Annual Grove Update 2024-25

Rainmatter Partner Updates
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  1. Overall updates (since the last update)

This is the programme update on the completion of second year partnership of Rainmatter Foundation and Gram Vikas.
The completion of the second year of the partnership between Rainmatter Foundation and Gram Vikas for the project “Localising Climate Resilience in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha and Jharkhand”. The project builds on the Water Secure Gram Panchayat (WSGP) programme and focuses on strengthening community capacities, local governance, and partnerships to address climate resilience.

  1. Progress on the goals listed while on-boarding
    The overall objective of the programme is to ‘demonstrate community-managed climate resilience efforts in the Eastern Ghats region Odisha and Jharkhand, to influence State Government policies and actions’. This is expected to be achieved through:
  • Building communities’ capabilities to implicate and strengthen activities related to reduce impacts of climate-related hazards and natural disasters, and
  • Enabling local governance system to adopt processes, systems contributing to short-term and long-term climate resilience for rural communities.

The Programme is built on the back of the Water Secure Gram Panchayat Programme of Gram Vikas in Odisha and Jharkhand.

During the second year, the activities were taken up to strengthen organisational capacities, improve structures and programmes towards achieving the overall objectives of the Project.

Given below is a summary of activities taken up during the year. Further details are available in documents linked in the text.

Research & Knowledge Development:

  1. Topography specific research strategy:
    Discussions have been initiated with WELL Labs to build the framework for this. We will build a ‘regional’ layer of looking at how water related interventions at the GP level are impacting various factors at the watershed and bioregional level. The work taken up as part of the Climate Change Local Adaptation Pathways (CLAPs) project, with a focus on migration prone geographies to understand various aspects of how climate change is influencing livelihood decisions has helped build a stronger understanding of the approaches needed.
    A Foresight research plan being taken-up as part of the CLAPs project will help bring in greater understanding of how to conduct community level visioning exercise. A draft of the methodology is expected to be ready by December 2025. Based on this, we will review the progress and take steps to incorporate the method into the village and GP-level Climate Action Plan. The CLAPs foresight work will be completed in two Blocks, helping gain deep understanding of the methodology required. Gram Vikas works to establish a pathway for local governments of Odisha to assure an improved quality of life for its citizens on the following elements. Sustainability of habitats with their built and natural (physical and social) elements. Clear articulation of social, including cultural and aspirational, and political factors that hamper or facilitate quality of life. Command over the technology, knowledge and digital tools.

  2. Multidimensional framework to map factors influencing climate resilience:
    Rural Settlement Study:
    Gram Vikas has started a study to document the patterns of growth and their drivers in rural settlements in Odisha at the Gram Panchayat level, together with identifying the planning mechanisms and tools available to development practitioners. The pilot study was conducted in Tarava GP in Gajapati district. Based on the experiences of this pilot, we reached out to several institutions seeking support for scaling up the work. Seeds Technical Services (STS), a part of SEEDS that has worked on regional planning and disaster resilience building has come on board to take this up. A scoping visit was completed in one GP during July 2025. A detailed plan will be developed for demonstrating the methods for settlement level planning.

Gram Vikas is intending to take this work in 3 GPs Sirtiguda of Kandhamal, Koinpur of Gajapati and Lakhanpur in Sundergarh. Also, as continuation of the existing work, we shall do a HRVA (Hazard Risk Vulnerability Analysis) of Tarava.

  1. Evidence-based Village Climate Action Plan:
    The Village Prosperity and Resilience Plan (VPRP) is being done in collaboration with the Gram Panchayats in all habitations. The Water Security Plan (WSP) for the habitation and the GP – the model of WSP is being tested in three pilot GPs now. The planning methodology for settlement planning that will emerge from the work mentioned in the activity above (multidimensional framework that maps the factors influencing climate resilience). The work under the CLAPs project has helped integrate climate specific elements into VPRP.

  2. Scoping, mapping, and inventorying of local consumption supply chains:
    The block economic profile is being done through intensive Block Economic Profiles that will provide a baseline and strategic approach for taking up local enterprise development activities. The Profile has two parts:

  • Block Local Economic Profile
    This work is being taken up in two blocks during July to December 2025.
  • Local Haat Profiling and Assessment
    The Haat Profiling process is being taken up in the month of July-August, and The Assessment of the Hatta is being planned for selected Haats. The prepared questionnaire was piloted in 4 haats(Koinpur, Jirang, Mohana) of Gajapati district and made the necessary changes in the question pattern.

