Products, Platforms and Partnerships

We are using insights from the Odisha Sandbox to roll out the Raichur Bioregional Hub in collaboration WELL Labs’ Rural Futures programme. It follows a place-based approach, that is, comprehensively addresses economic and environmental challenges in Raichur district rather than focusing on one issue, such as livelihoods or food security.

To scale the place-based approach, we are codifying its architecture and workflows, and sharing these with interested organisations. Our Clinics and directories are the entry points to establishing hubs.

We are working with retail and B2B platforms to map the entire value chain of agricultural produce. This exercise is helping farmer producer organisations develop in-demand products, get the right value for them, and avoid wastage.

To facilitate requests for solutions and match service providers with those in need of a particular solution, we are deploying:

1. Online radio services
2. WhatsApp groups
3. Vernacular Facebook groups
4. Participatory media platforms created by Gram Vaani

To make our directory of solutions and services more accessible, we are using chatbots and the United Krishi Interface, a community-led local open agriculture network enabling access to agri-inputs, services, and advisory.

Partners: Rainmatter Foundation, WASSAN, SOPPECOM, Himalay Unnati Mission, Aarogya Naturopathy Village, Saahas, and SOUL, among others

We facilitated 80 matches between organisations working on various themes, such as agriculture, waste management, and livelihoods. This helped them find and implement tried and tested solutions, build partnerships to achieve shared goals, and scale their work to new locations.

Partners: Axis Bank Foundation, Ibtada, Trust Community Livelihoods, Development Support Centre, Industree Foundation, Bindi International

Our playbooks are guides for rural communities to learn and implement solutions. Over the past year, we created 40 playbooks covering topics such as agriculture, animal rearing, water management, livelihoods, waste management, and entrepreneurship. This included collaborations with Axis Bank Foundation’s grantees to document and disseminate their institutional knowledge and experiences as playbooks.

Partners: Akshayakalpa, Lipok Social Foundation, National Coalition for Natural Farming, PRADAN, Tarun Bharat Sangh, Tieedi, Vaagdhara, and Sahas Waste Warriors, among others

We received requests for support from various organisations, which we addressed through 25 ‘Clinics’. These are virtual or in-person sessions to connect two groups: those seeking solutions for specific problems in the context of rural livelihoods and experts who have successfully implemented similar solutions. The Clinics led to training sessions, consultations, and long-term support. In many cases, participating organisations signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to collaborate on initiatives.

Partners: EcoRestoration Alliance and ClimateRISE Alliance, among others

The GRE platform hosts a directory of services and solutions. Over the past year, we enhanced the directory with over 125 documented solutions in the domains of water resources, ecosystem conservation, and agroecology.

Partners: Socratus, Nature’s Club, and Livelihood Alternatives, among others

A sandbox is a space allowing for the testing of new ideas, approaches, and technologies in a real-world setting within the controlled parameters of a particular geography. The Odisha Sandbox helped surface over 100 requests for solutions, which we matched with appropriate solution-providers. It also used tools built by Socratus to:

1. Bring together communities, grassroots organisations, and the local administration to build sustainable livelihoods.
2. Further climate mitigation and adaptation strategies that incorporate community perspectives and local knowledge.