Registration Details

Institute for Integrated Rural Development NGO Organization Members

Institute for Integrated Rural Development Source Funds

Contact details

Institute for Integrated Rural Development Key Issues and Operational Areas, Major Activiities & Achivements

Operational Districts: Chittoor,Thiruvananthapuram,Bangalore Rural,Aurangabad, Bid, Hingoli, Jalgaon, Jalna, Parbhani,North Twenty Four Parganas, South Twenty Four Parganas

Operational States: ANDHRA PRADESH, KERALA, KARNATAKA, MAHARASHTRA, WEST BENGAL

AchieveMents: IIRD was founded in 1987 by Late Dr. Alexander Daniel. The organization is based on the PEACE Philosophy. PEACE stands for People’s Education and Action for Community Empowerment. Therefore, the interventions of IIRD revolves around ensuring that people have the knowledge (education) with the abilities and enthusiasm to chart the course of actions for empowered communities. Empowered communities would entail that the people are enabled to improve their livelihoods in a sustainable manner without putting nature at stake. The vision of IIRD is therefore a socially just and environmentally sound society. During the last three decades, the organization has made several strides in engagement with the communities, mostly in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Several thousands of acres have been transformed to organic farming which has significantly brought down the dependence and debts of several thousands of farmers. Importantly, the organization has been able to enable the most marginalized communities in the villages to participate effectively in their own course of development. Several women farmers have mobilized themselves into groups to set procedures and standards for the organic cultivation methods, share resources for collective development of their groups and the communities, and to trade fairly. Many of the women have led pioneering efforts, for instance, in building rural houses and toilets as masons, setting in place probably the first community based organic certification system, and forming a women-led farmer producer company with the main objective to promote organic farm produce. Many of these interventions have influenced national and international policies that has in turn ensured the inclusion of several thousand small and marginal farmers into the development fold. The organization has several accolades to its credit in recognition to the significant contribution towards the development of rural societies and influence it has had on national and global level. IIRD is a recipient of the international Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Award SARD in 1998. The candidates for the award are chosen from an international jury that consists of academics from reputed universities and development practitioners in different global networks. More recently, the organization was conferred with Maharashtra State’s first Krishi Bushan award for significant contribution in the organic farming sector. Currently, the organization is a part of the state wide efforts to improve the availability and access to water for irrigation and household purposes. These water conservation and management initiatives are mostly concentrated in the Marathwada region. IIRD is also working with several other NGOs and research institutions in documentation and conservation of several landrace crop varieties in six districts of Maharashtra. IIRD is also known for its work in the promotion of housing and sanitation in Aurangabad district. Besides, the organization has enabled several small and marginal farmers in the Marathwada region to improve their incomes through supplementary income generation opportunities. IIRD strives for an integrated and participatory approach in all its development interventions.