The Group Livelihoods For Development (GLIDE) approach developed by OASIS organisation is a participatory tool, structured for the community to understand the production capacity of the community and then take them through the planning for their products. This approach will be taken to take the data collected through the Haat Assessment and Block Economic Profiling to the community.

  1. Advocacy Activities:
    Convergence Mela organised at the GP level have helped raise wide awareness with District, Block and GP level stakeholders. As of March 2025, such Mela were organised in 11 Gram Panchayats.

  2. Technology and Research Engagements:
    Partnerships with ACWADAM, WELL Labs, Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS) and SEEDS Technical Services have been built for support on various aspects of the work of building knowledge development on Climate Resilience Communities.

  3. Enhancing Community Capabilities for Climate Action:
    Gram Vikas work has helped to build climate resilience in multiple forms that has been taken up in 633 Gram Panchayats covering nearly 7.3 lakh households as of March 2025.The comprehensive GP-level intensive work has been taken up in 73 GPs.

  4. Social Action Fellowship Programme
    The Selection process of Gram Vikas Saathi (GVS) Fellowship is standardized and designed through a common cohort system for GVS enrolment. In 2024, 120 GVS joined, of which 108 are continuing till date. There have been three non-thematic training programs organised for the existing cohort. The selection process for the new cohort of the fellowship is underway. The identified 120 new cohorts have undergone the training and 30 days of field engagement in general activities at their respective districts and FCOs across Gram Vikas interventions. The same GVS is provided for 5 days orientation and engaged for 90 days of standard and common work for the selection procedure. A new cohort of Gram Vikas Saathi Fellows will be operationalised by September 2025. The GVS Fellowship Programme streamlined and systematised for creating sustainable entrepreneurship. For more details: GVS 3days Selection camp

  5. Skills and Entrepreneurship:
    Micro-enterprise Development programme in 33 blocks with a network of Gram Udyog Mitra. 16,448 micro- enterprises have been supported as of March 2025, with the majority being women-led. The Programme Vikalp focusing on aspiration building, career counselling, coaching, digital literacy and other skill building, for children and young people aged 6 to 24, through learning groups and trained local mentors is active in 6 GPs in 3 blocks. It has active participation of 1020 youth

  6. Value Chain Development:
    Gram Vikas has initiated the Value Chain development through women led Producer Groups (PGs) in partnership of Harsha Trust and Practical Action in Kandhamal, Gajapati and Ganjam district focusing on farm commodities such as maize, pigeon pea, paddy, ragi, groundnut, sunflower etc.
    The Surangi variety of turmeric in Kandhamal has been adopted in consultation with the farmers, Horticulture Dept. and Krushi Vigyan Kendra in 600 acres. Three women-led PGs with 90 women have taken up polishing, bulk marketing of raw and powdered turmeric. In Gajapati, 390 kgs of Mango Fruit Leather (Aam Papad) is sold by a Producer Group of 30 women directly to a bulk vendor. Pigeon Pea value chain is adopted in over 2800 acres in Gajapati and Ganjam district in collaboration with ICRISAT for seed production and technology demonstration.

  7. Implementation level results-Strengthening Internal Processes

  8. WSGP Expansion:
    Identify grassroots organisations to share the vision and agenda and build capacities to function as partners. Orientation given to 14 staff members of Yuva Vikas Foundation from Mayurbhanj district for WSGP expansion. Four more organisations have been identified for primary contact and discussion. For more Information: Yuva Vikas Scoping
    Follow up work will be taken up to finalise collaboration with the identified organisations. And explore more external organizations for collaboration with Gram Vikas in Odisha and Jharkhand. Orientation and capacity building of Gram Vikas personnel. Ongoing covering a diverse range of thematic areas – both internal and externally supported.

