Agriculture is the main livelihood for 95 percent of tribal communities in Southern Odisha and of this, approximately 85 percent of the farm households comprise small or marginal farmers with less than two hectares of land. The average landholding is only 0.5 hectares per household. These small units of land are frequently seen as unviable for farming and incapable of providing a sustainable livelihood for their owners. This translates into food insecurity, migration, and mounting debts. SOVA’s programs focus on enabling them to organise into various forms of community collectives and create linkages for them with several stakeholders including Panchayati Raj institutions, the government administration, banks, and markets. Using a combination of tradition and science approach, we help the farmers to adapt and optimize traditional practices for modern markets, promoting bio-farming, diversifying crops and multi-cropping, and growing more nutrient-rich food crops such as pulses, fruits, and vegetables that can be sold in open markets. It has led to a rise in incomes and an accompanying rise in their agency. On a societal and environmental level, these practices have led to reduced demand for water and better soil health, both critical in coping with climate change–induced pressures that farmers are increasingly facing.

Landlessness is a major issue for the agricultural sector in Southern Odisha. They work on others’ land with low wages. These are people who suffer from chronic poverty and vulnerability. They usually get low wages, conditions of work put an excessive burden on them, and the employment they get is extremely irregular. Their income is low and employment irregular. Since they possess no skills or training, they have no alternative employment opportunities either. Therefore, they are a suppressed class. They are not organized and they cannot fight for their rights. Because of all these reasons their economic lot has failed to improve even in the current development mainstream. SOVAs programs for them follow two-pronged strategies, i.e., ensuring the Legislative measures and implementation of Welfare Schemes and programs, to strengthen their livelihood and food security. Our efforts to ensure legislative measures include ensuring employment under MGNREGA, Minimum Wages Act, Maternity Benefits for women workers, Registration in E-Shram Card, ensuring Safe Migration, PDS, Health Insurance, and skill development and enterprise development.