Agriculture & Rural Development

Having dealt with unparalleled upheaval because of the COVID-19 pandemic, close to 72% of farmers in India, USA, France, China, Brazil, and across Africa are worried about the impact of climate change on crop yields, animal health and their ability to do business over the next five years. These farmers are unanimous that their...

69% of India’s population lives in villages. With the reverse migration we are seeing right now, this percentage is set to increase in the coming months. The Union Ministry of Rural Development brainstormed with PM Modi and so was born the SMART Village programme in 2016. Officially called Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM),...

More than 44% of India was under various degrees of drought conditions in 2019, according to the Drought Early Warning System (DEWS). The situation isn't different this year. In Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, there is a severe drought in 653 villages. Small and marginal farmers in drought-hit areas of the district have abandoned their...

The coronavirus pandemic, locust attacks, restriction of movement and shortage of workers due to the nationwide lockdown have put farmers in a tight spot. CSR has come to their rescue so they can get back on their feet and avoid a food shortage crisis in the future. This is how the latest CSR initiatives...

Dalmia Bharat Foundation, the CSR arm of Dalmia Bharat Group, has partnered with CSRBOX to launch India Livelihood Collective, the country’s first non-financial and non-funding commitment-based collaborative platform. The platform will be launched virtually by Vimala Ramesh (IAS), CEO Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM), Govt. of Maharashtra and Govinda Rajulu Chintala, Chairman, National Bank...

Poultry farms in India were already facing pressure on their profit margins due to the steady increase in feed prices. The government’s decision last year to increase the minimum support prices for soybean and maize, two of the products most commonly used as poultry feed, led to an increase in the cost of production...

PSU companies get a bad rap for starving NGO partners for funds, underspending from their corporate social responsibility budgets and burying projects in red tape. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has been coming down hard on cases of underspending in CSR as was the case with BPCL and Bharat Electronics. However, not only has...

The locust swarms currently plaguing our nation pose an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods. It’s the worst desert locust outbreak India has witnessed in 27 years, and could leave lakhs of Indians struggling to feed themselves in the coming months because of the double threat of coronavirus.  Locust swarms have already destroyed vegetation...

Since 1983, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSPI) has been at the forefront of uplifting marginalized communities with a network of community-led institutions, employees, and on-ground volunteers in 2,200 villages across the states of Gujarat, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Over the last 37 years, the grassroots nonprofit organization has impacted the lives of...

Have you heard of Victory Gardens? During the Second World War, folks were encouraged to create backyard vegetable and herb gardens to have local produce when German bombing and blockades stressed the supply lines. Canada had created these too during WW1 — these were called Victory Gardens or food gardens for defence which defined colonial...

Given the importance of water and sanitation to the economy and sustainable development, corporates have taken up projects in CSR for water security that make a larger impact on a region’s watershed and neighbouring communities. CSR for water security Between 2014 and 2018, Indian industry spent a total of INR 605.45 crores on providing safe drinking...

The global telecom industry observes World Telecommunication Day 2020 today. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on telecom and brought with it a host of opportunities as well, as this video depicts: https://youtu.be/j4_ZHvms4Us Theme for World Telecommunication Day 2020 This year's theme “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” highlights the ICT (Information and Communication...