  9. Natya Manch (Community Theatre):
    The Natya Manch is an experimental community theatre initiative in grassroot communication. The programme has harnessed community theatre groups for behavioural change and awareness campaigns across villages and panchayats. The Natya Manch team, comprising 14 talented members based in Surada block, Ganjam district, has been spreading awareness through the power of performance. During the reporting period the team has delivered an impressive 88 shows across 87 villages in Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, captivating audiences of approximately 3,520 individuals. Their current community theatre highlights the significance of Social Forestry, inspiring communities to adopt sustainable practices and importance of water passbook. For more information: Natya Manch

  10. Weather and Crop Advisory Technology:
    The weather and crop advisory service gives farmers local weather updates and tailored crop advice to help them to make better farming decisions. Timely advice on weather conditions helps farmers make informed decisions, leading to better crop yields. Weather and Crop advisories help farmers to prepare and mitigate the impact of extreme weather events, reducing crop damage. Weather and crop advisories provide insights on weather conditions that favor pest and disease outbreaks, enabling farmers to take proactive measures and mitigations. For more information: Weather & Crop Advisory.

  11. Saathi Hub: An entrepreneurial model founded by former GVSs
    The Former GVS are setting up a common operating centre as a group entrepreneur which is named as ‘Saathi Hub’. The former GVS are efficient to start an entrepreneurship at their locality covering 3 Gram Panchayats of Kalahandi district. Gram Vikas is currently refining the Saathi Hub framework and Terms of Engagement. Upon completion of the document, this will provide a roadmap for the Saathi Hub members to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in Kalahandi district. Saathi Hub Term of Engagement

  12. Project Carbon Credit Market Workshop:
    Gram Vikas organized a consultation workshop on the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) on 31st July,2025, in Bhubaneshwar. Twenty-five representatives from Seventeen Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) /Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) participated in the workshop. Mr. Siddhartha from the Centre for Grower-Centric Eco-Value Mechanism (C-GEM) gave the orientation on the Carbon Market. Mr. Jagadananda from CYSD moderated the session for experiencing Gram Vikas Practice at community level. For more information: Carbon Credit Market workshop

  13. WSGP Initial Mobilisation Process (Spearhead):
    The Spearhead team will focus on the Water Secure Gram Panchayat (WSGP) and will consist of members from all Thematic Focus areas. They would help in strengthening and demonstrating planning engagement with village communities and institutions. A central level Spearhead team is formed with members from different thematic and support groups. The activities taken up by the spearhead team will be to coordinate the planning process and engagement with the village communities to create a base for WSGP implementation, the team has covered 14 gram panchayats in 4 districts. For more Information: Spearhead Document
    The concept of SoTH discussions under the Climate Rise Alliance has taken place among the spearhead, Gram Vikas Saathis and Young Management Trainee. The Spearhead team was re-constituted with the new exisiting staff. This will eventually offer a chance for all staff members to understand the process of WSGP initial mobilisation. Gram Vikas is also planning to integrate the Cloth of for Work (CfW) concept from Goonj in the initial process of WSGP mobilisation at new gram panchayats.

  14. All Living Things-Environment Film Festival (ALTEFF):
    Gram Vikas hosted the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF), India’s largest environmental film festival, on December 2 at Mahendra Tanaya Ashram School in Koinpur, Gajapati district, and on December 4 at the Gram Vikas Mohuda campus in Ganjam. The festival showcased a curated selection of Indian and international documentaries and short films focused on environmental conservation and sustainability.
    The event in Gajapati attracted over 125 school students and 100 rural youth, while the Ganjam screening saw participation from Gram Vikas staff, along with 60 students and faculty from Berhampur colleges. Films like “Older than Trees” and “All Day and All Night” resonated deeply with the audience, inspiring a newfound appreciation for marine life and the importance of clean drinking water. The festival provided an engaging platform for students to explore pressing environmental issues through cinema, fostering a meaningful connection to the films and their powerful messages.

  15. Other Activities
    Statistical Tool development:
    This work will be the result of the various planning and measurement activities currently ongoing. We will work towards understanding how the various data sources can be integrated to make a GP-level tool. Real work is expected only after April 2026

Dissemination of stories
Regular updates on the project progress are done monthly. We are hosting the ‘All living Things Environmental Film Festival’ to broaden and deepen the engagement for climate conscious collaboration and networking among children, and youth in the villages.

