Honeywell Announces Partnership With Watershed Organisation Trust To Focus On Soil And Water Conservation In Rural Ecosystems

BENGALURU, MARCH 21, 2023: Honeywell today announced its partnership with Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) which focuses on replenishing rural water bodies, increasing the water table in the target areas and promoting livelihood opportunities for farmers and women. Honeywell, through the Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) will extend financial and volunteering support to WOTR through the course of the partnership. The partnership is also significant  as this coincides with the World Water Day 2023 celebrations on March 22 that highlight the importance of fresh water and advocate the need for sustainable management of freshwater resources.

HHSIF’s partnership with WOTR aims to stabilize and enhance the productive capacity of the local ecosystem, through soil and water conservation. Alongside this, the project will also focus on promoting sustainable agriculture practices with agricultural diversifications as well as facilitating market linages. Additionally, the partnership aims to improve the irrigation potential and coverage in project villages, assist in organizing Farmer Groups, set up Village Development Committees, and promote income generation activities for poor and vulnerable groups. The total number of beneficiaries of the project will be 47,525.

Speaking on the partnership, Ashish Modi, president, Honeywell India said “In India, biodiversity, soil health and water availability are under threat largely due to unsustainable land, water and agriculture management practices. Our partnership with WOTR will not only facilitate the development of sustainable agricultural practices but will also empower farmer collectives (such as FPOs), who play a crucial role in ecosystem restoration and management in the context of climate change. This project will therefore develop a methodology to sensitize them to this role and enable them to implement measures that build the adaptive capacities and resilience of communities to climate change as well as protect and conserve the ecosystems (and biodiversity) they live in, and draw upon for sustenance and livelihoods. “

The partnership consists of implementation and knowledge components. The implementation component will be based on community participation where local communities are organized to plan and implement the project interventions related to natural resource management, climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, and participatory governance. This will be implemented in a cluster of 10 villages from Manchal block of Rangareddy district in Telangana and 3 villages from Gauribinanur block of Chikkabalapura district of Karnataka. In Telangana, project will be initiated in Year-1 and continued till year-3 and in Karnataka, project implementation will begin in year-2.

The knowledge component will be piloted in 3 villages in Maharashtra and Telangana where farmers’ collectives will be guided and facilitated by the WOTR team to follow an Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EBA) approach. It will be anchored and executed by the WOTR Centre for Resilience Studies (W-CReS).  The EBA approach once piloted, will be developed into an adaptable model that can be scaled up to other arid and semi-arid regions of the country.

Prakash Keskar, Executive Director, WOTR said “WOTR aims to tackle key causes of rural poverty by rejuvenating ecosystems and building the community’s resilience to climate change. Through this partnership, we want to enhance the availability of water, increase the productivity of land and agriculture, diversify livelihoods, empower women, and strengthen the health and well-being of vulnerable rural communities in our target locations.”

The project aims to facilitate soil conservation and water conservation on 840 ha, set up 130 water harvesting structures in the proposed villages, enable Farmer groups in 13 villages, provide water-saving devices to 130 farmers and enable at least 50% of the target farmers to adopt eco-friendly agricultural practices. Additionally, the partnership aims to set up 36 health camps and introduce many drudgery reduction activities for women.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF)
Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) is a not-for-profit organization that deploys Honeywell’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in five critical areas: education, skill and research, diversity and inclusion, natural resources and environment, holistic and sustainable community development, and  humanitarian relief. HHSIF’s programs include Honeywell STEM education for young girls,  upskilling program for youth to build a future-ready workforce; Honeywell model village for holistic rural development; Honeywell start-up support program  that incubates startups in deep science and deep technology segments,  Honeywell global center for affordable and clean energy and a ten year long tree plantation drive across the country under the banner of ‘Plant the Future’. Click here to know more Honeywell India’s CSR Initiatives

About Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR)
WOTR is an internationally recognized non-profit and think-tank founded in 1993 dedicated to transforming the lives of millions of poor across India through participatory watershed development and eco-systems restoration, climate resilient sustainable agriculture, integrated and efficient water management and climate change adaptation, with a special emphasis on building resilience of vulnerable communities, farmers, and women. It is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, India. 

WOTR is recognized widely as a premier institution in the field of participatory Watershed Development, Water Resources Management and Climate Change Adaptation. Its unique strength lies in its on-field experience and in a systemic, participatory approach to building resilient futures.

About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.