Agroecology
We design integrated agroecology models that improve nutrient cycling, moisture management, and crop diversity to deliver consistent output and stronger incomes. Each intervention is tailored through plot diagnosis and refined through seasonal learning.
The Problem >
Small holders manage fragmented plots where soil depth, fertility, and moisture retention vary sharply across short distances. Rain arrives in high-intensity events, and soil moisture declines quickly once the season shifts. These conditions increase yield variability, raise input inefficiency, and compress margins for families who depend on farming for food and cash.
< Our Solution
Raah builds farming systems around field realities and season timing. Soil testing, crop planning, and plot-level agronomy support guide choices on seed, spacing, nutrition, and water. Farmer Field Schools and Farmer Interest Groups provide multi-season coaching, input access, and market linkages, while farm ponds and efficient drip irrigation expand cropping into winter and summer windows.
Active Projects
A Scalable One Acre Food Forest - Rural prosperity through women-led transformation
Powered by the Gates Foundation, this flagship initiative is transforming 540 acres into vibrant one-acre food forests led by 540 tribal women farmers in Palghar, Maharashtra. Each woman co-designs a customized agroforestry model for her abstract land parcel, receives high-quality saplings , bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, farm ponds for assured water, and hands-on technical support to bring her food forest to life. These forests are designed to generate income for at least another 20 years. Through intelligent intercropping and tree-based farming, these fragile and baron plots are becoming year-round sources of income and nutrition for her and her family.
Millions of Hope - with cost-efficient infrastructure and long term security
Under the Gates initiative, we constructed 191 farm ponds, each 35 feet by 35 feet by 6 feet, creating a total water storage capacity of 27.5 million litres to irrigate 355 acres of land. These ponds provide life-saving irrigation for our one-acre food forest models – supporting fruit trees, timber, and diverse intercrops through long dry spells. By capturing and holding rainwater right on the farm, they reduce dependence on erratic monsoons, distant water sources, and the cost of water transportation. With basic annual maintenance and periodic desilting, each farm pond is designed to remain functional for well over 20 years, making it a long-term climate resilience asset for tribal farming families.
A pilot Ginger farming: A New cash crop opportunity for small farmers
We’re running a pilot with 30 small farmers to grow organic ginger as a climate-resilient cash crop, using 300 kilograms of carefully selected high quality rhizomes. The crop will be harvested in January and its performance is being closely tracked under erratic rainfall and rising temperatures to assess how well it could withstand climate stress. Farmers followed a complete organic protocol, combining soil-enriching inputs and careful water management to protect both yields and soil health. The fields showed robust growth and stable productivity, and each participating farmer is set to earn around ₹30,000 rupees from the harvest.
Discover how our 1AFF project comes to life on the ground
What We Do
< Where
Our interventions span 16 clusters across Jawhar, Mokhada, and Nashik in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats, where irrigation coverage remains under 3% and rainfed production dominates. These tribal village landscapes link women’s farm agency, nutrition security, and ecological regeneration. The geography serves as a living laboratory for testing landscape-appropriate agroecology under monsoon-driven risk and resource constraints.
How >
Work begins with plot diagnosis and season planning using soil tests and water budgets. SRI/SMI, orchard-based agroforestry, and mixed cropping run with soil testing, bio-input protocols, drip irrigation, and farm ponds into field practice. A digital backend tracks inputs, yields, and margins, and Producer Groups aggregate volumes and strengthen price discovery. Iterative learning cycles convert field observations into refined protocols, improving repeatability and scalability across villages.
Partners
Problem
Solution
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