Satyamev Jayate
Samruddha Gaon Spardha
Transforming rural ecology
and the rural economy
The Satyamev Jayate Samruddha Gaon Spardha is a competition aimed to take forward the done in the Water Cup, and transform the rural ecology and rural economy in Maharashtra. Its central focus is on sustainable water use and agriculture, as well as environmental restoration.
The competition started in January 2020 and will end in January 2023. Almost 1,000 villages across 40 talukas of Maharashtra are participating in this competition. The Farmer Cup is a part of the Spardha is well.
The Satyamev Jayate Samruddha Gaon Spardha is a competition aimed to take forward the done in the Water Cup, and transform the rural ecology and rural economy in Maharashtra. Its central focus is on sustainable water use and agriculture, as well as environmental restoration.
The competition started in January 2020 and will end in January 2023. Almost 1,000 villages across 40 talukas of Maharashtra are participating in this competition. The Farmer Cup is a part of the Spardha is well.
The Problem We’re Solving
From 2016-2019, thousands of villages in Maharashtra participated in the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup, a competition for the best and maximum work on soil and water conservation. Over 51,000 villagers took part in our four-day training and were empowered with social and technical skills in the science of watershed management. These trainees went back and inspired their villages further, to lead a thriving people’s movement against drought.
As lakhs of citizens united in this fight, barriers of politics, gender, caste, class and religion were shattered. Their unyielding efforts created over 550 billion litres of water storage capacity in the state. Several villages drastically increased their water conservation capacity.
However, as water availability increased so did its usage.
[Watch] Patoda Case Study: Poor Water Management Leads To Drought
In some villages, the area under water-intensive crops grew, and the rate of water extraction shot up. With this indiscriminate water usage, man-made drought struck again as summer approached.
This reality made it clear that working on water and soil conservation alone cannot insulate a village against drought. Moreover, the crisis of climate change further exacerbated agricultural uncertainties and drought.
The Samruddha Gaon Spardha aims to address these problems and inspire villages to adopt a more comprehensive approach towards uprooting drought.
Pillars of the Spardha
At the heart of the Spardha is community decision-making for water management. Villages will be trained and encouraged to collectively plan and budget their water usage, as well as make village-level crop plans basis the training.
The key aspects are:
- Soil and water conservation
- Water management and budgeting
- Restoring soil quality and health
- Increasing tree cover and growing forests
- Creating protected grasslands of nutritious and palatable grasses
- Creating the basis for every family to increase their income
Pillars of the Spardha
At the heart of the Spardha is community decision-making for water management. Villages will be trained and encouraged to collectively plan and budget their water usage, as well as make village-level crop plans basis the training.
The key aspects are:
- Soil and water conservation
- Water management and budgeting
- Restoring soil quality and health
- Increasing tree cover and growing forests
- Creating protected grasslands of nutritious and palatable grasses
- Creating the basis for every family to increase their income