Smallholders and sustainable wells: a retrospect – participatory groundwater management in Andhra Pradesh (India)

Central to the concept of Participatory Groundwater Management is community ownership and treatment of groundwater as a common property resource. The core principle is demystification of hydrological science for the benefit of rural communities, enabling them to blend their local hydrological knowledge for sustainable management of their groundwater resources. Great emphasis is put on reducing the agricultural water demand through a myriad of options such as changes in cropping pattern, water use efficiency and artificial groundwater recharge.