Centre for Ecology & Rural Development (CERD)

Agriculture

Study the agro-ecological crisis and advocacy for alternative policies of agricultural development.

Develop sustainable and equitable alternatives for water management, soil fertility and pest management, and wasteland reclamation. This work includes technology development and transfer, capability building and organizational interventions.

Provide support to local planning efforts in primary production activities.
Network Partners
• European Economic Commission
• Public Works Department, Govt. of Pondicherry
• ARISE Organic Farmers Network, New Delhi

Health

Promote People’s initiative and build local capabilities for effective primary health care.
Provide resource support to movements for advocacy on health policy issues
Develop technologies and methodologies for meaningful community participation and better effectiveness of healthcare, drinking water and sanitation programmes.

Network Partners

• UNICEF
• Member, People’s Health Assembly, Dhaka
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
• District Rural Development Agency, Pondicherry.

Rural Manufacture

Promote credit cooperatives of poor women and help them evolve into enterprise networks.

Local area planning for employment generation through enterprise clusters. This involves feasibility studies, training, technology innovation and transfer, management support and networking with existing units and markets.
Network Partners
• Centre for Technology & Development, New Delhi.
• Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) Ahmedabad.
• National Science & Technology Enterpreneurship Development Board, DST, Govt. of India
• Council for Advancement of Appropriate Rural Technology (CAPART), Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.

Information technology

Shaping IT to serve rural needs – creation of content and context

IT based improvement in quality of school education. Community health, local level planning for better livelihood options.
Network Partners
• Ministry of Information Technology, Govt. of India
• All India Society for Electronics and Computer Technology (AISECT), Bhopal

Environment

Undertake environment impact studies on behalf of people’s movements and local communities.
Development and promotion of local friendly technologies.
Network Partners
• Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu
• Pondicherry State Council for Science, Technology & Environment, Govt. of Pondicherry

Human Resource Development

Offers technical training in computers, electrical and electronic techniques.
Undertakes entrepreneurship development training and technical training for women and other organizations.
Offers consultancies in enterprise development.
Network Partners
• All India Society for Electronics and Computer Technology (AISECT), Bhopal
• National Science & Technology Enterpreneurship Development Board, DST, Govt. of India
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD