Helping Gafur Adapt to Climate Change

“My name is Gafur Khan! I have three sons and each of them has sons. I have two daughters. I’m 97 years old and the oldest around [here].

I live in the Thar Desert in north-west India. It's always been very hot here but it used to rain more back then. Back then the black clouds were quite prominent. Now they don’t come.”

“Gafur Khan has planted these Gardens!”

GRAVIS, our local partner in the region, teaches Gafur’s community and other communities in the region to understand and adapt to the changing climate. They’ve given Gafur seeds and guidance for sustainable crops that can thrive in high temperatures and with limited water.

GRAVIS has also helped Gafur to build a fenced-off area where cattle cannot graze, thereby protecting his crops.

As Gafur’s says it himself: “Gafur Khan has planted these Gardens! We get a lot of fruit. They are plenty. We have everything: Manjacks, Jujube, Lemons. We give to everyone. We don’t sell it in the market nearby. We just give it away to family members or to someone in need.

“Other family members give me more respect now.”

“These plants are grown by an old man who works hard. Which brings in more food and changes food habits. Other family members give me more respect now. They didn’t care for me before. However, after the planting of ‘Garden’ I was being looked after with care and they gave me more respect. I planted trees, and my respect has grown. Mine, my sons, my grandsons… nearby neighbours, Everyone. They see the garden and get happy. “Oh! The garden is nice!!” The garden is my respect. One finds everything to eat here.”

“I feed the family with good produce. They all stay happy.”