{"id":8512,"date":"2025-08-28T05:17:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T05:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/building-water-resilient-communities-the-case-for-sustainable-agriculture-in-india-lifestyle-news\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T05:17:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T05:17:56","slug":"building-water-resilient-communities-the-case-for-sustainable-agriculture-in-india-lifestyle-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/building-water-resilient-communities-the-case-for-sustainable-agriculture-in-india-lifestyle-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Water-Resilient Communities: The Case For Sustainable Agriculture In India | Lifestyle News"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Last Updated:<\/span>

India\u2019s water crisis calls for urgent solutions, CSR-led water conservation, regenerative agriculture are helping farmers adopt water-smart practices for a secure future<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"font\"<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"Building<\/p>\n

Building water-resilient communities: How firms are empowering farmers with sustainable agriculture and smarter water use<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Water is the backbone of India\u2019s agricultural economy, sustaining nearly half of the country\u2019s rural workforce. Yet, the nation stands at a crossroads as rising water scarcity, erratic climate patterns, and growing pressure on natural resources threaten both livelihoods and food security. Addressing this challenge requires a mix of innovation, collective responsibility, and community-led interventions.<\/p>\n

Corporate Interventions for Water Resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pernod Ricard India (PRI), through its CSR agenda, has been spearheading water conservation initiatives aimed at empowering farming communities and ensuring sustainable usage of water resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater is the lifeline for agriculture in India, with most of the country\u2019s rural workforce still dependent on farming. As India faces increasing water scarcity, unpredictable climate patterns, and pressure on natural resources, PRI is pioneering actionable water resilience strategies through CSR initiatives,” says Gagandeep Sethi, Senior Vice President \u2013 Integrated Operations, Sustainability & Responsibility, Pernod Ricard India.<\/p>\n

Since 2019, PRI has constructed over 2,410 water structures, including check dams, farm ponds, and gabion recharge wells, creating a groundwater recharge potential of nearly 3,338 million litres. According to Sethi, these region-specific interventions are \u201ctailored to local challenges, especially in water-scarce areas where the need is urgent.”<\/p>\n

He adds that PRI has partnered with expert NGOs to promote efficiency methods such as rainwater harvesting, drip and sprinkler irrigation, Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), and System of Rice Intensification (SRI). \u201cThese approaches help deliver water to crops with minimal loss, ensuring sustainable usage for key crops like paddy and wheat,” Sethi notes.<\/p>\n

The company is also working to strengthen rural value chains. \u201cThrough eight Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across five states, supported by Farmer Resource Centres, we are augmenting incomes and creating livelihood opportunities for farmers,” Sethi explains. He emphasizes that women-led FPOs are particularly important: \u201cOur focus on women-led enterprises fosters leadership and inclusive growth in rural communities.”<\/p>\n

\u201cOur WAL programs are building water-resilient communities that promote sustainable agricultural practices, empower women, enhance livelihoods, and augment farm incomes,” Sethi stresses.<\/p>\n

The Urgent Need for Sustainable Practices<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Kahan Singh Pannu, who heads the Regenerative Agriculture program at Roundglass Foundation and is a leading authority on sustainable farming, underscores the urgency of adopting water-smart agriculture.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgriculture accounts for nearly 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, with rice, sugar, wheat, and cotton consuming close to 700 billion cubic meters annually, about 60% of India\u2019s usable water resources,” says Pannu. \u201cIn light of these facts, adopting sustainable farming practices that use less water becomes vital to all water conservation efforts.”<\/p>\n

Punjab, once known as the \u201cland of five rivers,” exemplifies the crisis. \u201cIronically, today it is facing an imminent water shortage,” Pannu observes. He points out that monocropping and government incentives for tubewell use have led to over-extraction of groundwater. \u201cAccording to the Central Ground Water Board, the last drop of usable groundwater in Punjab will finish in just 14 years. Current data shows that the state extracts 28 million-acre feet (MAF) each year, while only 17 MAF is replenished. This imbalance has led to a dangerous depletion rate of about half a metre per year, bringing Punjab closer to desertification,” he warns.<\/p>\n

Regenerative Agriculture as a Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n

To counter this, Pannu advocates regenerative agriculture, describing it as \u201can integrative approach to farming that aims to restore and enhance ecosystem functions by improving soil health, optimizing water management, and increasing biodiversity.”<\/p>\n

He explains that such practices can drastically reduce water dependency while maintaining productivity, \u201cDirect seeding of rice on beds, sowing wheat, mustard, maize, and moong on raised beds, distant planting of sugarcane to reduce water competition, drip irrigation in maize, and promoting farm ponds for rainwater harvesting are just some of the techniques that can make a huge difference.”<\/p>\n

Planting trees, Pannu adds, can be a \u201cgame-changer” for water conservation by enhancing infiltration, retaining soil moisture, preventing evaporation, and replenishing groundwater supplies.<\/p>\n

A Collective Effort for a Water-Secure Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both experts stress that long-term water resilience will only be possible through collaboration. \u201cWater conservation is a collective effort that needs participation and engagement from communities, governments, non-government stakeholders, NGOs, and civil society,” says Pannu.<\/p>\n

Sethi echoes this sentiment, noting that while infrastructure and technology are critical, \u201cit is only through community empowerment and inclusive participation that we can achieve meaningful, lasting impact.”<\/p>\n

As India grapples with one of the most critical resource challenges of our times, initiatives like PRI\u2019s water stewardship programs and regenerative agriculture practices provide hope. Together, they demonstrate that economic growth, agricultural sustainability, and water security are not mutually exclusive, but deeply interlinked goals.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\"authorimg\"<\/figure>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Swati Chaturvedi<\/a><\/p>\n

Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl…Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl… Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health<\/a>,\u00a0fashion<\/a>,\u00a0travel<\/a>,\u00a0food<\/a>, wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration and recipes. <\/span>Also\u00a0Download the\u00a0News18 App<\/a> to stay updated.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
News<\/a> lifestyle<\/a> Building Water-Resilient Communities: The Case For Sustainable Agriculture In India<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Updated:August 28, 2025, 10:38 IST India\u2019s water crisis calls for urgent solutions, CSR-led water conservation, regenerative agriculture are helping farmers adopt water-smart practices for a secure future Building water-resilient communities: How firms are empowering farmers with sustainable agriculture and smarter water use Water is the backbone of India\u2019s agricultural economy, sustaining nearly half of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}