  1. Staff Capacity & Exposure

  • 24 staff members have been trained in effective facilitation of Convergence Melas at the Gram Panchayat level and the Village Poverty Reduction Plan (VPRP) at the community level. The Gram Vikas staff are being trained in the process and methods of facilitating VPRP and convergence mela, which pushed them to implement in an efficient manner.

  • Eleven staff members participated in the Foundation Course on Organic and Natural Farming at Krushna Sudha Academy for Agroecology in Andhra Pradesh. The training emphasized reducing the cost of production by discontinuing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and instead promoting the use of locally available, low-cost solutions to enhance crop yield, minimize irrigation requirements, and improve soil health for long-term sustainability. The course covered various concepts, including the preparation of bio-inputs, seed selection and treatment, recommended practices for paddy cultivation, the importance of mulching and intercropping, the role of microorganisms in soil fertility, and the preparation of micronutrient fertilizers, organic pesticides, and fungicides. The training aimed to empower farmers with climate-resilient practices, improving long-term sustainability and reducing environmental impact.
    This approach can help mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving soil carbon sequestration, enhancing ecosystem services and promoting sustainable agriculture practices. For more information: Brief Report

  • A three-member team from Gram Vikas travelled to Ranchi to learn about the beekeeping initiative promoted by Humble Bee and CINI. The training covered bee colony management, hive construction and maintenance, pollination and honey production, pest and disease control, and sustainable beekeeping practices, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills for effective and ethical apiculture. The potential to replicate this model in Odisha is both promising and practical. This initiative can support climate action by several steps i.e. promoting biodiversity conservation, enhancing ecosystem services, providing sustainable livelihoods for communities and supporting climate-resilient agriculture through pollination. Bee Keeping Report

  • A team of 14 staff members visited Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission and Kudumbashree NRO to engage with community organizations like VOCC and CLF and developed understanding on Village Poverty Reduction Plans (VPRP) and their implementation, better stakeholder engagement and improved resource mobilization opportunities. A Two-member team from the Village Institutions domain, attended a six-day course on “Local Governance and Social Accountability in India” in December 2024, which equipped them with rigorous understanding on the tools of social accountability and their application in the context of schemes implemented through local governance units.

  • A team of four staff members and two Gram Vikas Saathi attended an exposure visit facilitated by Waste Warriors to their implementation areas in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The team gained understanding around methodologies and steps in building an ecosystem for waste management at the panchayat level. This capacity building exercise will help to improvise the way of doing the work in WSGP in relation to solid and liquid waste management on the following ways:

  1. Improving waste management: Effective waste management reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and minimizes environmental pollution.
  2. Supporting sustainable practices: The team learned about methodologies for building a waste management ecosystem at the panchayat level, promoting sustainable practices and community engagement.
  3. Reducing carbon footprint: By adopting proper waste management practices, communities can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to climate change mitigation.
  4. Enhancing community resilience: The visit equipped the team with knowledge to implement waste management solutions, enhancing community resilience to climate change impacts.
  5. The Meghalaya exposure visit was enlightening, offering practical lessons on integrating effective work structures for local entrepreneurship. Key takeaways included the importance of cost-effective approaches and community ownership for lasting impact.
  6. Entrepreneurs working together as a group, under no specific group banner, connecting one entrepreneur to another.
  1. Any challenges:

Slow in SoTH Concept Implementation

  1. Gram Vikas has started introducing the Sense of the House (SoTH) concept to our Spearhead and field staff, aiming to integrate it into the community discussions. So the speed of integration is slow in the process.
  2. Implementing the SoTH approach to shape staff behavior in community settings is a gradual process that requires time to produce lasting results. To accelerate the SoTH adoption, we are developing a framework and to conduct staff orientation sessions.

WSGP Expansion Process:

  1. The WSGP expansion process with an external organisation is getting delayed due to building of an internal mechanism and framework, which is aligning with CSO expectations and driving collaborative efforts to expand WSGP.

  1. Any new avenues of collaboration (with other Grantees of RCF or other NPO/NGO):
    Identify grassroots organisations to share the vision and agenda and build capacities to function as partners. Orientation given to 14 staff members of Yuva Vikas Foundation from Mayurbhanj district for WSGP expansion. Four more organisations have been identified for primary contact and discussion. For more Information: Yuva Vikas Scoping
    Follow up work will be taken up to finalise collaboration with the identified organisations. And explore more external organizations for collaboration with Gram Vikas in Odisha and Jharkhand. Orientation and capacity building of Gram Vikas personnel. Ongoing covering a diverse range of thematic areas – both internal and externally supported.

