Action for Food Production (AFPRO) is an NGO with a prominent national presence. Established in 1966 with Christian inspiration, as a secular Indian technical service organization, it was registered (registration No.3516) in 1967 under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.
Operating through 9 Regional Offices located across the geographical expanse of the country, they strive to enhance livelihoods and quality of life of rural poor and marginalized communities through the management of natural resources. The natural resources falling within their ambit include land, water and forests; and critical economic activities revolving around them – agriculture, livestock, fishery and forestry. New frontiers are being explored through non farm based skill development activities, as strategies to empower communities.
Their illustrious evolution, spanning over 47 years (1966 – 2013), represents systematic shifts, with the organization rising to address critical development concerns of the nation. From a ‘Welfare Oriented’ approach focusing on groundwater exploration; they have risen to address issues of increasing food production and degradation of natural resources through our phases of ‘Growing Environmental Consciousness’ and ‘Exploring Technological Options’. Acknowledging ‘Social Integration’ as key to the success of development interventions; paradigm shifts in the organizations approaches have been represented by the adoption of Participatory Rural Appraisals and Participatory Appraisal and Learning Methods (PALM) as precursors to the development process.
Their multidisciplinary technical services and capacity development support represent an evolution in approaches adopted. Competent teams comprising of Hydro geologists, Civil and Agriculture Engineers, Agriculture and Livestock Specialist, and Rural Sociologists have been contributing to the design, development and implementation of innovative technological solutions addressing limiting factors at the grassroots.
Their target groups too represent an evolution from technical support to grassroots level NGO’s to technical support to rural communities – small and marginalized farmers, women and the landless. Their programmes have found their active engagement with rural communities, Panchayati Raj Institutions; and collaborations with Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) & Research Organizations, Ministries under the Government of India and Institutes representing Policy and Advocacy.
AFPRO endeavors to bring together the resources of overseas funding agencies, Government agencies, financial institutions and grassroots level NGOs for implementation of developmental projects to improve the livelihoods and quality of life of the weaker sections of the rural community. AFPRO works for people without discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, race, religion or nationality.
VISION
AFPRO as a secular socio-technical development organization with Christian inspiration visualizes itself as working to enable the rural poor – including women and men belonging to small and marginal farmers and the landless, dalits, tribal people, fisher folk and unemployed youth – to move towards sustainable development, through and overall increase in their knowledge and skills in areas that directly affect their standard and quality of life. It visualizes itself as an organization which over the next decade will enable the marginalized rural groups to achieve enhanced socio-economic and personal status in society through appropriate technologies for the management of natural resources.
MISSION
AFPRO dedicates itself to its mission of alleviating rural poverty by promoting and working through voluntary organizations; with a focus on enabling the marginalized and weaker sections of rural society to participate in the process of rural development by strengthening their resource base and capabilities through improved knowledge and skills, both in the technical and socio-economic development areas.
Aim of the Society
The Aim of the Society is development of weaker sections of rural community, and to move towards sustainable development through overall increase in their knowledge and skills, in the areas which directly affect their standard and quality of life.
Focal Areas
- Food Security & Livelihoods
- Watershed Management
- Water & Sanitation
- Renewable Energy
- Climate Change
