Key achievements of the project
- The average increase in water level by 4.88 ft.
- Increase in agriculture productivity of 7,380 acres of agricultural land
- Increase in the area under irrigation by 2,232 acres through an increase in water availability and water use efficiency
- 1,500 acres of area brought under diversified farming systems (horticulture, agroforestry, mixed cropping, etc.)
- 4,028 acres area protected from direct soil erosion
- 520 acres of area brought under horticulture
- Created 1,302 million liters of water harvesting potential
- Increase in average annual household income of 1,628 HHs by 25%
MUMBAI: HDFC Bank has completed and handed over its Climate Change Adaptation Project to the panchayat of 20 villages in Jafrabad, Maharashtra. The project was launched in October 2020 to aid local people in coping with adverse climate change vulnerabilities such as drought, heat waves, and erratic and intense rainfall patterns.
The project has successfully increased the average annual income of 1,628 households by 25% and increased the agricultural productivity of 7,380 acres of agricultural land. It has also brought 1,500 acres of the area under diversified farming systems and created 1,302 million liters of water harvesting potential.
The project took a multi-dimensional approach with work in the areas of Area Treatment, Horticulture, Water Resource Development, Nala Deepening, Micro Irrigation System Automatic Weather Station, and Pest and nutrient Management Demonstrations. Cumulatively, the project has helped enhance the lives of nearly all 25,000 village dwellers.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ms. Nusrat Pathan, Head CSR at HDFC Bank, said, “Climate change is likely to stay for a longer haul. It becomes imperative to change our approach, making it response-based instead of relief-based. Our interventions have successfully built the farmer’s response capacity to become climate and market-compatible, while also improving their farm incomes and maintaining the integrity of the ecology.“
HDFC Bank’s interventions have successfully increased agricultural productivity and the area under irrigation through an increase in water availability, along with an increase in the agricultural land cover through diversified farming systems. The project has addressed many important issues like Runoff Harvesting, Groundwater recharge, Soil protection and moisture retention, Micro irrigation, and other climate-resilient agriculture practices.
The project has also increased the groundwater level by 4.88 ft and protected 4,028 acres of the area from direct soil erosion. It has brought 520 acres of the area under horticulture and increased the area under irrigation by 2,232 acres through an increase in water availability and water use efficiency.
HDFC Bank’s Climate Change Adaptation Project has helped over 5,400 households fight water shortage in Maharashtra and has successfully built the farmer’s response capacity to become climate and market-compatible. The project has enhanced the lives of nearly all 25,000 village dwellers and has addressed many important issues related to climate-resilient agriculture practices.
