Stocktaking of livelihoods projects in India
A new report on “Stocktaking of livelihoods projects in India” was just published by the FAO Investment Centre. The paper, which draws from six thematic working papers prepared by FAO consultants, reviews a series of projects that the World Bank has supported in seven states of India that give direct funding and support to rural communities on community priorities, with a focus on income-generating activities. More than 44 million rural households in India live below the poverty line; so these projects were developed by the World Bank and the Government of India with the goal of achieving inclusive growth and reduced poverty. The projects had a range of approaches from directly supporting groups with common economic interests, to women’s self help groups (SHGs) initially based on savings and credit and financial capital development of the poor; but all operated on the principle that social and economic mobilization of the poor is necessary for them to form their own institutions for development.
The stocktaking provides a brief overview of the projects and goes into detail regarding the results they are having in rural communities in India, some of the processes used, and thematic findings for example in terms of agriculture and non-farm activities. Of the projects studied, the three complete projects account for a total investment of USD650 million with more than 11 million beneficiaries. The projects are notable because of their scale and apparent success, which makes them of particular interest for future rural poverty project design and policy.
For the full report, please click here.