On the Water Front

Selected tag(s): climate

An innovative water sharing program in India helps improve farmer livelihoods

By Gopal Penny and Leah Beaulac / Published: October 31, 2025
An aerial view of a tractor on a field in India.

An aerial view of fields in Rayalaseema. Photo credit: Manram Collective 

Vanya Mehta of WELL Labs co-authored this blog. 

In a semi-arid region in southwest Andhra Pradesh, low but highly variable rainfall has made groundwater a critical lifeline for farmers.   

But prolonged droughts and more borewell drilling have worsened groundwater depletion, severely impacting agrarian communities. To reduce competitive well drilling and assist farmers without wells in the region, the Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) launched the Groundwater Collectivization Programme. The initiative helps farmers form water collectives to share groundwater through formal agreements.

A new study of the Groundwater Collectivization Programme by researchers from EDF and WELL Labs revealed some encouraging results, including a slight increase in farm profits and higher yields during the monsoon season.  

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New report shows progress in California’s land repurposing program

By Anna Schiller / Published: May 29, 2025

Aerial view of patchwork of agricultural fields in squares.

As California and the broader Western U.S. brace for an increasingly unpredictable water future, the release of the 2024 Annual Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program Report underscores the viability of land repurposing as a key climate adaptation strategy. California’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) plays a vital role in facilitating the transition of irrigated agricultural land toward uses that reduce groundwater demand while providing community and environmental benefits. Launched by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in 2022, this program is strategically focused on shifting irrigated agricultural land toward uses that reduce groundwater demand while delivering community and environmental benefits.

In just two years, MLRP has awarded over $75 million in block grants to eight regions spanning 3.3 million acres, including more than 120 underserved communities. With more than 100 partner organizations involved, the program is gaining traction as a model for collaborative, locally driven land use planning in areas that are bringing groundwater use into balance.

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