What we do
How NRM runs in a SEARCH village.
In parallel we work on the soil. Vermicompost, in-situ residue management, mulching, and integrated pest management are introduced through farmer-led demonstrations rather than top-down trainings. Forest patches at the edges of the watershed are protected through joint committees with the Forest Department and adjacent gram panchayats, with native-species regeneration as the long-term goal.
The outcome we measure is not the number of structures built but whether the water table holds through April and May, and whether the rabi crop survives a delayed monsoon.
Our approach
Four principles hold the NRM work up.
Watershed first
Every village programme begins with a hydrology and soil baseline. Without water in the ground, no livelihood programme is durable — and we will not start one until the watershed is on a recovery path.
Community ownership
Each structure built is paired with a Water User Group that owns its operation, maintenance, and seasonal monitoring. Grant cycles end; the institution does not.
Native ecology
Where we plant or regenerate vegetation, we use native species suited to the agro-climatic zone. We do not import flashy non-natives that look good in photographs but exhaust the soil.
Measure what matters
We track water table depth, runoff coefficient, and soil organic carbon — not just structures built. Seasonal data is shared back to the village, not just to the donor.
Featured project
Guntur Watershed Restoration
Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
“For ten summers our wells went dry by March. Last summer they held until June. The pond holds the water now — the borewells just follow.”
A Venkata Raju, President — Pothavaram Water User Group
Take it further