• Bhada village shows the way for community-led climate resilience, becomes a fodder bank, that now supports 500 livestock animals.
• The initiative by Reliance Foundation, focused on building a resource for times of drought and food scarcity.
• An example of preparedness that enables communities to anticipate and better withstand climate-related shocks.

November 2026: The landscape of Kachchh is prone to severe drought, but communities have found a solution to protect their livestock and secure their livelihoods.

With increasing climate variability erratic rainfall, prolonged dry periods and weather extremes pasture and agricultural biomass are being affected and thereby the availability and affordability of livestock fodder.

Reliance Foundation began working with rural communities in October 2024 with the approach of a fodder plantations in Bhada village of the Kachchh region.

During periods of rainfall deficit, the resulting fodder shortage can force livestock-owning households to purchase fodder from outside the village, increasing household expenditure and placing additional pressure on already vulnerable rural livelihoods.

The challenge becomes particularly acute during years of severe rainfall deficiency and climate anomalies such as El Niño (like 2026), which can influence rainfall patterns and intensify dry conditions across vulnerable regions.

Decline in fodder availability also forces livestock owners to reduce the quantity of feed provided to animals, also affecting the well-being of the livestock.

Recognising the need to address this vulnerability, Reliance Foundation, in partnership with the Kachchh Fodder Fruit and Forest Development Trust (KFFDT), supported Bhada village in Kachchh to establish a community-managed fodder resource.

The initiative began with the development of a one-hectare community fodder plot, which was subsequently expanded by another hectare through community contribution and institutional support, creating a two-hectare community fodder plot.

Rather than treating fodder availability as a seasonal relief requirement, the initiative created a locally managed resource that could serve as a preparedness mechanism against periods of drought and fodder scarcity.

The impact

The first harvest generated approximately 10,000 kg of green fodder, followed by six additional harvests. Recognising that the value of the intervention extended beyond immediate consumption, the community used a chaff cutter to process surplus green fodder and store it for periods when fresh fodder would become scarce.

This transformed the fodder plot into a community fodder bank, creating a local reserve that could be accessed during periods of stress. The initiative currently supports approximately 500 livestock, strengthening the ability of livestock-owning households to maintain their animals during difficult climatic conditions.

As Shamlabhai Gadhvi, community leader of Bhada village says, “Today, even amid the drought-like situation across Kachchh, our village has become self-reliant in fodder.”

During the current period of severely deficient rainfall as rainfall remained inadequate across parts of Kachchh, fodder availability declined and several villages experienced acute shortages.

Livestock owners in affected areas were compelled to procure fodder from outside, often at significant additional cost. Bhada, however, was able to draw upon its locally developed fodder resources and remained largely self-reliant, without depending on external fodder procurement. The investment made during relatively normal periods therefore provided a critical buffer when climate stress translated into an immediate livelihood challenge.

“The experience demonstrates how a relatively simple, community-owned intervention can address the cascading impacts of climate change: rainfall deficiency reduces fodder availability; fodder scarcity threatens livestock health and increases household costs; livestock stress affects rural livelihoods; and a locally managed fodder reserve can interrupt this chain before it develops into a larger livelihood crisis,” says Animesh Prakash, Head, Disaster Management, Reliance Foundation.

The Bhada initiative thus represents more than a fodder production activity. It is a community-led disaster preparedness and climate-resilience mechanism, where local resources, collective action and institutional support have been combined to protect livestock—the foundation of many rural livelihoods in Kachchh.

It highlights the importance of shifting from a reactive approach, where fodder is supplied only after scarcity emerges, to a preparedness-oriented approach that enables communities to anticipate, absorb and withstand climate-induced shocks.

Self-reliant and resilient villages are the foundation of the country. Initiatives such as these in Kachchh, contribute towards Reliance Foundation’s overarching vision to build villages that are atma nirbhar and surakshit.