Activities in progress:

Agricultural & Allied Activities

Decreasing expenditure
To reduce the use of costly inputs such as water, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the Foundation promotes drip irrigation, integrated nutrient management and integrated pest management. For example, farmers can fertilize their fields with vermi-compost, an easy-to-make mixture of organic matter and worm castings, which is both cheaper and more effective than chemical fertilizers.

• Using better quality seeds
• Chiselling, to improve water penetration into the soil
• Raised-bed cultivation, to increase yields
• Intercropping, for optimal use of land

Promoting other on-farm opportunities
The Foundation spreads awareness about how the farmers can enhance their income by diversifying crops, paying closer attention to crop quality and spoilage concerns, undertaking horticultural production, and collectively developing common lands.

Developing farmers’ groups and linkages
Organizing the farmers into associations enables them to increase their negotiating power and to directly link up with market retailers. As a result the farmers are able to capture a larger portion of the final retail price. This system also reduces spoilage as the produce is collected at the farms by the retailer.

Livestock initiatives
The Foundation promotes livestock-rearing including dairy, poultry and fisheries. It also links interested villagers with institutions that can provide specialized knowledge or financing.

Development of Common Land
The Foundation is a keen supporter of biodiversity protection. In a pilot project to reforest the Aravali mountain range at Ghaghas, the community agreed to protect a demarcated area of land for forestation.

Livelihood Advancement

Agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the Indian economy, with one third of the population depending on the sector directly or indirectly. However, the challenges that the agricultural sector is facing today are quite different from those in the earlier decades. The number of people engaged in agriculture is decreasing due to a decline in profitability, therefore there is an urgent need to create mass employment in the rural non-farm sector by introducing education and new skill sets.

The Livelihood Advancement program focuses on providing market oriented, demand driven livelihood skills training to the youth and women.

Vocational Training
The Foundation's goal is to set up a state-of-the-art vocational training center in Mewat. Computer literacy and spoken English are key requirements for good jobs and therefore, the Foundation has started computer and spoken English centers in the villages.

Micro enterprise Development
Self Help Groups of women are formed to inculcate the practice of saving and help them set up micro enterprises. Producer groups of women are trained and formed to make embroidered garments and bags. Market linkages are being established with financial institutions to access loans to start or expand micro enterprises.