Reviving Water, Restoring Landscapes: Livelihoods Improved After Six Years of Measurable Change in Central India
ICRISAT’s study, “Restoration potential of degraded landscapes for strengthening rural livelihoods,” presents compelling evidence from Bundelkhand, India, tracking watershed-driven transformation and showing how Pura Birdha village moved from drought-stricken conditions to water surplus.
Once regarded as one of India’s most drought-prone regions, Bundelkhand is now emerging as a model for watershed transformation through ICRISAT’s interventions. Groundwater levels have risen by 4–6 meters, and cultivated land has expanded more than twentyfold, drawing growing national and global interest for replication.
To aid replication, it is critical to understand the tipping points and how progress has unfolded over time since the interventions began in 2018. This study unpacks the timeline of change, directly linking hydrological improvements to gains in agricultural productivity at the landscape scale.
Published in Elsevier’s Cleaner Food Systems, the study tracks what happens above and below the ground through watershed interventions in Bundelkhand.
“Global dialogues, including the UNCCD COP meetings, reinforce that land degradation is not just an environmental issue; it is a complex interplay of drought, land degradation, and desertification, each reinforcing the other."
“This study shows how the reversal happens. When we restore land through science, we not only combat land degradation, but also halt desertification, address drought, and unlock broader social and economic resilience, transforming degraded landscapes into thriving communities,” said Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT.
“One of the key strengths of this work is its ability to measure impact across natural resources and livelihoods,” said Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation at ICRISAT.
“By tracking changes over time, we can understand what works and design more effective, scalable restoration solutions,” said Dr Blade.
2021: The Tipping Point: The results did not emerge overnight. In the early years, rainfall of up to 200 mm was absorbed by dry soils, generating little runoff. A high-intensity rainfall event in 2021 marked a turning point. With water-harvesting structures in place, about 210 mm of runoff was captured, improving infiltration and raising groundwater levels by 4–6 meters. This created, for the first time, a reliable source of irrigation during the rabi season (November – March).
Dr Ramesh Singh, Principal Scientist – Landscape Resource Conservation at ICRISAT, explained:
"Within two years, groundwater levels showed measurable improvement.
"Even moderate rainfall contributed significantly to recharge. Despite increased groundwater extraction for irrigation, water levels remained stable, indicating that cropping patterns were effectively aligned with the local water budget."
These changes enabled a rapid transformation in agriculture. Cultivated area expanded from 4 hectares in 2018 to over 100 hectares by 2021, with farmers shifting to double-cropping supported by reliable irrigation. Crop yields improved significantly, particularly for wheat and chickpea.
The impact extended beyond farming. Total annual income rose from USD 2,370 in 2019 to USD 148,500 in 2023, while average household incomes reached about USD 3,300.
These changes enabled a rapid transformation in agriculture. Cultivated area expanded from 4 hectares in 2018 to over 100 hectares by 2021, with farmers shifting to double-cropping supported by reliable irrigation. Crop yields improved significantly, particularly for wheat and chickpea.
Wells that once took days to refill were now replenished within hours, ensuring a reliable supply of drinking water and reducing the time women spent collecting it. The transformation also reversed distress migration, with 45 families returning to resume farming.
Dr Venkataradha Akuraju, Senior Scientist – Vadose Zone Hydrology, ICRISAT and lead author of the study, explained that restoring degraded landscapes is not an immediate process. It requires building the right systems and allowing time for them to respond. Early rainfall may bring little visible change, but once a critical threshold is reached, the landscape begins to function differently. Water is captured, groundwater is recharged, and the benefits extend across farming systems and livelihoods.
This work was supported by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to address land degradation, water scarcity, and rural livelihood challenges.
This work was part of One CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Science program. The program promotes integrated approaches to managing land, water, biodiversity, and livelihoods across agricultural landscapes. Support from this science program contributed to the research and analytical work underpinning the study.
This work aligns with SDG 1, 13 and 17
Roseleen Aind
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