Institution Building being the core competency of GRAMA, the process of forming Community Based Organisations (CBOs) under Natural Resources Management and Organic Farming activities continue. GRAMA has facilitated the formation of over 2630 SHGs with 37000 members till 2019 and new groups are formed every year and made independent. Village Watershed Committees, Project Monitoring and Implementation Committees are formed in all the Major projects undertaken along with GOK and NABARD.

Although the major development initiatives were aimed at urban and rural poor, the benefits of the financial and social security institutions in the country were to a large extent catered to the middle class, upper middle class and affluent sections of the society. The Planning Commission of India’s Press Note release during July 2013 for the year 2011-12 puts the estimate of people under Below Poverty Line (BPL) at 26.97 crores. In Karnataka, as against the total population under BPL category of 1.29 crores, the people in the Rural area stands at 0.92 crores. However, the vulnerable population has been miserably left out of the fiscal benefits available under formal financial systems in the country and thereby leaving them at the mercy of the informal money lending system, which has to a large extent contributed to untimely death of the farmers.

The GRAMA team has indulged in several brainstorming sessions to address this issue and is working on three programmes aimed at bringing the vulnerable sections within the fiscal mainstream of the country.

Savings and Credit Programme

Savings and Credit Programme as an activity in the Self Help Groups (SHGs) is taken up as an entry level as well as an ongoing activity, which has effectively catered to the consumption loans of the group members (mainly women). This programme has laid down the foundation for the Institution Building process of 2632 SHGs facilitated by GRAMA. The total savings of Rs. 35.21 Cr by 36788 members till March 2019 shows the potential of the capitalisation capability of the SHGs.
The importance of Savings and Credit activity lies in the fact that members will have the opportunity to come together at regular frequency, which will facilitate involvement of group members for a better exposure to the outside world, and participation in the political process and facilitating enhancement of negotiating skills and freeing from the clutches of informal money lending system

Micro Finance

The demand for enhanced credit facility in the areas of meeting social obligations like marriages, family health and children's education to improve the living environment by repairing the old houses and improving the sanitation facilities and taking up Income Generation Activities (IGAs) like sheep rearing/animal husbandry and petty business was taken care by providing microfinance through ICICI Bank | SIRI Micro Care Foundation | NABARD Financial Services (NABFINS). GRAMA initiated and started SIRI MICRO CARE Foundation during 2022 Fiscal to provide entrepreneurial support to small businesses.

Micro Finance Activity as on 31-03-2019
Number of SHGs/JLGs	Number of Beneficiaries	Total Amount Disbursed ( Rs. in Cr)	Total Repayment (Rs. in Cr)	Balance to be recovered (Rs. in Cr)
977	8620	56.50	34.00	22.50

Micro Insurance

Poverty without social security support plays a devastating effect on the individuals and families during mishaps and other exigencies like deformation and death during accidents, ill health etc. Social Security measures with affordable financial products from the formal fiscal institutions have not made a big dent in the lives of the poor.

GRAMA initiated discussion with Life Insurance Corporation to take the micro fiscal products to a bigger outreach. Accordingly, GRAMA signed an MOU with LIC, Shimoga on 16th July 2015. As per Micro Insurance Regulations, 2005, GRAMA is acting as Micro Insurance Agent for LIC in relation to the Micro Insurance Products as envisaged and modified from time to time by IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) and instructions issued by LIC in accordance with the same. Initially micro insurance products were introduced in Self Help Groups. GRAMA encourages and helps people to avail social security benefits provided by GOI and GOK for farmers under various schemes and in particular women to avail benefits announced by different governments.

Micro Insurance Activity as on 31-03-2016
Number of beneficiaries during 2015-16	Premium Amount(Rs. in Cr)	Sum Assured (Rs. in Cr)
405	0.537	0.742

Environmental pollution and destruction of forest cover has caused an imbalance in the environment resulting in scanty rainfall. Central part of Karnataka including Chitradurga district experiences untimely rainfall with drought prone conditions. Adding to this, farmers practice unscientific methods resulting in increasing the gravity of the situation. For the past one decade GRAMA in coordination with the Central Government, Government of Karnataka and NABARD has been implementing watershed development programmes. The watershed development concept adopted includes an integrated approach of afforestation, horticulture, land treatment, animal husbandry and also cover the landless families with income generation activities to make them economically strong.

In the farmer’s land different development works like water wares, check dams, bundings etc are undertaken depending upon the land, right from the upper reaches to the lower reaches, thereby water and soil are conserved and also the fertility of the land is enhanced. The small farmers and landless labourers are given intensive training to increase their income by involving them in the Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP).

Awareness creation among the villagers, farmers, landless labourers and the members of the Self Help Groups has been implemented over a period of time through Grama Sabhas, Jathas, street plays and exposure to Watershed Development Programme. The farmers have been shown practically the different activities which reflect controlling erosion of fertile soil by constructing soil bunds; check dams, formation of water bodies, and scientific methods of enhancing the income from the farming activity. The different activities undertaken by GRAMA are reflected in Annual Reports. Till 2021 GRAMA has facilitated treating 34243.36 hectares of land involving a cost of Rs 2513.21 lakhs benefitting 15530 people.

