“We used to rely on the rains: if they came on time, we had good harvests; if not, the crops would dry up. Now we can harvest twice a year. We can continue living in our own village. We no longer need to migrate.”

These words from a farmer in S. Gundala, a village in the Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh, summarise a widespread reality affecting millions of smallholders—and also the hope sparked by viable solutions that, step by step, can transform even the most disadvantaged regions.

In S. Gundala, around 110 acres were irrigated using borewells, while another 520 acres depended entirely on rainfall. When the monsoons were late or insufficient, the losses were devastating. This extreme climate dependency, worsened by a steady drop in groundwater levels—particularly acute between 2000 and 2016—led to soil degradation, crop failures, and, in many cases, seasonal migration of entire families in search of livelihoods.

By the end of 2023, in collaboration with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, we completed a groundwater recovery project essential for both farming and domestic use. It was our 17th agricultural water access initiative in India—already benefitting over 142,000 people—and part of an integrated approach shaped over 14 years of close engagement with farming communities struggling against monoculture, drought, and reliance on the wet season to survive.

The project focused on cleaning surface water bodies, restoring the local stream Gundalaiah Vanka, and rehabilitating two small government-built dams that had fallen into disrepair.

The technical result was aquifer recharge and a rise in the groundwater table. But there was much more. A year after completion, the available data offers reason for hope.

Groundwater recovery not only secured irrigation but also ensured that families could remain in their territory. The impact has been particularly significant for around 280 families in S. Gundala and the surrounding areas.

Rising groundwater levels have reduced the cost and effort required to access water.

“Before, we had to drill 40 meters to get just 2.5 cm of water. Now, after the dam was built, the water table has risen, and we can get 5 cm at only 27 meters,” reports a local farmer.

The results are striking:

• 520 acres of previously unproductive dryland are now fertile again. Incomes and food security have improved significantly.
• Farmers now harvest twice a year and have diversified their crops: beyond the traditional tomatoes, groundnuts, onions, and chillies, they now grow cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, ridge gourd, and bitter gourd.
• Along with increased economic security, families enjoy a more diverse and nutritious diet.

The improved water availability has also had a direct impact on women’s lives: they no longer need to walk long distances to fetch water, freeing up time to care for their families, support their children’s education, and develop small economic activities—both artisanal and farm-based.

“This dam hasn’t just brought water; it has brought dignity. We can stay, cultivate, care for our children—and even dream of a better future,” shares one of the women beneficiaries.

But perhaps the most profound change is social: seasonal migration to the cities has decreased. These displacements, which fracture communities and disintegrate rural families, have long been a barrier to rural development in India. The experience in S. Gundala shows that investing in natural resources and water resilience is also an investment in cohesion, stability, and the future.

The context is urgent. In India—the world’s most populous country—69% of the population resides in rural areas, significantly higher than Asia’s average of 58%. Of that, 80% depend directly on agriculture and livestock, both highly water-dependent sectors. The pressure on water resources is immense.

The World Bank summarises it in a stark statistic: India is home to 16% of the world’s population but holds only 4% of its freshwater resources. This imbalance marks the start of a silent but deepening crisis.

In 2023, after years of collaboration with the Indian government, the World Bank published the report Addressing Groundwater Depletion: Lessons from India, focused on the country that uses the most groundwater in the world. The message is clear: India’s water future requires structural change in water management.

India still relies heavily on the monsoon rains to irrigate fields, recharge aquifers, sustain forests, and supply its cities with water. But climate change is making monsoon patterns more erratic, pushing millions of farmers toward the brink. Empowering them against drought, soil degradation, monoculture, and social imbalance is an urgent priority.

In this context, community-based water management, combined with runoff harvesting and controlled aquifer recharge, becomes a key strategy. Small self-managed dams and the restoration of streams and ponds emerge as some of the most effective, scalable, and sustainable solutions.

Our experience supports this. Since we began, we have helped build four small dams with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, benefiting more than 5,500 farmers whose lives have been transformed, just like those in S. Gundala.

A defining element of all our projects is that water recovery—primarily through small-scale storage—goes hand in hand with biodiversity restoration and ecosystem regeneration.

But something equally vital accompanies every intervention: active community participation. Involving local farmers at every stage is essential to achieving sustainable results. That’s why we encourage engagement from the outset, both in construction and in management.

This is where Eco Development Committees (EDCs), in Vicente Ferrer Foundation projects, and Water User Management Committees (WUMCs), in World Vision collaborations, play a central role. Composed of men and women from the community, these groups serve as direct links between the local population and project implementers. Community ownership of water is what ensures true rural empowerment and long-term sustainability: farmers who understand their environment, manage their resources, and become drivers of change.

The progressive greening of the landscape, the recovery of degraded areas, and the adoption of solar-powered drip irrigation systems reinforce this virtuous cycle. Improved water access is not just a technical solution—it’s a gateway to a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient form of agriculture.