Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group is a voluntary organisation that undertakes
development initiatives to impact positively the lives of the poor, deprived and
marginalized through a people-centered approach focusing on their participation,
awareness and empowerment for sustainable development. Organisation's efforts focus
on sustainable livelihood of small and marginal farmers through sustainable agriculture
approach.
GEAG works around six core themes to in order reduce the vulnerability of the excluded
in eco-friendly, gender just and participatory ways. The first five of these are
overlapping in many ways. But all six are critical in ensuring the resilience of
the poor and the vulnerable to climate change caused by global warming.
1- Securing livelihoods through sustainable agriculture
In tune with the grassroots realities of rural India, GEAG identifies sustainable
livelihoods as the prime need of small and marginalised farmers, the landless and
the women farmers. It seeks to reduce rural poverty by enhancing livelihood options
based on sustainable agriculture, institution building, advocacy and networking.
2- Climate Change Adaptation
The poor and the vulnerable are the most affected by the realities of global warming
and climate change. Yet villagers all across India, including in Uttar Pradesh have
a repertoire of adaptive strategies to deal with the impacts of climate change.
The prime livelihoods being based on agriculture, a sector that is most susceptible
to climate change, GEAG felt that its important to encourage adaptation that is
based on a synergy of indigenous and scientific knowledge and that the focus has
to be on small, marginal and women farmers.
3- Rights of Small, Marginal, Landless and Women Farmers
Denial of rights is associated with processes of exclusion. GEAG advocates the formulation
and implementation of policies and laws at the state and national levels in favour
of the rights of the small and marginal farmers, the landless and women farmers.
Rights awareness campaigns through public hearings, mass media, mass protests, dialogues
with the bureaucracy and the elected representatives, developing integrated networks
of civil society organizations and institutions have been the key mechanisms that
have contributed to a rebuilding of the identities of the excluded.
