Brief Profile of Action for Social Advancement ASA

Brief Profile of Action for Social Advancement (ASA) As on March. ’ 2014 “Ensuring livelihoods with equity and dignity”

ASA: a non profit development organization Foundation year: 1996 Registered under The Gujarat Societies Registration Act, 1860 & The Bombay Public Trust Act. 1950

Aims & Approach: BASIS: Participatory action at the community level. AIM: Developing livelihood security facilitated by an intensive participatory process of natural resources development and local institutional development EMPHASIS: Particular emphasis is placed upon the poor and women.

We work for livelihood development, through: 1. Community-based Natural Resources Development with focus on land & water resources development. 2. Agriculture Productivity Enhancement 3. Developing Farmer Producer Companies for small holders for market integration 4. Institutional credit for agriculture thru’ linkages of community institutions with banks and other financial institutions 5. Social research, training, consultancy, policy advocacy Capacity building of Community Institutions including PRI is a cross cutting theme

Livelihood model: Land & Water Resource Development Local institutional development is instrumental in optimizing the investment on the local resources. CB CB O Os s Enhancement of livelihoods through restoration and management of available natural resources. Families Institutional Credit for Agriculture CBOs Agriculture technology Validation & Extension

Areas of expertise: The key competencies of ASA can be broadly categorized into: q Implementation of projects on community based natural resources management sector covering community mobilization, financial inclusion, sustainable agriculture, promotion of farmer producer companies, etc. q Extending technical support to NGOs, Govt. deptts. /projects and donor organizations for NRM including sustainable agriculture, FPCs, project management, institutional development, etc. q Action Research, Training, consultancy and policy advocacy in the areas of NRM.

Staff strength: Around 250 professionally qualified staff as on March, 2015. Staff profile includes disciplines such as agriculture, engineering, rural management, social work/sociology, economics, geo-hydrology, mass communication, chartered accountancy, and general management. ASA also works with a group of Associate Consultants who are engaged on assignment basis. The Associate consultants are regularly involved in the programmatic interventions of ASA. There are more than 350 para-professional staff.

The Staff distribution by discipline:

Financial Status: as on March, 2014 INR. 28 cr. From projects INR. 30 cr. From convergence and community contribution

Programme Coverage: 15 districts in M. P, 5 districts in Bihar, 3 district in Chhattisgarh and 6 in Jharkhand , covering over 1322 villages directly working with over 130, 000 poor rural families or nearly 8, 000 population. Most of the people, we work with, belong to tribal and other socially disadvantaged communities.

ASA is operational in 29 districts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand Bihar. The operational area is divided into 3 tiers viz: Ø 5 Regional structures (MP West, MP East, Bundelkhand, Bihar & Jharkhand & Chhattisgarh); Ø 12 Area Offices; Ø 50 Team Offices. Head Office of ASA is at Bhopal, M. P.

Madhya Pradesh Bihar Jharkhand Chhattisgarh ASA’s presence in different States

Land & Water Resources Development Programmes: Watershed Development Water Resources Development Minor Irrigation Participatory Irrigation Management

Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Programmes: Promotion of sustainable agriculture - Responsible Crop Initiative [Good Agriculture Practices, Responsible environmental and social practices ] Participatory Varietal Selection and Promotion Farmers’ Field School System of Rice & Wheat Intensification Responsible Soybean and Better Cotton Initiative Vegetable gardens Trees on farm / Agro-foresty Application of ICT in Agriculture

Agribusiness for small & marginal farmers through promotion of Farmer Producer Companies

Institutional credit for agriculture thru’ linkages of community institutions with banks and other financial institutions

Social research, training, consultancy, policy advocacy

Key Donors (on-going and past): Government Ministry of Rural Development, Go. I , Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium, Min. of Agriculture, ICAR, Go. I, GAIL, Go. I, BHEL, Go. I, Panchayats & Rural Development Deptt. , Agriculture Deptt. and Dept. of Water Resources Development, Govt. of M. P. , State Livelihood Promotion Society, of Bihar and Jharkhand Govt. , NABARD - M. P. & Bihar, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, M. P. , Odisha Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Project, Govt. of Odisha. National Donor Organizations Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Mumbai, ITC Ltd. , Kolkata, ARGHYAM, Bangalore, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai, NRTT, Mumbai, India Canada Environment Facility, N. Delhi, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai. International Donor Organisations UK-DFID, New Delhi , UNDP, New Delhi, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Savitri Waney Charitable Trust, U. K, C&A Foundation, Ford Foundation, New Delhi, The World Bank, New Delhi, Rabo bank Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation (I), New Delhi, Canadian High Commission, New Delhi, Solidaridad, Netherlands, HIVOS, Netherlands. Financial Institutions (credit support) ICICI Bank Ltd. , Mumbai, Ananya Finance for Inclusive Growth Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad, Indian Bank, Bhopal, HDFC Bank Ltd. , Chennai, State Bank of India, Bhopal, Friends of World Women Bank, India.

Awards and recognition: • ASA was awarded best Indian NGO in the medium category in 2008 by the Nand Jeet Khemka Foundation and Resource Alliance. • ASA was awarded the best NGO in the Participatory Irrigation Management by the Central Water Commission and M. P. Water Resources Department in 2005 • The Director of ASA has served as member in the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Government of India from June 2012 till May 2014. • The Director of ASA is a Member of Agriculture Sector Innovation Council, Go. I since 2013 • For three consecutive terms since 2009 ASA has been elected in the Executive Board of the Round Table for Responsible Soy Bean Association, a global multistakeholder platform for improving soy bean value chain (www. responsible. org).

Awards and recognition: Central Water Commission • ASA was awarded best Indian NGO in the medium category in 2008 by the Nand Jeet Khemka Foundation and Resource Alliance. • ASA was awarded the best NGO in the Participatory Irrigation Management by the Central Water Commission and M. P. Water Resources Department in 2005 • For three consecutive terms since 2009 ASA has been elected in the Executive Board of the Round Table for Responsible Soy Bean Association, a global multi-stakeholder platform for improving soy bean value chain ( www. responsiblesoy. org ). • The Director of ASA has served as member in the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Government of India from June 2012 till May 2014. • The Director of ASA is a Member of Agriculture Sector Innovation Council, Go. I since 2013

Key Results

about 24400 ha. of land brought under irrigation with the help of – rehabilitation of 07 Canal irrigation systems construction of > 541 water harvesting structures 51 community lift irrigation schemes > 2500 dug wells

�nearly 74000 ha. of land treated for soil & moisture conservation

�works with over 100, 000 farmers annually promoting Good Agriculture Practices, credible Third Party certified as “Responsible farming” � adoption rate is found to be about 80 percent thru’ third party evaluation

� yield increment is measured more than 50 -60 %; significant reduction in cost of production

� nearly 3000 vibrant community institutions including SHGs & Activity groups � 41 farmer producer companies promoted and supported involving over 56000 smallholders

farmer producer companies collectively : � do business of nearly Rs. 100 crore annually � Av. benefit at member’s end is Rs. 10 -12000 per year

Contact us: Director, E-5/A, Girish Kunj, Above State Bank of India, Arera Colony, Bhopal. M. P. Pin: 462 016. India. Tel: +91 -755 -405 7926, 242 7369 Fax: +91 -755 -4057925 Email: info@asabhopal. org Website: www. asaindia. org

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