×

The PEOPLE

Deccan Development Society (Hyderabad, Telangana)

Vasundhara Mitra (Organisation)

It is a two decades old Indian agri-based NGO working in about 75 villages with women societies in Medak district in Telangana. This NGO works on various crop improvement programs and activities helping the local farmers. The Women Sangam (group) of Deccan Development Society (DDS) were honoured with Equator Prize 2019 by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their contribution to ecology and innovations in rain fed millet cultivation. The society is projecting a working model for the people-oriented participatory development in the areas of food security, ecological agriculture, and alternate education. It is also trying to reverse the historical process of degradation of the environment and people's livelihood system in this region through a string of land-related activities such as Permaculture, Community Grain Bank, Community Gene Fund, Community Green Fund and Collective Cultivation through land Lease etc. These activities, alongside taking on the role of Earth care, are also resulting in human care, by giving the women a new found dignity and profile in their village communities. The society is trying to relocate the people's knowledge in the area of health and agriculture.