Livelihoods

The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation works to strengthen dignified and sustainable livelihoods by improving access to natural resources, skills, and local economic opportunities. Our approach combines on-ground support to community, organisations and practical knowledge to build income resilience for farmers, youth, and women through skilling and self-employment. The focus is on long-term capacity building.

Support to Small and Marginal Farmers

We work with small and marginal farmers—especially SC/ST households—to improve water security, land productivity, soil health, and sustainable agriculture. Our interventions focus on planning land-development works, strengthening access to government schemes, and creating on-farm assets that enhance long-term resilience. Through the UMEAD (Utilization of MGNREGA for Enhancing Agriculture Development) approach, we help farmers utilise MGNREGA-permitted works such as farm ponds, levelling, bunding, and plantation to build water availability, increase crop productivity, and secure dependable farm incomes.

Download Brochure

Non-farm Self-Employment and microenterprises

We support youth in building practical skills, confidence, and pathways to dignified self-employment through targeted skilling and enterprise facilitation. The focus is on helping young people identify viable local opportunities, develop vocational abilities, and receive the handholding needed to start and sustain small businesses. Through the Rajiv Ajeevika Samvardhan Abhiyaan (RASA), a focused initiative to promote micro-entrepreneurship, developed in 2021–22, youth receive training in entrepreneurship, and mentoring that enables them to convert their skills into stable, income-generating activities.

Download Hindi Brochure Download English Brochure