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PARYAVARANRESOURCE CENTREParyavaran Resource Centre

OUR WORK

What we do

An integrated approach that connects people, water, land, agriculture and natural resources.

MAHARASHTRA

Where we work

PRC works across Maharashtra on water security, watershed development and community-led groundwater management. Hover a district on a laptop, or tap it on a phone, to see whether we have a listed programme there.

Green districts are programme areas. Other districts enlarge for orientation only.

  • Programme districts
  • Other districts

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Simplified public district and taluka boundaries for orientation only. Not a survey map.

WATER SECURITY

Securing Water for People, Farms and Communities

Water security is at the centre of Paryavaran Resource Centre’s work with rural and drought-prone communities. PRC works to strengthen natural sources of drinking water, improve groundwater availability, promote judicious use of water and help communities plan their water resources according to local availability and demand.

Its work combines groundwater management, rainwater harvesting, artificial recharge, water budgeting, water conservation and community participation. PRC has undertaken recharge shaft and trench-cum-recharge shaft projects, rainwater harvesting initiatives and other measures for strengthening drinking-water sources.

What we do

  • Artificial groundwater recharge
  • Recharge shafts and trench-cum-recharge shafts
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Promotion of water-conserving technologies such as drip and sprinkler irrigation
  • Water budgeting and water balance assessment
  • Assessment of surface and groundwater availability
  • Water-demand assessment for domestic, agriculture, livestock and livelihood needs
  • Groundwater-level monitoring
  • Technical support for water security planning
  • Community awareness on judicious use of water

PRC’s water-budgeting approach assesses seasonal water availability and current and projected demand, and then helps communities align cropping patterns and water-use practices with available resources.

Our approach

PRC combines technical assessment with community participation. Its work includes geographical and geo-spatial surveys, GPS-based mapping, assessment of groundwater conditions, surface-water flows, aquifers and drainage networks, followed by participatory planning and implementation.

Experience and outcomes

Documented work includes recharge structures across villages in Ahilyanagar, Nashik and Pune districts. These interventions contributed to increased irrigated area, improved drinking-water security in project villages and greater community awareness regarding judicious use of water.

WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT

Managing Land and Water as One Connected System

Paryavaran Resource Centre approaches watershed development as an integrated process of land and water resource management. Its work brings together surveys, participatory planning, soil and water conservation, groundwater recharge, agricultural development and community institutions.

Watershed development is one of PRC’s established thematic competencies: Integrated Land and Water Management.

What we do

  • Socio-economic surveys
  • Watershed and micro-watershed planning
  • Net planning and drainage-line surveys
  • Detailed Project Report (DPR) preparation
  • Integrated land and water resource planning
  • Soil and water conservation
  • Contour trenching and bunding
  • Cement nala bunds
  • Check dams and masonry structures
  • Underground and subsurface structures
  • Gabion structures
  • Farm ponds and village ponds
  • Groundwater recharge structures
  • Dryland horticulture and agro-horticulture
  • Training of project stakeholders

PRC’s experience includes watershed projects where it conducted socio-economic surveys, prepared watershed plans and drainage-line surveys, developed DPRs, implemented watershed activities and provided stakeholder training.

Community-based watershed planning

At Kasare, with technical support from NIRD Hyderabad, PRC worked on village-level GIS and integrated land and water resource planning, including micro-watershed development plans addressing drought and water scarcity.

From conservation to livelihoods

The watershed approach supports productive use of resources. Documented improvements include reduced soil erosion, moisture conservation, increased crop yield, enhanced household income and improved irrigation efficiency.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Strengthening Agriculture Through Better Resource Management

Paryavaran Resource Centre works with rural communities to promote agricultural practices that are better aligned with local natural resources, water availability and livelihood needs. Sustainable agriculture, food security and agriculture extension are among PRC’s thematic areas.

The organisation’s agricultural work combines training, technical guidance, demonstration, handholding and access to appropriate agricultural inputs and technologies.