GRAMA in association with Government of Karnataka and NABARD has taken up a massive programme of developing watershed areas in Chitradurga District. Under various watershed development programmes 34243.36 hectares of land has been treated with financial implication of Rs.25.14/- crores benefiting 15530 people in the watershed areas and these numbers are increasing year on year with new projects being taken up . The importance of integrated approach takes into account the landless labourers, women and the youth. The essence of these programmes is to ensure people’s participation right from planning, implementation and post project management. Although, theoretically post project management by the CBOs sounds good, GRAMAs experience shows need for continuous interaction with the people is necessary

Organic farming is a system involving sustainable activities and promotes production of healthy, nutritious and quality products. This ranges from production of dairy products, horticultural produce, and farm products like cereals, pulses and oil seeds. The main concept under organic farming is the total elimination of dependency on chemical fertilisers and chemical pesticides thereby production of sustained, conserved, nutritious and quality food and also results in long term benefit of healthy flora fauna, human beings and the entire gamut of natural resources in a sustained manner.

In this background, the Government of Karnataka, in order to encourage organic farming practices has formed an Organic Farming Policy which is being implemented from 2004-05. Pursuant to this Policy, GRAMA has worked with the Agriculture Department in engaging farmers in farming organic produce and forming Organic Farmer’s Societies, establishing retail outlets of organic produce and also duly certifying their produce by recognised certifying agencies. GRAMA has till 2021 developed 539.33 hectares involving 410 farmers with a total investment of Rs.78.56 lakhs. Presently in all the Natural Resources Management Projects undertaken by GRAMA only recommended quality and quantity of urea, vermicompost and organic fertilisers are used.

NABARD-KFW CCA Project and GRAMA initiated LeWA (Land as eco-friendly Wealth creating Asset) Project

Large tracts of land in some of the project areas are not cultivated as the soil has been degraded leading to negative profit to the farmers. Farmers are in a catch 22 situation where their only occupation has been farming which has now become non remunerative due to the high cost of production, less productivity, cheating at the marketplace and economically unviable due to low returns for the produce sold in the Agricultural Producers Market as manipulated by the elite market players. Although the Green Revolution brought western technological practices and education in the field of farming to meet the requirement of the time and situation, we continued to practice the borrowed systems and use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides indiscriminately leaving the soil dead and unproductive.

The situation so created can be traced to the root cause of farmers' present day pathetic condition. It is now necessary to reverse the process by rejuvenating the soil which requires a longer gestation period with relatively lesser input cost. GRAMA has developed a model, which is replicable and sustainable that can be practiced by farmers particularly in drought prone areas. The model puts in place land based Income Generation Activity for the farmers to sustain during the gestation period and also specifies the input cost, processes involved including water and soil conservation, pest and weed management and also the estimated output and the management systems so that the land, which has been hitherto non-productive will be converted into a productive and wealth creating asset.

NABARD identified GRAMA to take up Climate Change Adaptation Project and Sustainable Development Plan Project, which have the same objective as of LeWA Project.

PROJECT - I-eS (Informal Education System)- A Replicable and Sustainable MODEL

The learning environment in rural areas is not conducive for children to take to studies voluntarily resulting in school dropouts on a large scale, particularly among girl children. The learning environment in rural areas is not conducive for children to take to studies voluntarily resulting in school dropouts on a large scale, particularly among girl children. This situation is common in all rural areas. The external as well as the classroom environment acts as a disincentive for children to take to studies. An unfriendly teacher contributes to children's lack of interest in studies. Further, parent's inability to support children in their attending to homework and consequent humiliating atmosphere in the classroom worsens the situation. Few lucky ones who can overcome and reach up to college level generally lack efficiency in English, Mathematics and Computer Science thereby unable to compete with the urban counterparts.

In this context, it is necessary to create an environment to help children to take interest in studies. This can be achieved with research input from educationists and child psychologists. This also calls for identifying teachers and training them with required skills.

Almost every village in the country is suffering from this kind of situation. Hence the magnitude of the problem. Therefore, there is a need to develop the Informal Education System (IES) which should be a "Replicable and Sustainable" model. In this background, GRAMA has worked with Christ University, Bangalore to run IES at Gopanahalli village, Challakere Taluk. A replicable model is available with GRAMA which can be used by any one who is keen to put in place an Informal Education System.

Strengthening of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) including Rural based Federations, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Tank Users Group (TUG), Village Watershed Development Committees, Farmers Groups etc with a view to develop them as a self sustainable grassroots level organisations is undertaken under different programmes. These informal institution members are given training / exposures in the various Government Schemes available to them and help them to make use of resources available within the System and become self sustainable. Capacity Building is an important factor in development and to improve the skills for which GRAMA has engaged about 34716 rural men and women with an investment of 187.08 crore till the end of March 2018.