Pragati Koraput

The NGO Pragati Koraput aims to improve the livelihood of resource-poor, mostly tribal communities in two districts of Orissa, India, through climate-smart agriculture and promoting small enterprises. Noteworthy is the promotion of people’s organisations like farmer producer groups (FPGs), self-help groups (SHGs) and farmer producer companies (FPCs). These self-organised structures have proven their ability to increase agriculture productivity, food security and increase of family income and create an overall environmental impact. Over time Pragati diversified its outreach from working with general farmers to women farmers and landless women to youth farmers.

Pragati has partnered with Dalyan for three years to work with youth women in Nandapur, one of the most regions of the Koraput district, Orissa, where they are unproductive or make distress migration. The project aims to enable 1500 adolescent girls and young women to engage in livelihoods such as climate-smart agriculture and 500 young women in allied-based small enterprises. About 50-100 youth women may also get employment from the government’s employment programme for supplementary income. The young women will find a career in their region and gain leadership and agriculture/enterprise skills based on engaging in such livelihood activities. Being economically empowered, they will be able to take independent decisions and participate in the household decision-making process, contributing to the household’s income and leading to an improved standard of life for themselves and their families. The project also supports about 500 young men in agriculture and allied enterprise-based livelihoods to create a cooperative environment for young women to succeed in these livelihoods/careers.