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India’s water crisis calls for urgent solutions, CSR-led water conservation, regenerative agriculture are helping farmers adopt water-smart practices for a secure future
Building water-resilient communities: How firms are empowering farmers with sustainable agriculture and smarter water use
Water is the backbone of India’s agricultural economy, sustaining nearly half of the country’s rural workforce. Yet, the nation stands at a crossroads as rising water scarcity, erratic climate patterns, and growing pressure on natural resources threaten both livelihoods and food security. Addressing this challenge requires a mix of innovation, collective responsibility, and community-led interventions.
Corporate Interventions for Water Resilience
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Pernod Ricard India (PRI), through its CSR agenda, has been spearheading water conservation initiatives aimed at empowering farming communities and ensuring sustainable usage of water resources.
“Water is the lifeline for agriculture in India, with most of the country’s rural workforce still dependent on farming. As India faces increasing water scarcity, unpredictable climate patterns, and pressure on natural resources, PRI is pioneering actionable water resilience strategies through CSR initiatives,” says Gagandeep Sethi, Senior Vice President – Integrated Operations, Sustainability & Responsibility, Pernod Ricard India.
Since 2019, PRI has constructed over 2,410 water structures, including check dams, farm ponds, and gabion recharge wells, creating a groundwater recharge potential of nearly 3,338 million litres. According to Sethi, these region-specific interventions are “tailored to local challenges, especially in water-scarce areas where the need is urgent.”
He adds that PRI has partnered with expert NGOs to promote efficiency methods such as rainwater harvesting, drip and sprinkler irrigation, Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), and System of Rice Intensification (SRI). “These approaches help deliver water to crops with minimal loss, ensuring sustainable usage for key crops like paddy and wheat,” Sethi notes.
The company is also working to strengthen rural value chains. “Through eight Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across five states, supported by Farmer Resource Centres, we are augmenting incomes and creating livelihood opportunities for farmers,” Sethi explains. He emphasizes that women-led FPOs are particularly important: “Our focus on women-led enterprises fosters leadership and inclusive growth in rural communities.”
“Our WAL programs are building water-resilient communities that promote sustainable agricultural practices, empower women, enhance livelihoods, and augment farm incomes,” Sethi stresses.
The Urgent Need for Sustainable Practices
Dr Kahan Singh Pannu, who heads the Regenerative Agriculture program at Roundglass Foundation and is a leading authority on sustainable farming, underscores the urgency of adopting water-smart agriculture.
“Agriculture accounts for nearly 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, with rice, sugar, wheat, and cotton consuming close to 700 billion cubic meters annually, about 60% of India’s usable water resources,” says Pannu. “In light of these facts, adopting sustainable farming practices that use less water becomes vital to all water conservation efforts.”
Punjab, once known as the “land of five rivers,” exemplifies the crisis. “Ironically, today it is facing an imminent water shortage,” Pannu observes. He points out that monocropping and government incentives for tubewell use have led to over-extraction of groundwater. “According to the Central Ground Water Board, the last drop of usable groundwater in Punjab will finish in just 14 years. Current data shows that the state extracts 28 million-acre feet (MAF) each year, while only 17 MAF is replenished. This imbalance has led to a dangerous depletion rate of about half a metre per year, bringing Punjab closer to desertification,” he warns.
Regenerative Agriculture as a Solution
To counter this, Pannu advocates regenerative agriculture, describing it as “an integrative approach to farming that aims to restore and enhance ecosystem functions by improving soil health, optimizing water management, and increasing biodiversity.”
He explains that such practices can drastically reduce water dependency while maintaining productivity, “Direct seeding of rice on beds, sowing wheat, mustard, maize, and moong on raised beds, distant planting of sugarcane to reduce water competition, drip irrigation in maize, and promoting farm ponds for rainwater harvesting are just some of the techniques that can make a huge difference.”
Planting trees, Pannu adds, can be a “game-changer” for water conservation by enhancing infiltration, retaining soil moisture, preventing evaporation, and replenishing groundwater supplies.
A Collective Effort for a Water-Secure Future
Both experts stress that long-term water resilience will only be possible through collaboration. “Water conservation is a collective effort that needs participation and engagement from communities, governments, non-government stakeholders, NGOs, and civil society,” says Pannu.
Sethi echoes this sentiment, noting that while infrastructure and technology are critical, “it is only through community empowerment and inclusive participation that we can achieve meaningful, lasting impact.”
As India grapples with one of the most critical resource challenges of our times, initiatives like PRI’s water stewardship programs and regenerative agriculture practices provide hope. Together, they demonstrate that economic growth, agricultural sustainability, and water security are not mutually exclusive, but deeply interlinked goals.
About the Author
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl…Read More
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl… Read More
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