livlihood

Agriculture:

Agriculture still serves as the backbone of the Indian economy, as 70% of India’s population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood. However, marginalized farmers face significant challenges due to factors such as limited agricultural land, decreasing soil fertility, lack of good irrigation facilities, and low yields. GVSS focuses on:

• Enhancing agricultural productivity by promoting advanced agricultural practices and crop diversification.
• Ensuring food security through increased production.
• Improving the economic conditions of poor and marginalized farmers, especially women, by enhancing their capacity in adopting improved agricultural practices and advanced agricultural techniques.

GVSS has implemented various programs aimed at promoting agro-based livelihoods among marginalized farmers in various districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Skill Development:

The percentage of skilled population in India has remained very low, and the migration rate has been consistently increasing. The unskilled nature of the human resources available in cities, coupled with the rising demand for skilled labor and the high living standards in urban areas, has rendered the lives of the migrated poor and marginalized groups more vulnerable. Nearly 400 million people, which accounts for over 85 percent of India’s working population, are employed in the unorganized sector. Among them, at least 120 million are women. Unfortunately, there have been no systematic or concerted efforts made to improve, update, and diversify their skills. All formal vocational and technical training institutes require a minimum level of educational qualification. However, GVSS views skill development as a livelihood tool that doesn’t necessitate a minimum school qualification. Skilling carries its own qualification, which facilitates employment generation and entrepreneurship. GVSS’s skill development initiative primarily concentrates on skill development, skill upgrading, and skill enhancement, including the development of soft skills.

Since its establishment, GVSS has been implementing skill training programs with the following approach:

1. Market-aligned classroom/on-the-job vocational training.
2. Life skills training.
3. Entrepreneurship development training.
4. Computer and basic English speaking competency development.

Collective Employment Generation:

GVSS has recognized the necessity of collective efforts for employment generation within its interventions. We have initiated the process with the formation and training of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and the promotion of micro and small collective enterprises, skill network development, and more.

Recently, GVSS has facilitated the establishment of a Farmer Producer Organization in its agriculture intervention, with the aim of providing sustainable livelihood opportunities to women farmers. Our Collective Employment Generation intervention has focused on:

1. Development of collective enterprises/ventures in agriculture, allied sectors, and skill domains.
2. Mobilization of resources for collective enterprise.
3. Training for marketing, brand building & business promotion.
4. Networking to foster growth and scalability.