We are happy you made us feel secure...

You've made us self-sufficient, and we're truly fulfilled...

We are happy you made us feel secure...

You've made us self-sufficient, and we're truly fulfilled...

Sustainable livelihood and food security

The livelihood strategy of SOVA focuses on improving rural incomes, providing food and social security, and enhancing access to education, healthcare, and sustainable agriculture. It strengthens community resilience through skill development, promotes income diversification, supports microfinance, and encourages local entrepreneurship. SOVA also advocates for policies that empower women and marginalized groups, aiming to reduce poverty, foster social inclusion, and improve the quality of life in rural communities.

SOVA is committed to ensuring that all people can live in dignity while at the same time preserving the natural foundations of life in the long term, whether social, economic, or ecological. It aims to end hunger in its region and achieve sustainable livelihood and food security. Achieving sustainable success requires agriculture and its related system transformation and innovative approaches to both immediate intervention and long-term development, particularly concerning sustainable and resilient agriculture systems. In the agricultural sector, SOVA creates jobs and develops site-specific strategies for sustainable and efficient agriculture with the local communities.

In the challenging socio-economic environment of southern Odisha, where SOVA works, it has taken a holistic approach to combat poverty and empower communities. In doing so, it pursues three primary goals: Food security for the communities, increased income, and the protection of natural resources. The key strategies SOVA follows are promoting sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture practices,on and off-farm-based enterprises, establishing market linkages, and developing skills of communities especially the youths for employability. It is also involved in community advocacy for accessibility of land rights, ensuring the Legislative measures and implementation of welfare Schemes and programs, including ensuring employment under MGNREGA, Minimum Wages Act, Old age Pension, Widow Pension, Maternity Benefits for women workers, Registration in E-Shram Card, ensuring Safe Migration, accessibility of staple food grains under Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), Health Insurance, skill development and enterprise development. Through the programmes, it ensures that all people can live in dignity while at the same time preserving the natural foundations of life in the long term, whether social, economic, or ecological.

Skill development for the employability of youths
Improving livelihoods of landless labourers
Making agriculture viable for small and marginal farmers

The employment situation of young people today in our operational areas is characterized specifically by high unemployment and underemployment, lower-quality jobs, and difficult transitions into decent work. Though educational attainment has risen quickly in recent years, gaining a foothold in the labour market…

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.

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 freque