Bhubaneswar: Secretary Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Shri Sachin R Jadhav, on 10 February led a high-level review meeting with the World Bank’s senior management team to assess the ongoing progress of the Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD) program. This initiative, fundamentally supported by the World Bank, aims to transform water management and soil health to enhance the resilience of the agricultural sector.
During the session, Shri Jadhav highlighted the critical role that World Bank technical expertise and financial support play in modernizing watershed management. The REWARD program is designed to integrate data-driven science with local farming practices, ensuring that rural communities are better equipped to handle climate variability. The Secretary noted that the partnership provides essential resources for developing Land Resource Inventories, which allow for more precise crop planning and resource allocation.
Secretary Shri Jadhav urged all participating stakeholders to align their efforts with the World Bank’s rigorous implementation standards. He underscored that the success of the program relies on the timely completion of key components, such as the digital mapping of watershed areas and the training of farmers in climate-smart techniques. By focusing on these deliverables, the department aims to create a sustainable model that can be scaled across the region.
The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment between Agri Secretary, Shri Jadhav and the World Bank representatives to streamline administrative processes. This coordination is intended to remove bottlenecks in project execution, ensuring that the benefits of the REWARD program reach the farming community efficiently and effectively.