Gender, Droughts and Development in Rajasthan

Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Contact: Dr. Prakash Tyagi

Dates: October 2021 – September 2024

Total Budget: Rs. 13,33,080

2024 Budget: Rs. 4,62,760 ($5,488.38)

GRAVIS (Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti) has completed the 3-year project “Gender, Droughts, and Development,” whose purpose was to improve the lives of people in three villages in the desert of western Rajasthan.  In each village they formed a Village Development Committee (VDC) and a women’s Self-Help Group (SHG).  The VDCs were trained in organic and dry-land farming methods, management of community assets, and other aspects of community  welfare.  The SHG’s received training in savings and micro-finance, income generating activities, and women’s empowerment.  GRAVIS constructed fifteen taankas (underground rainwater storage tanks) and equipped each one with a bio-sand water filter to improve water security and safety.  To improve agricultural production, GRAVIS held six training programs on climate-resilient farming and established six community seed banks.  They also organized two educational events in Jodhpur for farmers, including visits to demonstration crop fields and interaction with agricultural scientists.  These activities have all had a positive impact on the lives of the villagers whose effects should be long-lasting.  

2022 Progress Report  2023 Progress Report   2024 Final Report