Final Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation of Women Smallholders and Cotton Producers from Vidarbha Region, Maharashtra

CARE India’s project on “Environmentally Sound and Climate Resilient Cotton Production Practices (ESCRCPP)”, supported by Group Galeries Lafayette, was implemented from 2018 to 2021 in 10 villages of Jalgaon Jamod block of Buldhana district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, aimed to promote environmentally sound, climate-resilient and inclusive cotton production. The location of the project was guided by the fact that Vidarbha accounts for half of the cotton area of Maharashtra, which has one third of cotton growing area in India and Buldhana district is the major cotton producing area in Vidarbha. The cotton based agricultural economy of the region faces challenges like water stress, climate variability and issues related to farming practices and technology. These result in low productivity, frequent crop failure, poor management of water resources, and high indebtedness of farmers.
The project had three purposes (sub-objectives or outcomes) and six expected results (outputs). The outcomes were: women small holders have the capacity to engage in environmentally sound and climate-resilient cotton production; strengthened collectives for building solidarity, promoting gender equity, and facilitating access of women smallholders from poor and vulnerable households to resilience building resources, services, and opportunities; and enabling environment in the form of supportive cotton value chain actors.
This report is 82 pages long.