Kutch Livelihood and Education Advancement Programme - India

Kutch Livelihood and Education Advancement Programme is developing sustainable economic opportunities for 9,000 rural families covering 225 villages in the Kutch district of Gujarat state in western India. The project’s main objective is to support small and marginal farmers and specifically enhance women’s share in entrepreneurship and economic development through sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry and microfinance.

Fast facts:

This activity has created alternate livelihood opportunities in the Kutch district covering 225 villages, 9,000 rural families and 46,418 people;
2,227 women have started income generating activities with credit available from microfinance. These activities include Tiffin service, opening grocery shops, flourmills, beauty parlors, etc.;
709 women members benefit through 101 agriculture groups covering 94 villages;
1,530 women members benefit through 192 animal husbandry groups covering 192 villages;
Currently, 1,229 women are in leadership positions in institutions ranging from microfinance federation, agriculture service centers, producer companies, farmers’ groups and dairy groups.

The problem

Kutch has an area of 45,612 square kilometers and is the second largest district in India, covering 25% of Gujarat State. It is a semi-arid zone and is known for extreme climatic conditions and limited water resources. It is prone to natural disasters, repeated cyclones and has a long history of consecutive droughts. Due to inadequate and erratic rain, the farming families have become highly vulnerable.

The solution

This activity is reducing vulnerability by engaging rural families in economic development opportunities and launching sustainable institutions to support small and marginal farmers, while enhancing women’s role in entrepreneurship. Women are getting involved in rain fed agriculture productivity, a livelihood option that is tackling the adverse impacts of climate change and is a stable supplementary source of family income. The availability of easy credit through micro financing is helping women engage in in animal husbandry. Microfinance is helping women in their capacity building, developing their entrepreneurial skills and building their confidence to adapt to climate change and achieve sustainable livelihoods. Through specifically designed trainings, women have learned to adopt new ways, which help them improve dairy quality and productivity. Currently, 4,132 animal rearers from the project are getting an annual income of INR 60,000. The activity has also helped overcome resistance in conservative communities to address gender inequality and promote women’s leadership.

Helping the planet

The use of animal waste (byproduct of animal husbandry) as compost on farms is improving soil texture and moisture retention, increasing productivity and sustaining crop growth in prolonged dry periods.

Helping people

This activity is engaging in a participatory planning process with different village stakeholders including women leaders’, to identify appropriate technologies and plan climate change adaptation methodologies. To empower women, self-help groups (SHGs) have been formed, strengthened for developing better financial linkages, supported to initiate micro enterprises and represented at different levels of governance. The project also focuses on strengthening non-farm based livelihood options for women. SHGs have been the primary unit for organizing, mobilizing, developing leadership quality, initiating savings and lending operations. Women are being brought to the forefront to contribute in village development activities by recognizing their individual needs and ensuring fair return on labor. To address their needs, the project has ensured women’s representation in community based organizations (CBOs).

Scaling Up

This activity has helped community members belonging to a low socio-economic class, but the rest of the community is facing similar vulnerability issues and is being forced to adapt to climate change. These approaches and interventions could be directly scaled up in the remaining project area. Also, microfinance activities have reached about 6,000 women, and there is potential to scale up using different income generating activities.