Skip to main content

Utthan wins Gujarat govt’s climate change award 2024-25 for women-led climate-resilient agriculture

By A Representative
 
Utthan, a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering vulnerable communities, has been awarded the prestigious First Prize in the Climate Change Award 2024–25 by the Climate Change Department, Government of Gujarat. The award, which includes a prize of ₹1 lakh, recognizes Utthan’s transformative work in empowering small and marginal women farmers through climate-resilient agricultural practices.  
The organization has successfully transitioned 5,000 women farmers to sustainable farming methods and brought 3,300 acres under climate-resilient practices. 
Over 99% of participating farmers have adopted eco-friendly techniques like seed treatment, bio-inputs, water-saving technologies, and agroforestry. Additionally, input costs have been reduced for more than 80% of farmers, while the initiative has also fostered climate entrepreneurs producing bio-inputs and offering tool rental services.  
Utthan’s initiative aligns with India’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, the National Action Plan on Climate Change, and Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). The organization’s Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles model has been documented by the International Rice Research Institute as a replicable approach for women’s empowerment and ecological sustainability.  
The project not only strengthens climate resilience but also promotes gender justice by placing women at the forefront of sustainable solutions. It has enhanced food security, regenerated natural resources, and boosted rural incomes while building social capital.  
“This award belongs to every resilient woman farmer transforming Gujarat’s fields with wisdom, courage, and sustainability. We thank our peer organizations, ICAR institutions, and government partners for championing gender-inclusive climate resilience with us,” said Team Utthan.  
Established in 1981, Utthan works across six districts in Gujarat, impacting over 1.2 million individuals through gender-just and climate-conscious interventions in areas like sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship, and natural resource management.  

Comments

TRENDING

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

If Maoist violence is illegitimate, how is Hindutva, state violence justified? Can right-wing wash off its sins?

By Swami Agnivesh* and Sandeep Pandey** There was major police action against Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Varvara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira on 28 August, 2018. Before this police arrested Professor Shoma Sen, Adocate Sudhir Gadling, Sudhir Dhawle, Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson on 6 June. Even before this Dr. Binayak Sen, Soni Sori, Ajay TG, Professor GN Saibaba and Prashant Rahi have been arrested and all these activists have been accused of having links with Maoists.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

​ By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  ​The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.