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COMPENDIUM, IEEC-2023   ( ISBN : 978-81-967860-4-5 )
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Theme 1: Emerging experiences on CBOs’ intervention and Sustainable Agri-food Systems

A Comparative Study of Replicable Innovative Initiatives of Rural Transformation by Selected CBOs: A Strategy Paper

Hitaishi Singh

Department of Home Science, A.N.D.N.N.M. Mahavidyalaya, Kanpur
singhhitaishi30@gmail.com

Abstract

Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) are perhaps the most common source of awareness generation, obtaining information, seeking knowledge, and learning income generating skills for rural farming communities in the country. They act as catalysts for local communities with the focused objective to bring required change at grassroot levels. They believe in whole family approach and divert their focus on one of the major actors of transformation - the women of the family. By doing this, these CBOs try to tap the most important tool for bringing sustainable change in the whole family and thereby changing rural society. India being an agriculture-based economy where its 65 per cent of the population resides in rural areas and 47 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture-based activities for its livelihood, CBO's which emerged as an answer to failure of a ‘top-down approach’, are the right solution for rural transformation. Increased women’s presence and participation in economic activities and the development process can help in minimizing the problems and address the issues pertaining to livelihood security, skill development, the existence of basic facilities and essential services, digitalization, and the overall well-being of rural families. In the recent past, many CBOs have come up with their own need based innovative extension approaches to address the problems of farming communities in different pockets of the country and pan India. The present paper tries to analyse extension approaches that are being implemented successfully by the selected CBOs working in identified domains at the grass root level to address the problems of rural areas. Qualitative methods of analysis have been used to analyse information and data collected from the CBOs. Finally, the paper provides a common workable extension strategy framework which is replicable across the country effectively with relevant modification as per local needs.

IEEC-2023 at RARI (SKNAU, Jobner), Jaipur, Rajasthan organised by Society of Extension Education, Agra, India