APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

India
2007
*etc.=Rural Innovative Enrivonmental Finance
Gram Nidhi: Eco Enterprises for Sustainable Livelihoods in
Ecologically Semi-Arid Rural Areas
etc.
Award
Project Site Location
Background - Problems Addressed and Policy Responses
Despite extensive efforts by the Indian government and
concerned agencies to reduce poverty, particularly in rural
areas, over 220 million people in rural India were still under
the poverty line in 2004-2005. The recent economic growth
has not provided much benefit to such areas, thus practical
measures are required to assist in rural development.
Women entrepreneur produce organic
goods
Project Outline - Objectives and Activities
This project aims to establish eco-enterprises for supporting rural development. The target villages depend
highly on the natural resources from their neighboring Hingolgadh sanctuary, an area that traditionally
cultivated water-intensive crops and cotton, but is now subject to severe environmental degradation. The
key objectives are to establish eco-enterprises, including production of organic products, through the
village-level institution Paryavaran Vikas Mandlas (PVM), and to enhance the capacity of target villagers for
effective management of natural resources.
2009
2008
2006 2007
Impacts and Achievements
At the target villages, PVM are now producing valuable organic goods such as butter oil, cactus fruit juice
and traditional medicine plants for the market. The introduction of animal husbandry through provision of
training to the villages has increased milk production, allowing surpluses to be sold. Money obtained from
this and the sale of organic products can be put towards child education or saved for future emergencies.
Another major impact of this project is in its challenge to establish female role stereotypes in India’s highly
male-dominated society.
Future Challenges
The existence of a funding organization and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) played pivotal
roles in this project; without their intervention, particularly at the start of the project, it would have been
very difficult to gain the villagers’ recognition as to why they should participate in the project. Therefore, it
is important to assess what motivations lie behind village institutions and communities.
General Information
Name of the Implementing Organisation:
Centre for Environment Education
Type of Organisation: NGO/CBO
Contact: Ramesh Savalia, Programme Coordinator, Rural Programmes Group
Thaltej Tekra, Ahmedabad, Gujarat – 380054, India
Tel: 91-79-26844745 Fax: 91-79-26858010
E-mail: ramesh.savalia@ceeindia.org Website: http://www.ceeindia.org/cee/index.htm
Project Reviewer (NetRes / Collaborators) that monitors the project:
Kyoko Matsumoto, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
E-mail: apfed@iges.or.jp
Area
Climate Change 3R Biodiversity & Ecosystem Water Capacity Development etc. Others
Award
Gold Silver Bronze Incentive
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