Bundelkhand Wheat Water Conservation Cooperative Uttar Pradesh

Bundelkhand region straddling Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh border has historically suffered severe water stress from degraded watershed, erratic monsoon, and over-extraction of groundwater. District cooperative societies in Banda, Chitrakoot, and Mahoba implement water conservation through check dam cooperatives, community bund construction, and well recharge pits. Wheat and gram farmers in Bundelkhand rely on Rabi season rain and limited borewells. Ken-Betwa river link project, approved in 2021, aims to transfer Ken river water to Betwa to irrigate Bundelkhand districts. Cooperative watershed management programmes funded by NABARD have revived dozens of traditional talabs and nadis in the region. Organic wheat from water-stressed Bundelkhand land — lower in yield but richer in protein — is marketed as premium flour by cooperative brands.