Support young changemakers in India

Dear gracious donor,

As we celebrate the end of the year, we wish to let you know how much your kindness and support through Access Agriculture’s GlobalGiving campaign have meant to the underprivileged young women in rural India.

Thanks to your support, they and their team members have been equipped with knowledge, skills and tools related to natural and resilient agri-food systems and have been transformed into rural advisory service facilitators:

• Most of these young changemakers belong to indigenous tribal communities. Your generosity has helped them to promote and implement natural farming methods, using farmer-to-farmer training videos. Some of them have set up nutri-gardens as a source of nutrition and income; promoted millet processing for ready-to-use convenience products; and trained indigenous youth in mushroom cultivation.
• One entrepreneur couple, who is pioneering a local bio-input resource centre (BRC) to help organic farmers in Andhra Pradesh, has been regularly invited to share his experience in foras at the state level with other agri-entrepreneurs and farmers
• Our young changemakers have also been trained in traditional animal healthcare practices as an alternative to conventional medicine, reducing antibiotic use in livestock. The training will help them develop their own dairy-related enterprises and support dairy farmers by showing relevant farmer training videos using the smart projector. 

On behalf of everyone at Access Agriculture, we express our heartfelt thanks for your extraordinary support. You truly exemplify the spirit of giving! May this festive season bring you immense happiness and fulfilment, and may the New Year bring continued success.

Sincerely yours,

Dear gracious advocate for young changemakers,

Thank you so much for believing in our GlobalGiving campaign on ‘Support young changemakers in India’. Your incredible contribution has brought us much closer to making the dreams of young women in rural India a reality, helping them to step out of their traditional roles into entrepreneurial ventures that combine profitability with social impact.

Thanks to your generosity, we have successfully launched 5 out of the 6 teams of our campaign target of young changemakers (with women as team leaders or members). These 5 teams have been equipped with smart projectors and skills to run enterprises showing farmer-training videos on eco-friendly farming practices to their communities.

As shown in the examples below, these young changemakers are making great strides, contributing to sustainable development of their communities:

• The changemaker team members associated with WASSAN (Watershed Support Services and Activities Network) in Telangana state in India have been featured by the Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA) for their dedication to serve in an innovative cooperative hub that provides timely access to natural farming bio-inputs and advisory services. The hub has a knowledge centre that screens videos on sustainable agricultural practices and weather information. The hub serves 20-30 villages and is managed by local women entrepreneurs.
• Another team of changemakers associated with Sabala NGO is trying to ensure that millet becomes a staple in the diets of children within the local farming households. Sabala works to improve livelihoods and promote sustainable agriculture, particularly focusing on millets and women's empowerment in Andhra Pradesh.
• One of our young changemaker teams is associated with Adivasimitra NGO (Friend of indigenous communities). With the use of the Smart Projector, the team is actively promoting agroecological practices and income-generating activities, such as mushroom cultivation with a focus on empowering rural youth and women. This contributes to a reduction in migration of the indigenous youth in search of livelihoods.
• The young changemaker team associated with the PSI (Population Services International) NGO in Panna, Madhya Pradesh state in India, has made a remarkable achievement in reactivating local women self-help groups (SHGs), through training and video resources. They are actively promoting biofertilizers and a natural pesticide derived from neem seeds.

These examples show how your donations have made a remarkable difference not only to our young changemakers, but also to their communities. Your support truly matters to them and to all of us.

Gratefully yours,

Links:

• https://aesanetwork.org/a-decade-of-sustenance-and-resilience-the-story-of-susthira-vyavasaya-rythu-seva-kendram-svk/