Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), UttarPradesh
Immensely influenced by the environmental movements after Stockholm conference in 1972, a dynamic group of research scholars started working informally in the field of environment and sustainable development since 1975. Since 1980,GEAG is involved in implementing several development projects based on ecological principles, gender sensitivity and the livelihood issues of underprivileged and vulnerable community such as small-marginalized farmers, particularly, women farmers and landless. GEAG was registered as an NGO in the year 1983 under the Society’s Registration Act 1860.
Over the last 36 years, GEAG has gained expertise in conducting researches, advocacy and networking. Since 1990, GEAG is recognised as a prominent resource organization in North India in the field of sustainable agriculture, participatory approaches- methodologies, gender sensitization and empowerment since 1990s. United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) acknowledged the efforts, expertise and achievements of GEAG and accorded it a special ‘consultative’ status in the year 2000. GEAG has also been recognized as a north India’s hub for InterSard South Asia- a network to facilitate information sharing for sustainable agriculture and rural development. GEAG as a ‘support organization’ has joined hands with around 200 partner NGOs working at district, national and international level and its publications augmented its characteristics of being a support organization serving the needs of hindi speaking north regions.
GEAG had been nominated a “member” of the State Agriculture Advisory Committee by Agriculture Minister of UP in 2008 due to its outstanding contributions in enhancement of adaptive capacity of marginalized farming community to the impacts of Climate Change.At present, the organization has started concentrating on urban poverty, its food insecurity and is experimenting and promoting urban Climate Change resilience. Today, GEAG is a well established implementing, resource, consultative and support organization in North India on Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA), livelihood models, Climate Change and adaptation issues and gender equity
For more information visit www.geagindia.org
Kudumbam – LEISA Network, Tamil Nadu
Kudumbam is an organisation working for sustainable rural development. Kudumbam’s main focus is to uplift small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labours and to empower widows, single women, orphan children and differently abled people.
Kudumbam was founded by Dr. Nammalvar and Mr. Oswald Quintal. The organisations main office is located in Tiruchirapalli (Trichy). There are two smaller offices by the coast in Nagapattiman district in Tamil Nadu.
At Kolunji ecological farm there are a number of people working with ecological farming and different social projects. A childrens home called Vidivelli started in 1996. At Vidivelli, children from the local villages get an understanding about nature and get support to finish their education in a safe environment.
Kudumbam is a member of the international network Future Earth.
ORRISSA, Orissa
Organisation for Rural Reconstruction & Integrated Social Service Activities (ORRISSA) is a not for profit society, registered in the year 1989 under the Society’s Registration Act 1860. The preserved and practiced values of the Kondh and Koya adivasis are the guiding principles of all the interventions made. In its mission of finding out alternatives for the disadvantaged and the neglected, the group operates in some of the interior pockets of the state of Odisha.
Community based intervention is the prime strategy of ORRISSA’s interventions. Participation of all its stakeholders is the principle that endures within the team structure. This understanding enables the group to operate in a decentralized structure. Issue based field teams operate independently to address the local needs. Participatory need assessment, planning, monitoring and evaluation tools are in place to maintain a transparent system and keep up the group spirit. Convergence and local mobilization of resources are few other features of this process.
Over the last 24 years, ORRISSA team has been successful in rights and issue based interventions in the areas of health, land, water, forest and education through People’s Organisations. ORRISSA has gained expertise on PRA & PLA, Action research, strengthening of traditional Adivasi People’s Organisation including women self-help cooperatives, food security, local resource based Sustainable Agriculture, disaster mitigation, literacy, forest and natural resource management, land & water management and advocacy & networking.
Presently, ORRISSA focuses on strengthening people led initiatives. Seed mothers (locally called Bihana Maa) play a vital role in the farmer led approach for food sovereignty. They are the link between farmers to provide vital information on different seeds, their character and quality, process of cultivation and storage. They help sourcing of seed from one to the other. The seed mothers display the rich diversity of the seeds and abundance of natural resources available in the locality.
ORRISSA is an active member in OFAI (Organic Farming Association of India) and also a General body member of ASHA(Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture) a national level organization. ORRISSA has received Prakruti Mitra Award (State award) for the year 2009 from the Honourable Chief Minister of Odisha on World Environment Day on June 2010.
For more details please log on to: www.orrissa.co.in
Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre
AF Ecology Centre was founded by Father Vincent Ferrer in 1982. Since then we have been involved in Rural Development through drought management, environmental development and policy advocacy. We have made a substantial contribution since 1986 in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh with our Participatory Watershed Development Programme supported by EED (Germany) & ICCO (Netherlands). It was perhaps the largest participatory watershed programme by an NGO in India spread over about 300 villages, covering about 1.35 lakh ha of farm land and 60,000 farmers. We’re known for our participatory approach and very high quality in watershed development on a sizable scale.
Since 2007, we shifted our focus to promoting Sustainable Agriculture. It was due to the Government initiating watershed activities in all villages in the district under MGNREGS. At present AF is working with about 22000 farmer families in 230 villages in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods. However, we continue to implement participatory watershed development projects in 30 villages, covering about 7000 families with the support of NABARD and IWMP (Integrated Watershed Management Project) & MGNREGS of Government of India. AF has also made a significant contribution in influencing a favourable and enabling policy conditions for a people-centred watershed development and rural employment (MGNREGS) in the State of Andhra Pradesh. We are actively involved in various policy making bodies.
AF is pursuing two special projects under Climate Change. They are Biogas under CDM and Low Carbon Farming (LCF). AF has successfully registered with UNFCCC a biogas project under CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) for installation of 15,000 bio-gas units and generate carbon revenues for farmers for using renewable energy. AF has taken up a scientific research project on Low Carbon Farming (LCF). When the research is completed successfully, the farmers will be able to access carbon revenues for practicing carbon friendly LEISA practices. This scientific research project is being undertaken with financial & scientific cooperation from Environment Defense Fund (USA) and EED.
For more information visit www.af-ecologycentre.org
Yuva Rural Association:
Yuva Rural Association, an entity of YUVA (Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action), Mumbai was formed in 2002 to address the developmental issues of the marginalised including dalits, adivasis and women, youth, children, small farmers and landless labourers in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. With more than a decade of work in the region, YRA is known as a vibrant, transparent, accountable and value based organisation creating new alternatives in the developmental sector.
YRA has been working with various like-minded grassroot organisations in 1800 Village’s in all the 11 districts of Vidarbha on issues of livelihood, gender and governance. Through its advocacy networks and platforms, YRA has been instrumental in promoting and leading different campaigns in Maharashtra and at the national level too.
Download YRA Brochure
For more information visit www.yraindia.org
Kheti Virasat Mission:
Kheti Virasat Mission is a non-profit & conscious civil-society organization, established in March 2005 and registered as a trust with our head office at Jaitu town of district Faridkot. KVM works directly with the farmers of Punjab, a region known throughout the world as the pride of the Green Revolution. KVM works to address the destruction caused by the Green Revolution’s chemical and hybrid agriculture, promoting sustainable, ecological farming practices as well as the conservation and regeneration of natural water resources, to re-establish the traditional wisdom and practices related to water. KVM works for awareness of environmental health issues and Eco-sustainable rural development.
For more information visit www.khetivirasatmission.org