Livelihood and Food Security
Sustainability is the hallmark value underpinning Sidhu Kanhu Alpsankhyak Vikas Samitee approach to enable communities to enhance food security by managing their natural resources. This value demonstrates a commitment to the sustainability of the environment and to the livelihoods of those who inhabit it. The aim of these programs is to maximize the income from the natural assets available while safeguarding the environment for the future. In collaboration with the government, Sidhu-Kanhu Alpsankhyak Vikas Samitee works on empowerment and livelihood programs in 4 districts of Jharkhand state. These integrated projects incorporate watershed development through a range of activities on land, water, forest and strengthen capacities of the local communities to manage their resources.
Sidhu-Kanhu Alpsankhyak Vikas Samitee is the Project Implementing Agency of Rural Livelihood Programme in Jamtara, Dumka district of Jharkhand state. These large scale programs span is seven years and has broad impacts, particularly in agriculture and horticulture practices. These also make an observable and quantifiable difference in economic welfare terms. In the drylands, there is increased area for underground nuts and pulses and in irrigated patches, the area under onion has increased considerably. Even families having very little land have been provided support for non-farm based livelihood which has shown positive results. One of the significant impacts has been in the livestock sector where service delivery through para-vets, trained under the project has positively changed the state of livestock health in the region.