The mission of the Voluntary Association of Agricultural General Development Health and Reconstruction Alliance in India (VAAGDHARA) is to create and nurture vibrant institutions of poor and tribal peoples in Western India so that they have sustainable livelihoods through scientific, indigenous and appropriate knowledge and technologies and their children are well educated and nourished and free from bondage.

The initiative is situated in the agricultural districts of Banswara and Dungarpur in the Vagad region of Rajasthan, an area of great natural biodiversity, fertile soils and generous water resource. Nevertheless, inappropriate cultivation has resulted in soil degradation, poor yields, and poverty. Tribal peoples constitute 76.4 % of the total population. Most farmers depend on agriculture and animal husbandry but are extremely poor and illiterate.

The initiative nurtures peoples' institutions and empowers the communities to manage development interventions in a sustainable way. The ‘Sustainable Integrated Farming System’ (SIFS) approach supports farmer groups to transform their farms into more productive and sustainable systems. Farmers use multiple natural resource-based strategies to get more benefit from their produce through sustainable agroecological production, improved post-harvest management, value-addition, and marketing.

SIFS focuses on increased farming system productivity based on agroecological combinations of crops, horticulture, agroforestry, livestock, and aquaculture. The use of external inputs is minimized by enhancing the recycling of materials within the farm system. Participatory farmer-based learning processes underpin the design of improved farming systems by farmer groups in collaboration with identified experts and facilitators. Choices are determined by available local natural resources, knowledge, and skills, as well as household and nutrition needs and market opportunities. Women’s empowerment is advanced by providing microcredits through Self Help Groups.

This fact sheet is produced as part of the Avaclim project, which aims to create the necessary conditions for the deployment of agroecology in dryland areas. The international solidarity association CARI coordinates the Avaclim project while the Gosavi Bahuudeshiya Sanstha (GBS) is in charge of its implementation in India.