Chelimi

Chelimi is a programme that focuses on Agroecology and landscape-based approaches, designed to enhance crop security and build resilience among small and marginal farmers. Within this broader programme, the RWI (Resilient Watershed Initiative) is a key project aimed at promoting sustainable water management and natural farming practices across drought-prone regions.

Under the RWI project, a network of eight partner organizations—APMAS, CSA, FES, WASSAN, JANAJAGRUTHI, RIDS, REDS, and Timbaktu Collective—is working together to support 32,400 farmers across 231 habitations in 69 Gram Panchayats spread over Annamayya, Ananthapuramu, and Sri Sathya Sai districts of Andhra Pradesh.

These regions face severe ecological vulnerability, frequent droughts, and heavy dependence on rainfed agriculture and agrochemicals. The project addresses these challenges by improving water conservation through the construction of efficient water-holding structures, renovating traditional water bodies and borewells, and promoting the adoption of Natural Farming practices. It also encourages farmers to shift from monocropping to climate-resilient millet-based cropping systems, enhances access to drinking water for livestock, and strengthens community-led water governance.

As part of its role in Chelimi–RWI, the Timbaktu Collective is developing a robust Management Information System (MIS) for data management, water mapping, and monitoring tools.