Severe water insecurity in the Central India Tribal Region (CITR) threatens the livelihoods of the 171 million multidimensionally poor people in the region. Women are particularly disenfranchised, with low levels of land ownership and limited participation in water management.
70% of India’s tribal population resides in CITR.
35 million hectares of land in CITR are degraded, ~40% of India’s total degraded area.
57 million smallholders are at risk of being pushed further into poverty.
73% of women in CITR engage in farming, but very few in water management.
Secure access to land and water would reduce vulnerability to hunger and poverty in CITR, improving life outcomes and reducing socio-economic inequality; but there are several barriers.
Insufficient public investment.
Structural inefficiencies and poor governance.
Fragmented and siloed governmental efforts.
Gender inequality and a lack of women’s empowerment.
February 2025
PRADAN is a non-profit organization advocating for women-led, fair, and inclusive water governance to revitalize the rural economy and ecology in the CITR. With Co-Impact’s support, PRADAN aims to ensure that:
5 million women farmers gain rightful access to water and farm resources.
1 million women experience a 30-50% increase in income and enhanced control over water resources.
25 million people from marginalized communities benefit from the intervention, across 70,000 villages.
$1 billion in funding is targeted towards fair access to water for agriculture.
https://co-impact.app.box.com/s/sw1i6lidyq3vsj3ly7fbstjfw34a8a7c/file/1793394798272
