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one of the most successful
agricultural co-operatives in the country is
Vasundhara Agri-Horti Producer Co. Ltd.
(VAPCOL). Owned by farmers, it was started
to streamline and improve the agricultural
value chain between the farmers who grow
produce under the
Wadi
scheme, and their
consumers. VAPCOL has a membership of
55 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
and a membership of 41,000 farmers. is is
just one of the community-led movements
promoted by BAIF and BAIF Livelihoods.
‘BAIF implements nature-positive
programmes like livestock development,
natural resources management, agri-
horti-forestry (
wadi
), and agrobiodiversity
conservation for sustainable livelihoods
and enriched environment. e focus is on
conducting state-of-the-art field-based applied
research and technology transfer,’ says Mahesh
Lade, Associate ematic Programme
Executive, BAIF.
Bringing positive change in the lives
of the rural population and marginalized
communities through gainful self-employment,
BAIF leans on strategies that propel
empowerment through knowledge building
and skilling of people, especially young people,
BAIF Development
Research Foundation
(BAIF)
•
•
••
•
Founded by Late Dr.Manibhai Desai in 1967
Based on Gandhian principles,
BAIF Development Research
Foundation (BAIF) strives to build
a self-reliant rural society assured
of food security, safe drinking water,
good health, gender equity, low child
mortality, literacy, high moral values,
and a clean environment. BAIF
Livelihoods was established in 2012
to create opportunities of sustainable
livelihoods for rural families, through
skill development, effective use
of local resources, climate smart
technologies, building value chains
of farm-produce and community
participation. BAIF has reached out
to 4 million families from one lakh
villages in 14 states, and most of its
beneficiaries are tribal, marginal, and
smallholder families.
Enterprising women farmers lead the way to progress