Climate Adaptive Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Saksham completed its two phases and the third phase of the project implemented from 2022-2025 and Saksham-III is a crucial program operating in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, dedicated to boosting livelihood and food security for pandemic-affected communities. It employs a two-pronged strategy of participatory governance and sustainable agriculture, aiming to strengthen local governance and empower communities to take ownership of decision-making. By drawing on lessons from previous phases of the programs, particularly the increased self-reliance observed during the pandemic, Saksham-III fosters’ grassroots-level movements in good governance and resilient agriculture, driven by communities themselves, ensuring they become the catalysts for their own transformation.

The Jeevan-Women Led Empowering Action (WLEA) programme, implemented by 10 areas in Maharashtra, aimed to increase women’s participation and decision-making in both agriculture and governance. It also sought to protect and conserve tribal identity and equitable traditional governance systems, which in turn bolstered women’s freedom and empowerment. Jeevan-WLEA focused on strengthening grassroots governance by fostering greater community involvement and enhancing their ownership of decision-making. The democratization of governance processes and the empowerment of communities were seen as crucial outcomes, leading to a greater realization of rights and more inclusive development. At its core, Jeevan embraced Empowering Animation, or people-led development, by initiating grassroots movements led and directed by women. While prioritizing women due to historical disadvantages, the program’s efforts benefited entire communities. Under women’s leadership, communities launched self-propelling, self-directing, continuous, and collective campaigns, leveraging their own resources to become agents of transformation. Jeevan was built on a robust reflection process, enabling partners to continuously review their relationship with communities and gradually transfer leadership to them. In essence, Jeevan was a women’s empowerment program designed to achieve broader community welfare and development.

The Sanjivani project operated in Maharashtra and Gujarat, significantly empowering women from marginalized and backward communities. We aimed to cultivate an informed, skilled, and organized group of women leaders to establish efficient and effective grassroots-level governance, ensuring communities received development and welfare benefits.
Sanjivani-II also propelled women-led livelihood initiatives, accelerating their economic empowerment. The program broadened women’s leadership roles beyond traditional governance, nurturing their capabilities in agriculture, community decision-making, and information access, including digital technologies.
Adopting a forward-thinking approach, Sanjivani-II prepared the next generation of women leaders by developing leadership skills in girls and adolescent girls. To facilitate this, Children’s Parliaments (CPs) were specifically introduced for girls, equipping them with civic literacy and exposing them to community decision-making, governance systems, and the parliamentary model of development administration. This initiative democratized local systems, improving access to essential welfare and development services through women-led efforts. By fostering strong women’s leadership and collective action, Sanjivani enabled communities to better access government schemes, overcoming barriers like lack of awareness or corruption. The project focused on making governance more inclusive, giving women greater decision-making power, enhancing their community leadership, and ultimately leveraging women-led governance to improve access to vital welfare schemes for all.