Enhancing climate resilience through resource conservation practices in watershed of Western India

In the areas affected by soil erosion and water scarcity, watershed management involves all aspects of land and water resources for sustainable development. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the applied climate-resilient practices in a semi-arid watershed in Western India using different indices. The Soil Erosion Control Index credited the increased vegetation cover and contour bunding in farmers' fields as responsible for reducing the average annual soil erosion rate from 12.0 t/ha/year to 6.0 t/ha/year in 3 years. Their farmer's training program resulted in more engagement of local rural youth, which influenced a 12% improvement in the score from 68 to 80. The community-based water resource infrastructure aimed at improving water harvesting efficiency increased storage capacity by 40%. The index went up from 50% to 64%, achieving community engagement and water use efficiency in agriculture. The infiltration rates under different land uses varied from 4.5 to 6.5 mm/h, and therefore, helped in groundwater recharge by improving the opportunity time for infiltration into the soil through soil and water conservation structures. It was found that an increase in the vegetation restoration index of 3.78% was associated with improved vegetation under double-cropped and agroforestry systems adopted in the watershed. Farmers in the watershed living their livelihoods through conservation-based agricultural practices have increased their income significantly by 12%. The watershed management programs achieved a rise in the Integrated Climate Resilience Index from 44.76% to 64.39%. The integrated effect of different management strategies implemented in the watershed shows the significance of the watershed program in achieving the multiple sustainable development goals related to water and food security. These findings demonstrate that targeted soil and water conservation practices can have tremendous benefits by reducing soil erosion substantially, ensuring adequate water availability, and improving resilience to climate variability. Such measures, based on a watershed scale, can provide a model for other vulnerable areas to follow for sustainable development to achieve food security and adapt to the vagaries of climate change.