Action Village India has supported Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi's organic farming programme for ten years. So far, around 250 families in 5 villages near Trivandrum have benefited.

Current Project
The next two-year phase 2006-08 will reach 150 more families in two neighbouring villages. More details on this project here.

The Gandhian Vision
Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (KGSN) is the Kerala branch of Gandhi Memorial National Trust, founded in 1948, immediately after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, with a view to continuing his 'Constructive Programmes'.

Gandhi said:
"India is to be found not in its few cities, but in its villages. Farmers and workers make India. Their prosperity alone can make India a country fit to live in".
He insisted that the immediate solutions we apply to problems should not lead to more serious problems in the long run. This is the essence of sustainable development, envisioned by Gandhi in the 1920s. "The earth has enough for everyone's needs, but not for any man's greed", he said. Gandhi foresaw many of our current problems, he suggested and demonstrated holistic solutions and wanted man to build integral relations with nature and live in harmony with it.

KGSN
Since 1951 KGSN has been promoting Gandhian values, especially in Kerala's villages. The overall aim has been to take the life of each village a little closer to the image of the ideal that Gandhi envisaged, in all aspects. The programme has consisted of:

• Improving both the quantity and quality of food
• Improving health and hygiene
• Promotion of village industries for economic prosperity
• Basic education for peaceful community living
• Promotion of participatory governance
• Development of appropriate technology
• Welfare and development of all based on social justice

Among the activities of KGSN are:

• 54 rural development centres/units of khadi and village industries providing employment to around 6000 people, 90 percent of them women
• 55 sales counters to market the eco-friendly rural products
• An eco cell for promoting environment education, research and action
• Educational institutions for imparting basic education to the rural poor
• A centre for promoting holistic health and nature cure
• A Gandhi museum for inculcating Gandhian ideals in the young
• A centre for appropriate technology development in agriculture and cottage industries
• A publication division for propagating Gandhian values

KGSN's Healthy Lifestyle and Organic Farming Programme
To promote healthy lifestyles and organic farming, KGSN ran a series of awareness building initiatives to show the importance of reviving organic farming practices. But, as agriculture was ceasing to be profitable, farmers were considering giving it up, so KGSN had to instil confidence in the farmers that organic farming could be profitable.

KGSN has promoted 500 Farmers Associations, which enable small farmers interested in organic farming to work and learn together. Women's Self-Help Groups and Credit Unions provide economic support through small savings and credit operations.

Articles on KGSN

Current appeal

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