What we do

  • Sustainable agriculture and food-security initiatives
  • Agriculture extension
  • Horticulture development
  • Micro-irrigation
  • Crop and cropping-pattern planning
  • Agriculture processing training
  • Farmer training and capacity building
  • Support for farming equipment and horticulture materials
  • Promotion of water-efficient agricultural practices

PRC has conducted training on horticulture, strawberry and vegetable cultivation, with handholding so selected beneficiaries can start activities. The completed portfolio also includes agriculture processing, floriculture, farm ponds, drip irrigation and kitchen gardens.

Linking agriculture with water security

Agricultural choices need to be aligned with available water. Water budgeting includes selecting crops and cropping patterns according to net water availability, household food security and income, together with drip and sprinkler irrigation.

Building farmer capabilities

Technical training is combined with handholding and practical support, so beneficiaries can initiate and sustain agricultural and allied activities.

NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Restoring and Managing Natural Resources with Communities

Paryavaran Resource Centre believes that the restoration of natural resources by communities is central to long-term sustainability. Land degradation and water scarcity are major concerns for village communities, and the response is participatory.

Natural resource management brings together land, water, soil, groundwater, vegetation and community institutions.

What we do

  • Integrated land and water resource management
  • Watershed development
  • Soil and water conservation
  • Farm and village ponds
  • Check dams and nala bunds
  • Contour trenching and bunding
  • Gabion and masonry diversion structures
  • GIS and spatial planning
  • Natural-resource awareness and IEC
  • Strengthening village-level institutions

At Village Kasare, Block Parner, District Ahilyanagar, GIS and spatial technologies supported local, need-based planning of land and water resources.

Community as a resource manager

Communities take part in planning, implementation and management. This includes women’s SHGs, youth groups, farmers’ clubs, forest protection committees and village development committees, along with training and capacity building.

Knowledge and technical support

Field processes sit alongside expertise in groundwater, geology, agriculture, water conservation, civil engineering and GIS, supported by community mobilisers and social-development specialists.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Helping Communities Respond to Drought, Water Scarcity and Climate Risks

Paryavaran Resource Centre’s climate-resilience work comes from long engagement with drought-prone areas, water scarcity and natural-resource restoration. The approach is to mobilise communities in ecologically fragile and drought-prone areas through integrated rural development.

What we do

  • Drought-proofing through watershed development
  • Water-resource planning
  • Groundwater recharge
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Water budgeting
  • Soil and moisture conservation
  • Promotion of water-efficient agriculture
  • Crop and cropping-pattern planning
  • Community awareness and capacity building
  • Strengthening local institutions for resource management
  • Promotion of sustainable livelihoods

Building local resilience

PRC prepares micro-watershed development plans that address drought-proofing and water scarcity. Local plans have been associated with reduced soil erosion, improved moisture conservation, increased crop yield and enhanced household income.

From response to preparedness

The approach strengthens local planning, natural-resource management, community institutions and livelihood systems so rural communities can better cope with drought and water scarcity.

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

Communities at the Centre of Development

For Paryavaran Resource Centre, community participation is an essential part of development. The vision focuses on empowering rural communities, particularly marginalised and poor communities, to live with dignity and become self-reliant. The mission emphasises motivating, strengthening and empowering individuals, groups and communities to undertake integrated environmental development on a sustainable basis.

What we do

  • Community mobilisation
  • Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
  • Need and baseline assessments
  • Awareness and IEC activities
  • Training and capacity building
  • Formation and strengthening of village institutions
  • Women’s self-help groups
  • Youth groups
  • Farmers’ clubs
  • Village development committees
  • Community-based organisations
  • Leadership development
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Government-scheme linkages
  • Knowledge sharing and exposure visits
  • Documentation and dissemination of community experiences

Community mobilisation has included corner meetings, ward meetings, Gram Sabhas, cultural programmes, farmer-to-farmer dialogue, educational exposure visits and expert-led sessions.

Strengthening community institutions

Under a NABARD-supported initiative, PRC formed 756 SHGs across 17 villages, trained SHG presidents and secretaries in record keeping, and provided handholding for bank linkage. The cluster approach included Ghargaon–Hiwargaon Pathar in Sangamner block, Ahilyanagar district. Under Atal Bhujal Yojana, PRC has supported 1,572 women SHGs from 131 villages of Sinnar, Deola and Nashik blocks.

From beneficiaries to active participants

Communities take part in planning, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and long-term management of community resources, rather than remaining passive beneficiaries.

Major programmes