This 4-year project supported by Karl Kubel Stiftung, Germany was started in 2014 to improve quality of lives of the rural people and addressing the negative effects of environmental degradation in Vathikudy Panchayat of Idukki district of Kerala. Major components of the project are: enhancing capacities of the target people, promoting sustainable agriculture & livelihood opportunities, enabling to protect soil & water and facilitating to mobilize local resources. Direct benefits of the project are being reached out to 1,000 marginalized families of small/ marginal farmers and daily workers. The following achievements were recorded while the project is nearing its completion:

• Construction of soil & water conservation structures like: stone bunds, contour trenches, water percolation pits, stream bank protection, gully plugs, live fencing, etc. could convert 30 acres of waste land into arable land.
• Support for agriculture and livelihood promotion activities has benefited 700 families to increase their family income by 30% at the minimum.
• Beneficiaries from 1265 target families were organized in to 85 SHGs, Four clusters and a federation. The federation named, Vathikudy Farmers Association (VFA) is a registered society that manages the functions of SHGs and clusters.