A rural perspective of rural inclusivity , asset building and Youtube Documentation.
When I was working in rural India with an NGO, I was always taken to one particular village that served as the designated “model village.” Even when auditors visited to inspect our work, this model village was always the go-to place. It had poultry farmers, three well-performing Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and drinking water facilities and school toilets installed by the NGO. It was a wonderful model, but it raised critical questions: Is this model replicable? How long will it take to replicate, and what will it take to do so?
Working the model and modeling the work must go hand in hand—two powerful components, a yin and yang of sorts. A dynamic of “you complete me, and I complete you” (enough with the metaphors!).
India will change, India will wake up, India will find renewed vigor, and it will lead the world. The question is when. We cannot base our outcomes on feelings alone. For every cable news network report, we find ourselves turning to platforms like YouTube to fact-check the news ourselves. Many of us have come to rely on outlets like Newslaundry, The Quint, and Zeteo for substantive, on-the-ground reporting. In a country where investigations play out on live TV before official authorities even arrive, we are left asking: Who do we trust? And if urban India struggles with this issue, imagine the state of rural India.
I am veering off topic, but hear me out. This is not directed at all NGOs, social organizations, or changemakers—just the few who are listening. Change takes time, but the key questions remain: How do we apply the change? How do we instigate it? How do we model it?
Whenever I speak to people on the ground in rural India, they share their dreams of what they wish India could be. The challenge lies in implementation: How do we bring people into the system? How do they monitor it? How do they build and maintain a working model?
Again, this is not for everyone in the social sector—after all, many of you are already doing heavy lifting on the ground. Do not assume this is absolute truth, as you may have already implemented what I am discussing. However, this is for those who need a starting point to achieve their vision in rural India.
Have I succeeded? Not one bit. Have I failed successfully? Absolutely. Learning from my failures is key, and ensuring others do not make the same mistakes is paramount. Anticipating failure is equally important. I share this from the perspective of working with large organizations (both profit and non-profit) operating in rural India alongside farmers and SHGs.
So, how do we do it? Let’s dissect this. Working in rural India is about collaborating and working WITH people, not just FOR them. To put it simply: dropping a saltwater fish into fresh water and expecting it to survive just because “fish need water” misses the point entirely. (Oops, enough with the analogies!)
How do we work effectively with farmers? For many social organizations, the focus often shifts to numbers—quantity over quality. As long as the message is good, organizations feel satisfied. But what fail-safe mechanisms have we established on the ground? That is the question we need to answer. What follows is not a foolproof system, but a practical approach to building a tangible model for change.
Small steps at a time.
If you are working with Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), individual farmers, SHGs, or local youth, creating tangible, visible models that they can participate in is essential. Here are a few actionable steps to start:
- Lease a Small Plot: Partner with one farmer and lease half an acre of land for three years. Get the agreement notarized. This should be part of your budget and is generally not very expensive.
- Data application: Understand how to efficiently utilize the land through constant data collection
- Zonal Demarcation.: Segregate the land into distinct sections—farm forests, food forests, and vertical garden greenhouses.
- Setting up a Micro-greenhouse: Invest in a micro-greenhouse and vertical planters.
- Local Ownership: Hire and train a dedicated person from the local village to manage and look after the project. (On the job training)
Scaling Up (Based on Funding):
- Beekeeping Integration: Introduce beehives to boost crop pollination and honey
- Integrated Aquaculture & Livestock: Construct a fish pond with an elevated poultry coops/duck housing above it. Used as secondary income streams.
- Skilling & Seed Monetization: Tag and mark each plant for skill development and field training, gradually scaling up to sell quality seeds.
The Takeaway:
Things slowly evolve, but here is the most important part—land must be used efficiently, with zero wasted space.
But here is the most important part—DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Not just on paper, but through video documentation. Start a YouTube channel for the project, provide regular updates, and invest in a website dedicated to the movement. Showcase the people visiting the site, record interviews, and establish clear timelines.
This not only keeps funding organizations updated, but it also enforces accountability, ensures smooth operations, and helps build reliable systems. We are creating a functional model, and then modeling the work so it can be replicated and scaled alongside the farmers. Ultimately, farmers should feel compelled to approach you and invest in the project—whether through their money or their time. But above all, everything must be documented and must be on video. Well, Youtube to the rescue