To address alarming levels of groundwater depletion, the Indian government launched the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABhY) program in 2020. ABhY is the largest scale program leveraging community-based management of groundwater resources anywhere in the world, piloting activities in 8,213 villages across 80 districts of seven states of India. Given its unprecedented approach, this project will examine the program’s responsiveness to diverse community needs.
This seed grant leverages existing partnerships and proposes fieldwork to be conducted in select AbHY communities that differ geographically, socially, and culturally in the states of Haryana and Gujarat. The fieldwork proposed will address two main research questions: (1) How are community members participating in these groups, particularly across socioeconomic differences; and (2) How is this program influencing communities’ groundwater conservation efforts?
These questions aim to understand the extent and depth of participation in the ABhY program and its conservation effectiveness. We will leverage mixed methods during fieldwork through key informant interviews and focus group discussions to better understand community decision-making processes and participation with AbHY. The insights from these interviews and discussions will inform a survey to be conducted in collaboration with established local partners. The survey will primarily inform how AbHY impacts community efforts for groundwater conservation.
The project’s impact will help evaluate ABhY experiences from 2020–2024 and inform future design of the program.
The project team involves two junior faculty, two graduate students, and one research assistant across the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts, serving as a platform for mentorship and fostering a nurturing environment for novel cross-college research. It also supports the opportunity to strengthen existing partnerships with Indian stakeholders.
Researchers
Praharsh Patel
