Pune, December 19, 2023: Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) has formalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Government of Maharashtra, for the project titled 'Building Resilience in Agriculture and Allied Sectors in Rural Maharashtra,' supported by the India Climate Collaborative (ICC).
The MoU signing, attended by Anoop Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra, and Crispino Lobo, Co-founder and Managing Trustee of WOTR, marks a strategic partnership aimed at addressing climate risks in agriculture through nature-friendly solutions.
Anoop Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra said, “These solutions will help reduce production costs and simultaneously increase farm income along with protecting the environment.”
The project aims to assist government departments in promoting resilient rural communities within robust ecosystems. The collaboration will focus on three key components: promoting nature-friendly, climate-resilient agricultural practices; disseminating dynamic digital agricultural advisories; and conducting training and capacity building.
Implemented in successive phases, the initial focus will be on selected areas in Ahmednagar, Dharashiv, and Jalna districts, with plans for expansion to additional districts in the future.
Key outcomes of the project include developing a framework for assessing villages based on nature-friendly, climate-resilient agricultural practices, promoting these practices and technologies, and popularising farm-customised crop and livestock advisories for farmers.
Lobo thanked the ACS for the trust reposed in WOTR. He highlighted the potential of this collaboration to further strengthen projects like the Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture in addressing challenges related to climate change, rural livelihoods, and environmental degradation. This will help promote ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in rural Maharashtra.
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