CRC (Climate Resource Center)

Together, we have worked to integrate heritage conservation with climate resilience through projects such as the Climate Resource Center. The Climate Resource Center is a local hub to access tools and resources to tackle climate challenges through education, and collaborative solutions focused on sustainability and the mapping of step wells and lakes for water security infrastructure. CRC in Bidar District is also an action-research initiative that places everyday agricultural practices at the core of climate adaptation measures. Unlike conventional research approaches that rely laboriously on expert-led viewpoints, the CRC seeks to centre the lived experiences, observations, and practices of Bidar’s farmers. This non-digital network operates as a medium for farmers, their families, and partners to document, share, and expand their learning of farming practices and responses to climate challenges. Through this process, the project aims to inform hyper-local climate adaptation and encourage consequential, community-driven strategies.  

Bidar is in the North Transition Zone of Karnataka. This area has laterite and black soils and receives an average rainfall of 800 to 900 mm each year. The region supports both Kharif and Rabi crops, alongside pastoralist communities who maintain livestock and create value-added products from farm produce. However, Bidar’s agricultural landscape has long been shaped by unpredictable climate conditions. Despite these, generations of farmers have relied on local knowledge passed down orally through folklore, rituals, and songs, observing their relationship to the land and their stability in the face of environmental changes.