrigate their crops. Over time, the villagers realized a decline in the water levels in the four ponds and ten wells, raising concerns about groundwater depletion.
To support their families, the villagers often seek daily labour during the dry months in nearby villages. While primarily cultivating paddy, they also grow vegetables like tomato, brinjal, bitter gourd, and lady finger. They produce secondary crops such as chickpea, green gram, and black gram, with some households tending to cashew orchards.
The Maa Bhagabati SHG, a beacon of hope in the village, is actively involved in a range of community activities. From maintaining the village’s cleanliness to managing water and sanitation systems, the group members are at the forefront of addressing pressing community issues. Their close collaboration with the Village Development Committee (VDC) is exemplifies the power of collective action in ensuring the well-being of the community.
Shashi Jani, 51, another group member, says, “Fewer trees and more barren lands are visible now than a few years ago. During our meeting with the Gram Vikas staff, we learned that shrinking forests cause problems like soil erosion, changes in climatic conditions, and loss of biodiversity. They suggested planting trees and responsibly managing the forests to increase green cover and protect our water sources. They also encouraged us to start a plant nursery and sell saplings at a reasonable price, which would encourage people to plant trees and provide a sustainable livelihood option for the SHG members.”
Gramadebati village is easily accessible to Kaptapali, Jagannathprasad block, and villages in Tarasingi Panchayat. With a demand for agro forestry saplings, especially the resilient local variety, which has a higher yield capacity for extended periods, the women decided to establish a plant nursery in the village in May 2024.
They felt that accessibility and reasonable pricing of the saplings would encourage people to buy them. Gadadhar Nayak, 40, a farmer from Kendupalli village, a kilometer away from Gramadebati, believes that a nursery in Gramadebati village will be convenient as he can buy saplings whenever he wishes. He says, “When the saplings are ready to be sold, I will buy 100 cashew saplings from the nursery and plant them on an acre of land I own. I will save on transportation costs, which I would have had to spend if I bought the saplings from the Horticulture Department in Bhanjanagar, forty kilometers away.”
Jyoti Krushna Pradhan, 35, a farmer from Khetamundali village, was happy to learn that he could buy a cashew sapling for ₹5 from the nursery run by the Maa Bhagawati SHG. He says, “I will buy cashew saplings from the SHG-run plant nursery in Gramadebati village when they are ready to be sold. Private nurseries sell cashew saplings at a higher rate, around ₹15 each.”
With the support of Gram Vikas and B1G1, the Maa Bhagabati SHG embarked on the journey of raising saplings. The group members, armed with polythene bags and an agro-shade net, collected seeds from their local surroundings and contributed soil, sand, and organic manure. Following the technical guidance provided by Gram Vikas, they meticulously filled the polythene bags with soil, sand, and manure, and planted the seeds. Their hard work bore fruit, quite literally, as they successfully raised 10,000 saplings, including 8,000 cashews, 1,000 mango, and 1,000 jackfruit saplings.
Satya Jani, a member of the SHG, is proud to be part of the enterprise. She feels the group is a strong, united force, and each member will take turns as per availability to look after the saplings, ensuring the enterprise’s long-term sustainability. “I hope word spreads and more people visit us and buy our saplings. We are doing this together to improve our environment and earn an income. I hope to earn enough through this venture to support my son’s education. Since my husband passed away a few years ago, I have worked on daily wage for our sustenance.”
Chakrapani Jani, 45, a farmer from Nuasahi village in Tarasingi Panchayat, says he was happy that the SHG members collected local seeds to raise saplings in their nursery. “The saplings provided by the Horticulture Department or privately-run nurseries are often grafted. Those trees yield for about five to six years, after which the yield declines. Also, if the climate is not conducive, these grafted trees do not survive. Our local varieties have a long lifespan, yield well, are resilient and can tolerate various climatic conditions.”
Through their unwavering dedication, resilience, and remarkable initiative, the twelve members of Maa Bhagabati Self-Help Group (SHG) of Gramadebati village have found a sustainable source of income and are contributing to the environmental conservation of their region. Their story is a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives in creating lasting change.
