WADI
Wadi is an overall integrated programme for the holistic development of the tribal communities, with the broad objective of developing sustainable livelihood opportunities for participating tribal communities through remunerative self-employment and livelihood development to prevent migration.
 
Specific objectives

• Effective and suitable utilization of available land, water and manpower resources of selected tribal families through participatory approach.
• Implementation of environment friendly income generating activities.
• Development through people’s organisations.
• Participation by women in development process and their empowerment.
• Improve the health, sanitation access to drinking water and rainwater harvesting for irrigation and refilling of existing of water bodies such as dug well or tube wells.
• Demonstrative merits of a wadi model for replicating the same by various developmental agencies and also adoption of technology by the other farmers in the project area.

Process

• Tribal farmers with land less than 5 acres are selected
• Selection of crops i.e fruit depending on the climate and market
• Supply of planting material to the farmers.
• Soil and water conservation activities are vital for the establishment of orchards. Since land is exposed to heavy erosion and low soil depth makes natural resource components very essential. Water Resource Development activities such as earthen check bunds, check dam, farm ponds and small lift irrigation units have been proposed. These water-harvesting structures will not only provide water for critical protective irrigation for "WADI" but also serve as source of drinking water in times of need.
• Infrastructure: In addition to the project office, premises will also be taken for conduct of training, storage of inputs and other project related material and eight staff quarters for project staff. Simple furniture and a minimum of need based office installations and equipment will be provided
• Training & Capacity building: Awareness creation, mobilisation and promotion of wadi programme, Training to farmers and demonstration of new cropping practices, Exposure visit to WADI areas, Training for PIA staff, Capacity building workshops and Non farm training
• Empowerment of women through Group formation, Training inputs, Awareness creation, Income generation activities, Drudgery reduction, and other need based requirements such as Access to potable water, repair of hand pumps, smokeless chullahs, glass roof tiles, etc.
• The wadi farmers will be encouraged to form cooperative societies to take up the marketing of their produce to get better returns.
• Packing / Processing Units would be formed.
• Village Planning Committee has been formed who actually own the project and is responsible for the planning, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of the project.
• Cooperative Societies: The village level organizations will federate and form a cooperative at the cluster level. This cooperative will take shape once the base level institutions have fully stabilized and become functional. Each cooperative will have two representatives (one man & one woman) from each VPC. The cooperative will be instrumental in providing technical assistance to the project in inputs procurement, marketing of produce and necessary guidance to VPC for effective management of the programme.
• Apex Co operative Federation: All the Cooperative societies of the project area will be federated into an apex cooperative body mainly to take care of the processing, brand promotion and marketing of the produce. From the project, the support will be extended for product development, brand creation and promotion, market survey and professional support for the initial stabilization period.

The core interventions of the programme is

• Establishment of orchard : Establishment of orchard of the selected fruit crops as a core economic activity.
• Planting of multipurpose forestry and economical species: Utilisation of border of the orchard (fencing) for planting of multipurpose forestry and economical species to meet the fodder, firewood and timber requirement of tribal families thereby reducing their dependency on forest and increasing of income by establishment remunerative bund fencing with tree.
• Soil conservation measures: Adoption of in situ soil conservation measures to arrest further degradation of soil, up gradation by utilization of natural fertility resources by bio-compost, warm compost and farm yield manure (FYM) which will shape up the land and make it suitable for establishment of not only orchard but, also intercropping.
• Development of water resources and rain water harvesting: Development of water resources and rain water harvesting individually or on community basis to provide protective irrigation for fruit plants. The emphasis is on dry land horticulture providing irrigation during the critical period by adopting the time-tested water saving pitcher irrigation technique and improving soil water level in the proposed land.
• Adoption of improved farming techniques: Adoption of improved farming techniques, by capacity building of the participating farmers through technology interventions, training, and exposure visits etc. to improve soil fertility, crop productivity, production and quality of the produce.
• Promotion of community health: Promotion of community health by educating the community on basic hygiene, nutritional aspects of food, primary treatment of minor ailments by use of commonly use of available herbal and kitchen gardens in the back yards.
• Drudgery reduction: Drudgery reduction measures especially for women by supporting activities, which will not only reduce the drudgery but also save the time to perform the routine house hold activities so that they can concentrate more on the wadi and other economic activities.
• Income generation activities: Income generation activities like animal husbandry (backyard poultry, piggery, honey bee culture, goatery etc…), non-farm activities to be promoted through Self Help Groups (SHG) for the wadi families and other land less families.
• Micro finance: Micro finance by linking the SHGs to the local banks for expanding income generation activities and meeting expenses related to marriages by encouraging collective marriages or regional rituals functions, education and health etc.
• Environment building and empowerment of community: Environment building and empowerment of community for taking active participation in government programmes and policies with taking maximum benefits out of it.
• Promotion of village institutions: Promotion of village institutions, and society or cooperatives processing and promotion of the products of the project under common brand for marketing.

Socio - Economic Benefits
The economic benefits of the projects are

• Productive utilisation of wasteland and marginal lands which is the priority of the country
• Increased area under fruit crops which is a thrust area
• Increased forest area and decreased deforestation
• Conservation of natural resource like soil and water
• Creation of self employment for rural mass
• Generation of employment opportunities for land less
• Increased production of fruits and other forest produces
• Increased production milk and meat
• Increased production of food grains due to adoption of better agronomic practices
• Increased GDP

The social benefits anticipated from the project are

• Reduced migration
• Improved social status
• Improved health and living conditions
• Empowerment of women
• Learning to be self reliant