Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

An estimated 60% of cultivated land suffers from soil erosion, water logging, salinity and 5-10 billion tons of topsoil is lost annually from soil erosion. Groundwater tables are falling fast and forest cover is under threat. The inter-relationship and inter-dependencies among water, land, vegetation and animal resources determine the nature and kind of livelihood support systems particularly in rural areas. Depletion of natural resource base and increasing biomass demand of expanding human and livestock population are the major threats those affecting the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers from rain fed regions. The degeneration of natural resources, particularly in rainfed areas, is assuming alarming proportion.

Natural resource management is congruent with the concept of sustainable development, a scientific principle that forms a basis for sustainable global land management and environmental governance to conserve and preserve natural resources. Hence, Chetna would emphasis on management of natural resources such as and, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations. Towards this, Chetna partnered with diverse agencies in Government and other development agencies such as Department of Rural Development, Agriculture, NABARD and NREGS to implement various Watershed and Natural Resource Management Programs to take up interventions.

Good practices demonstrated by Chetna through the implementation of Indo-German Watershed Development Program, Western Orissa NREGS Consortium would be basis for taking up the interventions.