SARDA, established in 2003, has been instrumental in creating an eco-system for Reducing poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation and ensuring prosperity, peace, and justice that we have chosen to serve. SARDA firmly believes in the power and potential of the participatory approach in addressing these issues, and also helps in healing communities from the setbacks brought about by COVID-19 & other uncertainties. Reversing setbacks to poverty reduction requires stakeholders to work together for a resilient recovery. We are determined to help and work for communities in the months and years ahead. Our appeal to you is to come and join us in this mission.

SARDA’s integrated approach to community development aims to improve the living conditions of rural and tribal people by implementing land and water resources projects; improving the environment and eco-system; mitigating the distress migration; improving the socio-economic status of rural people and striving for their overall development. It not only focused on ensuring a sustainable livelihood environment & critical infrastructure support but also had components for tribal’s empowerment through access to their entitlement and rights.

Agriculture and allied activities provide livelihoods for nearly 50% of India’s population. This is primarily why SARDA’s Natural Resources Management (NRM) intervention strives to help farmers preserve resources and create livelihood options. Our work as an NGO in environmental conservation has led us to focus on water, organic farming, and climate change too. SARDA is successful in expanding of additional 4000 hectares of the area under its Direct Implementation Project for Watershed Promotion and reaching up to a total of 16000 hectares of land. This achievement made a significant contribution to ensuring the availability of irrigation on 4500 acres of land and the restoration of 6000 acres of wasteland. SARDA is mobilizing resources for NRM activities from the existing state & central Ministry as well as through Banks, CSR companies, etc.

The agricultural sector plays a very important role in both economic development and Nation building. More than 86% of farmers in the country are small and marginal. SARDA is committed to providing its facilitation to the Central Sector Scheme (CSS) for the formation and promotion of 10,000 Farmers Producer organizations (FPO) the Flagship program of the Government of India. SARDA is empanelled with NABARD and SFAC. As Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) SARDA has taken up the responsibility to provide a bigger platform to the farmer members of 25 FPOs, to have ownership of their production, supply chain, and share of profits ensuring economic strength & market linkages for enhancin their income. As an overall impact, currently, SARDA is promoting more than 20000 farmers through 34 FPOs under various schemes of Central Ministries.

Strengthening Corporates-NGO- Government partnership could make significant contributions to SDGs improving the HDI. Within the ambit of the respective State Government’s vision, Policy, Schemes and Programs & taking support from Corporates. SARDA is trying to provide services to the needy & vulnerable groups in its intervention Area. SARDA is currently witnessing its presence in 8 states including Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir spreading across 67 districts, 350 blocks, and covering more than 35000 families in around 5500 villages. For the progress made during the FY 2022-23, we are grateful to all funding agencies for their constant support. I express our deep sense of appreciation for all our colleagues for their sincere efforts and contribution to achieving the organization’s goal. I also thank our Governing Board and our stakeholders for providing guidance and support to us throughout the year.

With its multi-state expansion, SARDA will further adapt its organization to face the future. A large part of this will be to add human & technological resources to our organization, that can help SARDA move rapidly into reimaging the future for our rural communities. The end purpose is to ensure that we move rapidly to scale with appropriate solutions to the varied problems faced by people at all levels.

Thanking you for your precious time!