In Uttarakhand’s hill districts, where farms are spread across steep terrains and water access remains limited, agriculture is as much a test of endurance as it is a livelihood. With agriculture accounting for over 80% of freshwater consumption in India, improving water efficiency has become critical, especially in ecologically sensitive mountain regions.
For smallholder farmers here, limited water availability often restricts productivity, making agriculture uncertain and physically demanding. The burden is disproportionately higher for women, who form the backbone of these farming systems, as they navigate the dual responsibility of agricultural labour and household duties, including water collection, livestock care, and caregiving.
In Paluka village, Uttarakhand, Ritika and her mother have experienced these challenges firsthand.
For years, reaching their orchard meant a long uphill trek across steep mountain slopes, as no vehicles could access it. Each visit required a two to two-and-a-half-hour uphill journey, often while carrying tools and supplies. Water availability was inconsistent, and traditional farming practices made it difficult to optimize both effort and output.
“What condition we would end up in after reaching there, we are the only ones who truly know,” Ritika recalls.
For the women in the household, the work extended far beyond the orchard. Ritika’s mother balanced farm responsibilities with household chores, livestock care, and raising the children.
“In the mountains, life for women is very hard,” she says. “We have to do everything ourselves, farm work, housework, taking care of the buffalo, and raising the children.”
Like many families in the region, farming alone was not sufficient to sustain their livelihood. Despite maintaining an orchard, they often relied on daily wage labour to support their household.
A turning point came when the family adopted high-density apple cultivation through Project Unnati Apple, an initiative supported by Anandana- The Coca-Cola India Foundation, which promotes climate-resilient and water-efficient horticulture practices among farmers.
High-density apple cultivation involves planting improved saplings at optimized spacing and managing orchards using modern horticulture techniques. Compared to traditional apple orchards, these systems begin producing fruit earlier and can generate significantly higher yields per acre.
Equally important is the way these orchards are irrigated. Farms supported under Project Unnati Apple adopt drip irrigation systems instead of traditional flood irrigation, delivering water directly to the roots of the plants. This method can reduce water use by up to 70%, improving water efficiency in agriculture while helping protect local watersheds and ensuring greater water availability for surrounding communities.
For Ritika’s family, adopting these improved practices also meant establishing their orchard in a more accessible location, reducing the need to travel long distances uphill and making day-to-day farm management significantly easier.
Ritika, who is currently pursuing her graduation, now divides her time between college and the orchard she enjoys working in.
“Apart from college, I like spending my time here the most,” she says. “When our apples came for the first time, we were very happy. They were bright red and much better than before.”
The results soon became visible. In the first season, the orchard produced over one lakh apples, and by the second season, the yield increased to around 1.5 lakh apples, marking a significant improvement for the family.
For Ritika’s mother, who now spends most of her time working in the orchard, the change has meant being able to focus on farming their own land instead of seeking daily wage work elsewhere.
“Earlier we had to work as labourers to raise our children,” she explains. “Now we work in our own orchard and earn enough to manage our living.”
The orchard has also created opportunities within the community. Ritika’s mother now works alongside her friend Anita in managing the orchard, sharing both the labour and the harvest.
For Ritika, the orchard represents not just a source of income for the family but also a visible transformation in the village landscape.
“Since we planted this orchard, our village has become even more beautiful,” she says. “Many people here have also planted these apples, and everyone says they are very good.”
Stories like Ritika’s highlight the important role women continue to play in sustaining agriculture and strengthening rural livelihoods, when the right support is made accessible to them. For her family, the orchard today reflects years of persistence and hard work, along with the possibilities that improved farming practices can bring to mountain communities.
Through initiatives such as Project Unnati Apple, supported by Anandana- The Coca- Cola India Foundation and Indo Dutch Horticulture, farmers are not only improving productivity and incomes but also adopting more water-efficient agricultural practices, contributing to healthier ecosystems and more resilient farming communities in Uttarakhand.
