Project Sector  : Rural Development

Implementing Partners:  Action for Social Advancement, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India, Dhan Vayalagam Tank Foundation, Dhan Foundation, Dilasa Sanstha, Don Bosco Tech Society, Foundation for Ecological Security, Harsha Trust, Nav Bharat Jagriti Kendra, , , Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), Samaj Pragati Sahayog, Srijan, Udyogini, Youth4Jobs Foundation, Kabil, Axis Bank Foundation,

Within the overarching theme of Sustainable livelihoods are the two sub-themes – Rural Livelihoods and Skill Development. The Rural Livelihoods program reaches out to small and marginal farmers and the landless in dryland regions by working on watershed management, agriculture and horticulture enhancement, livestock development, micro-enterprise development and promoting collectives. The approach is to work in areas that are most challenged and with highly depleted natural resources. Financial literacy and bank linkages are among the key elements of these programs. Women are significant contributors to livelihoods and therefore efforts are made to empower them and connect them to enabling platforms. Incidence of migration tends to be high within rural communities, making women responsible for sustaining local livelihoods. It is, therefore, imperative to bring women into mainstream activities and the decision making process, thereby improving local governance. The enabling platforms such as SHGs and Producer Organizations help women take up a more assertive role that helps a faster transformation, which is also sustainable.

Skill development, on the other hand, includes training rural and peri-urban youth, including Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in market-linked vocational skills and connecting them to jobs and/ or preparing them for entrepreneurial activities. It is important to consider the different aspirations of the rural youth. The practice of women restricting themselves to household chores and labouring in farms without wages is also changing fast, resulting in the need to create alternate livelihood engagements for young women through skill development programs. Close to 50% of trainees are women.

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