Over the year, we have been using participatory systems thinking and modelling to build a models of groundwater-agriculture-climate linkages in India, partnering with CInI, Sustain+ and ACWADAM. Using participatory modelling, we developed system dynamics simulation models of village social-ecological systems consisting of the groundwater dynamics of local aquifers and the seasonal cropping and allied systems for two locations in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The models were then taken to the relevant communities using a model interface. Through a social process with the communities, participatory scenario-building exercises were carried out at the locations to test different groundwater conservation measures for their efficacy with the objective of helping them to develop groundwater management protocols.
