Community of Nongmadan Shadsngi leveraging NRM initiatives of CLLMP Project

A few years ago, the farming community of Nongmadan Shadsngi Village in Pynursla Block
was struggling with the challenge of sustaining livelihood activities amid the haphazard
felling of trees in their forests and damage to their green landscapes. Deforestation was the
primary cause behind water scarcity, changing climate conditions, biodiversity loss, and
harm to natural habitats. Matters were not helped by torrential rains washing away the fertile
topsoil. With their livelihoods threatened, it became apparent that an intervention to
effectuate change was the immediate need.
And since 2018, the World Bank-funded Community-Led Landscape Management Project
(CLLMP), an externally aided project of the Government of Meghalaya having the express
purpose of strengthening communities’ capacities to leverage and manage natural resources
for improved quality of life, has collaborated with the community of Nongmadan Shadsngi to
become the intervention.
CLLMP’s community-driven actions have since gone a long way in alleviating the issues in
Nongmadan Shadsngi. The community has found solutions regarding the frequency of
wildfires and the shortage of clean drinking water. Steps also include rainwater harvesting
through recharge pits for replenishing the ground water and check dams for preventing soil
erosion and ensuring water availability during the dry seasons. Tree plantation drives have
also been conducted on a large scale. Nongmadan Shadsngi’s three forests — Kliar
Wahumrem, Law-adong Wahkhongoi, and Law-adong Riatlwai— were losing their green
cover due to wildfires, but with the implementation of bio-fencing and fire line control, there
have been no reports of encroachment on these forests.
The project has also supported the community with the formation of the Village Natural
Resource Management Committee (VNRMC), which currently comprises 9 presiding
members (5 men and 4 women). The VNRMC has the mandate to not only oversee the
implementation of all project activities at the village level but to create enabling platforms for
women to participate in decision making during village meetings and voice opinions on
matters concerning rural development. Further, it was reported by the CLLMP district
personnel during their monitoring and evaluation support activity that the women of
Nongmadan Shadsngi contributed significantly during construction works and noted that the
project’s Equal Pay for Equal Work principle was abided by. These women were also at the
forefront of spreading awareness of the importance of environmental conservation for the
village's youth.