Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP)
What is the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP) and why is it Important for Rural Development?
The IRDP aims at improving the livelihood of the marginalized farmers and their families by providing them with required skills aimed at improving livelihood (agricultural and non-agricultural), knowledge and kit-based support. Basically, it works on uplifting these families through many self-employment opportunities across micro industries, agriculture, animal husbandry and introducing newer ways of generating additional incomes from their existing resources.
IRDP aspires to play a crucial role in fostering inclusive growth, helping bridge the urban rural divide.
Key Impact Areas Driving Our Mission
Water Resource Management & Sanitation
Agriculture
Animal Husbandry
Creating water-secure villages through rainwater harvesting, solar irrigation and sanitation infrastructure. Our initiatives ensure sustainable access to water and improved hygiene.
We promote climate adaptive farming by uniting traditional knowledge with modern technologies. We do it through training, sustainable innovations, and increased productivity that help farmers grow and become efficient.
We promote scientific livestock practices, training and entrepreneurship development, improving nutrition, income and employment opportunities for rural households. Basically, Yuvaparivartan is trying to transform rural animal husbandry into a growth engine for elevating rural livelihood.
Women Empowerment
Rural Skilling
We are consistently working on developing entrepreneurial and leadership skills, amongst rural/tribal women with the objective of financial independence and family income augmentation. We firmly believe – When women thrive communities flourish!
We focus on empowering rural and tribal communities by equipping farmers, youth, and women with practical skills in areas like organic farming, solar repair, and tailoring. These trainings promote self-employment, sustainable livelihoods and financial independence, helping communities grow beyond traditional income sources.
One Guntha: Cultivating Livelihoods, Strengthening Communities
Transforming a Small Plot into a Big Opportunity
We are talking about landless and marginalised Adivasi women. We are talking about empowering them in a meaningful way and bringing their role from a background existence to a key contributor to the family’s overall health.
The One Guntha Project is Kherwadi Social Welfare Association’s flagship model to help them achieve food security, generate supplementary income, and create climate-resilient livelihoods for themselves.
One guntha (approx 1000 sq ft) is enough to grow vegetables, rear backyard poultry, and produce organic manure. When these get combined with the right skills, resources, and community support, it leads to economic independence and self-assertion for Adivasi women.
Why the One Guntha Project Matters:
To the Adivasi women:
- Food and Nutrition Security
Rural families face rising food prices and limited access to fresh produce. A self-managed kitchen garden ensures a steady supply of nutrient-rich vegetables and eggs, improving dietary diversity for the entire household. - Economic Independence for Women
Regular sale of surplus vegetables and eggs generates cash income, strengthening the overall household finances and giving women a greater voice in economic decision-making. - Climate Resilience
Organic practices, water-efficient cropping, and local seed varieties reduce dependence on chemical inputs and adapt to changing rainfall patterns.
To You
A small contribution from you carries with it the weight to make an impact that has longer lasting impact. With your contribution you make a difference not just to the Adivasi women but through her to the family itself.
The success story that this creates making it easier for many others who are watching from the sidelines taking the decision that you have to contribute and make a difference
Our Approach
1. Community Mobilisation
Village meetings and focus-group discussions build trust and identify women ready to lead. Local self-help groups (SHGs) become key partners for collective action and peer learning.
2. Capacity Building & Training
Women receive hands-on training in:
○ Kitchen gardening and seasonal crop planning
○ Organic soil enrichment and composting
○ Backyard poultry management (feeding, vaccination, hygiene)
3. Starter Resource Kits
Each participant is equipped with seeds, saplings, composting units, and ten poultry birds (3 male and 7 female chicks) to start the micro-enterprise immediately.
4. Technical & Market Linkages
KSWA field teams provide on-site mentorship, periodic veterinary support, and connections to local markets and government schemes for sustained profitability.
Measurable Impact
- Increased Household Nutrition: Families harvest year-round vegetables and eggs, reducing dependence on market purchases.
- Reliable Income Streams: Sale of surplus produce and eggs yields regular earnings that supplement seasonal farm labour income.
- Women’s Leadership & Collective Action: Participants take on leadership roles in SHGs and village committees, demonstrating the potential of women-led, small-scale agriculture to influence community development.
- Success stories that will inspire many in the community to adopt this approach and make a difference to themselves and their communities.
Sustainability & Scale
The One Guntha model is designed for low-cost replication. Once initial training and inputs are provided, women recycle seeds, expand poultry flocks, and produce their own organic manure, making the initiative self-sustaining within a year.
Neighbouring households often adopt the approach, creating a ripple effect that strengthens local food systems and rural economies.
The KSWA Vision
Through the One Guntha Project, KSWA showcases how a single plot of land can catalyse grassroots empowerment, scalable models, and long-term sustainability. This initiative reflects our commitment to fostering ecological balance and economic dignity, one household, one community, and one guntha at a time.
