As poverty is a complex and multifaceted issue that cannot be solved only through a rights-based approach, ABSSS also started to work on livelihood development of marginal and small landholders. ABSSS worked as a Project Facilitation Agency across five districts, under a NABARD watershed development scheme, in association with the UP State Government. Based on that work, ABSSS got the opportunity to implement an integrated watershed development project at two sites, in Chitrakoot and Banda districts, with financial support from SDTT and technical support from Pradan.
This document is an attempt to capture the main facets of the SDTT-supported project that was implemented from 2009 to 2012. As a project of this nature and scope was not implemented before, particularly in UP Bundelkhand, we believe that many of the strategies we adopted and the lessons we learnt will be of great interest to government and non-government agencies focused on sustainable use and management of land and water resources in Bundelkhand.