The semi-arid regions of India such as Bundelkhand in Central India are not only prone to severe droughts and drinking water shortages but are also the hot spots of poverty, malnutrition and poor hygienic living conditions. In these regions, rural communities whose livelihoods depend upon environmental resources - land, water, biodiversity are vulnerable to weather and climate variability. The high inter and intra-seasonal variability in rainfall distribution, rainfall events and extreme temperatures are causing crop damages and losses to farmers. Bundelkhand region spread over 7.08 million ha due to undulating topography, shallow soil depth, low water holding capacity, intense radiation and low relative humidity has limited options available for intensive agriculture. But the region has predominantly an agrarian economy. Over 80% of the population is dependent on agriculture, livestock and outsourcing income by seasonal migration after the Rabi sowing.

In Bundelkhand, long term analysis of the weather data indicates a decline of more than 100 mm in the annual average rainfall in Jhansi district. This reduction has mainly been due to decreased number of low (0-10 mm) and medium rainfall (30-50 mm) events. Dry spells longer than 5–7 days are very common and occur several times (5-6 times) per season, whereas, 10–15 days or longer dry spell also may occur during the monsoon period (Singh et al., 2014). The winter rains are erratic, occasional, meagre and uncertain. In recent years, out of the last twelve years (2004-2015), there was severe drought and deficit rainfall in seven years (2004-07, 2012, 2014-15).

In such a scenario, the last one decade’s experiment on integrated watershed development and agroforestry by ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI), Jhansi provides ample evidence that agroforestry based watershed interventions are helpful for building resilience in rainfed agriculture. Let us examine these interventions.

In the back drop of acute drought during 2004-07, CAFRI, Jhansi selected Garhkundar-Dabar watershed in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh in 2005 for implementing the agroforestry based watershed development inter-ventions. The villages in the watershed are predominantly populated by other backward castes (OBC), followed by schedule castes (SC) and schedule tribes (ST). Majority of the farmers are small or marginal. Soil conservation and water resource development through construction of check dams, drop structures, gabions, Khadins (water spreaders), field/contour bunding, crop demonstrations and plantation of fruit trees and multi-purpose tree species were the measures taken up on farmers’ fields and community lands. Recognising the importance of ecosystems, community participation, traditional knowledge and promoting economic activities and addressing local needs; a participatory approach was used during the implementation. Social interventions such as women’s self-help group mobilisations, user-groups and associations and their capacity building for both farm and off-farm employment were the initiatives which played a crucial role in the success of the programmes. Agroforestry contributed robustly to livelihoods by providing multiple benefits such as fruit, fodder, fuel, fertilizer and timber, enhancing food security, income generation and insurance against crop failure thus enhancing the resilience of small farmers to climate change.

The runoff water harvested in the watersheds through various structures on ephemeral drains, community and farm ponds, haveli cultivation (traditional rainwater harvesting system) and open wells have been the main source to cultivate seasonal and annual crops. Crop diversification, agroforestry development and socio-economic upliftment activities have resulted in:

The above case study indicates that agroforestry based watershed intervention programmes which are designed to have co-benefits of adaptation and mitigation are the most appropriate for these semi-arid regions.