Our Work

Harsha Trust builds innovative rural institutions by organizing women-centric community institutions.

With a macro-economic perspective, these women-centric institutions formalize collective action as a major step towards poverty reduction through the promotion of sustainable livelihood models.

Our approach enhances social responsiveness to challenges faced by the tribal communities through improved political participation of women, fostering social and financial inclusion.

Harsha Trust has also included ultra-poor households in its project design as a strategic approach toward reaching the most marginalised communities, driving holistic rural transformation.

Harsha Trust pioneers in integrating unique on-farm and off-farm interventions and nutrition programmes to ensure dietary diversity and enhance the Food and Nutrition Security of rural tribal households.

These interventions are aligned to promote sustainable farming systems with improved production practices, enhanced access to irrigation facilities and integrated pest and nutrient management on major crops such as paddy and maize.

Additionally, the focus on crop diversification supports the resilience of these farming communities. By adopting various agricultural practices, we help farmers mitigate risks associated with climate change and market fluctuations.

This has led to increased production and availability of food grains for consumption. Our initiatives contribute significantly to improving the nutritional status and overall well-being of rural households.

Harsha Trust aims to enable farming communities to access resources, generate assets, and create opportunities to maintain and sustain their livelihoods in a dignified manner.

By enhancing their role and participation in agriculture and livestock value chains, the empowered communities could create sustainable livelihood models that enhance income security and ensure reverse migration, augmenting the economic sustainability of farming communities.

Pioneering the establishment of on-farm and off-farm livelihood models, initiatives have been launched to enhance income security, create long-term assets, and transform the perspective of rural tribal households towards livestock as a viable livelihood rather than solely a means of risk mitigation.

The livelihood planning exercise organized at the SHG level enables each HH to envision, reflect, and devise an appropriate livelihood plan with the support of community institutions, CLFs, and FPOs.

Harsha Trust enables community institutions to converge and leverage schemes and entitlements, by unleashing the potential of WSHGs to achieve the social, economic, and political empowerment of women.

We ensure partnerships and convergence with Government Departments and other CSOs and Resource Agencies to integrate and provide better access to primary entitlements, financial services, credit linkages, development schemes, and technical knowledge services.

We create awareness among women members through social sub-committees which enable them to voice out their demands regarding their rights and entitlements.

By promoting clean energy entrepreneurship, we harness renewable energy sources to improve irrigation facilities and enhance the value chain with climate-smart and climate-resilient cropping systems, in order to enhance sustainability and combat climate change.

We focus on integrating energy in the value chain through the DRE solutions, as an innovative approach towards enhancing efficiency and improving the stake of farmers in the value chain.

By collaborating with key stakeholders, the use of renewable energy at each stage of crop production, processing, and value addition is ensured. 

This will ensure healthy produce with reduced carbon emissions, leading to complete energy autonomy in the long run.

Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) incorporates various interlinkages between land, water, and livelihoods of people, aiming to develop interventions for the holistic development of land, water, and natural resources.

Designing and developing Village-level INRM Plans through women-centric community institutions (SHGs, CLF, PRIs), and other line departments is the key focus of the INRM approach.

INRM approach will be integrated into the GPDP and aims to improve the water harvesting and recharge through upland management, medium, and low-land treatment. 

And organizing Water user groups (WUGs) at the village level for judicious management of water resources and enhance water governance along with harnessing local knowledge.

We accelerate holistic development through Health and Education Programmes and WASH initiatives to bridge learning gaps for the children at the village level and enhance access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities for rural households.