  2. Highlights from the initiatives being undertaken as part of your organization:

  1. Initiatives as part of the Organisation:

  2. Establishment of SLT-PU Structure:
    The Programme Unit of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT-PU) is established to improve coordination, planning and execution of thematic programmes and donor-funded projects under the WSGP initiatives. Its main purpose is to address challenges related to inter-thematic collaboration, project integration, and strategic oversight.
    Currently, thematic teams often work in isolation, leading to inefficient and fragmented program execution. There is also a lack of coordination between programme strategies and donor funding projects, resulting in inconsistencies in planning and implementation. Managing large, multi- location projects without a centralized system further complicates delivery and reporting. The Programme Unit of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT-PU) is being established to address these gaps and ensure that the programmatic growth is facilitated in an efficient and effective manner. SLT-PU, ToR

  3. Change Makers-active participation:
    The Change makers have active participation in different events and sessions to re-enforcement of community and individual change for social development. The Gram Vikas Saathis attended the Waste Warriors to their implementation areas in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The team gained understanding around methodologies and steps in building an ecosystem for waste management at the panchayat level. In fact it’s not limited in orientation; rather it has been promoted in the community discussion for climate change and environmental protection.

  4. Process of adoption and implementation of SOTH:
    We are currently in the process of adopting the SoTH (Sense of the House) concept. Initially, the Spearhead team, programme unit, and Gram Vikas Saathis were introduced to think outside the box. The goal is to develop a nuanced understanding of the roles of various stakeholders, including owners, facilitators, supporters, and donors, and how they contribute to the development sector including the ecosystem.

  5. Developing FAQ on WSGP:
    We are developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document based on past experiences and field demonstrations. It’s been observed that technical terms and jargon can be confusing for community members and even VDC members despite their extensive experience. The FAQ aims to provide clear and concise answers to common questions, saving time and reducing misunderstandings. This initiative will enhance understanding of WSGP concepts across intervention districts.

  6. External Partner Collaboration in line of “Change Maker, SoTH, CfW, WSGP expansion and CCAT:
    Gram Vikas has been working with several partners in different programme components across the districts. Collaborative initiatives with external partners to achieve common goals. Training and capacity-building programs for Gram Vikas staff and community members. Sharing resources, expertise, and knowledge to enhance project impact… Exchange of best practices, research, and expertise to improve project outcomes. Partnering with regards to technology and knowledge platform to develop organisation structure and system of conducive working environment by promoting professionalism.
    Partnership for the WSGP expansion, one of the core activities of Gram Vikas, we have started collaborating with Yuva Vikas Foundation for WSGP expansion in Mayurbhanj district after having scoping exercise and 3days orientation of Yuva Vikas team members. And for the concept of Gram Swabhiman, cloth of work and concept of SoTH partnering Socrates, RMF, Goonj ect

  1. Outcomes you are chasing for the next 6 months (these can remain the same if unchanged since the last update)
  • Complete block-level enterprise profiles & action plan.
  • The methodology and framework for the work on Watershed level assessment is expected to be tested and ready by March 2026.
  • The Convergence Mela approach is now a standard part of the work and will be taken up in more locations. And the Mela approach will also be deepened to take up a wider array of issues of the community.
  • The GVS Fellowship Programme streamlined and systematised for creating sustainable entrepreneurship.
  • Vikalp Programme - Scaling up in new locations by March 2026
  • Partnering for digitization of Micro Enterprise Performance Tracking System and aiming for efficient decision-making and Faster support for enterprises.
  • The Alt-EFF event is planned in the month of December 2025 to be hosted in Roulkela, Rudhapadar and Balliguda locations for larger outreach and build network strategy.
  • Develop a NWSGP expansion strategy for external partnership across Odisha and Jharkhand.

  1. KPIs (please use this section to let us know of the impact and reach of your work since the last update)

  2. Can Rainmatter be of help with anything at all

  3. Any additional details you would like to provide

  4. Please also share any images or videos that you have documented as part of your work
    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ACJ0Uvy9u0ZXjlvwT88nX0T2ccB1c4EC