Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Foundation
– An institutional legacy of a network
” In India, more than 50% of agriculture is rainfed, yet policies and programmes often do not address the real needs of dryland (rainfed) farmers. “
The Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Foundation has emerged from the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network which has been working for the last fifteen years to strengthen rainfed farming and the communities that depend on it.
The RRA Foundation is established to address the intertwined challenges of the rainfed regions. We recognize that many innovative solutions already exist at the grassroots—led by farmer groups, community collectives, and civil society organisations—but they often lack the financial resources and professional support to scale.
To mobilise domestic resources, create a flexible pool of funds to sub-grant to grassroots partners and networks thereby foster collaboration, strengthen local capacity, and invest in ecosystem-building.
Enable holistic, climate resilient and nutrition sensitive models that strengthen ecosystems, improve livelihoods and enhance local food systems; co-created by a network of civil society organizations, farmer groups, and research institutions.
Provide adequate resources with long term backing to thereby foster sustainable and systemic transformation in communities and institutions. By combining resources across network members, our support moves beyond short-term projects.
Our assistance reaches the ground through transparent, decentralized, and accountable mechanisms. Leveraging the RRA Network, we empower local organizations and communities to lead collective action, share learnings, and build platforms for participatory decision-making.
About 51% of India’s net sown area is rainfed, accounting for nearly 40% of total food production and supporting two-thirds of the country’s livestock (NRAA,2022). Around 61% of India’s farmer population depends on these rainfed farms for their livelihoods. Yet, decades of over-exploitation, declining soil health, and limited irrigation have left these landscapes highly vulnerable, with climate change exacerbating the risks. Monsoon shifts, shorter rainy periods, and an 8–10% reduction in kharif rainfall over the past two decades (CRIDA, 2020) have further undermined agricultural stability.
” Despite these challenges, millions continue to work these farms, sustaining local food systems and preserving diverse, traditional production practices that hold promise for resilient, sustainable agriculture.”
– Gagan Sethi is a development educator, organizational development expert, and gender trainer with over four decades of experience in the sector. As the founder of Janvikas, he has played a key role in establishing several strategic organizations across India, including Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, Sahjeevan, Drishti, Centre for Social Justice, and the HID Forum. His expertise lies in human and institutional development, capacity building, and training. He was a former chairperson of RRA Network Advisory committee and currently serves as a member of the advisory board.
– Kushagra Merchant is a management consultant. He is a co-founder of Social Synergy Foundation (sosynergy.org) that, since its set-up in 2014, provides long-term organisational development and institution building support to a variety of predominantly small and medium-sized civil society organisations. Prior to Social Synergy Foundation, he was a management consultant, first with Accenture Services India’s consulting division, and later with the erstwhile Monitor Group’s unit called Monitor Inclusive Markets (later part of FSG) on their work on development of market-based models for low-income housing and drinking water in urban India.
RRA Foundation is committed to providing clear, transparent and timely information on our finances and grantmaking efforts. We post our annual reports and audited financial statements to the site as they become available
Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Foundation
– An institutional legacy of a network
” In India, more than 50% of agriculture is rainfed, yet policies and programmes often do not address the real needs of dryland (rainfed) farmers. “
The Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Foundation has emerged from the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network which has been working for the last fifteen years to strengthen rainfed farming and the communities that depend on it.
The RRA Foundation is established to address the intertwined challenges of the rainfed regions. We recognize that many innovative solutions already exist at the grassroots—led by farmer groups, community collectives, and civil society organisations—but they often lack the financial resources and professional support to scale.
To mobilise domestic resources, create a flexible pool of funds to sub-grant to grassroots partners and networks thereby foster collaboration, strengthen local capacity, and invest in ecosystem-building.
Enable holistic, climate resilient and nutrition sensitive models that strengthen ecosystems, improve livelihoods and enhance local food systems; co-created by a network of civil society organizations, farmer groups, and research institutions.
Provide adequate resources with long term backing to thereby foster sustainable and systemic transformation in communities and institutions. By combining resources across network members, our support moves beyond short-term projects.
Our assistance reaches the ground through transparent, decentralized, and accountable mechanisms. Leveraging the RRA Network, we empower local organizations and communities to lead collective action, share learnings, and build platforms for participatory decision-making.
About 51% of India’s net sown area is rainfed, accounting for nearly 40% of total food production and supporting two-thirds of the country’s livestock (NRAA,2022). Around 61% of India’s farmer population depends on these rainfed farms for their livelihoods. Yet, decades of over-exploitation, declining soil health, and limited irrigation have left these landscapes highly vulnerable, with climate change exacerbating the risks. Monsoon shifts, shorter rainy periods, and an 8–10% reduction in kharif rainfall over the past two decades (CRIDA, 2020) have further undermined agricultural stability.
” Despite these challenges, millions continue to work these farms, sustaining local food systems and preserving diverse, traditional production practices that hold promise for resilient, sustainable agriculture.”
– Gagan Sethi is a development educator, organizational development expert, and gender trainer with over four decades of experience in the sector. As the founder of Janvikas, he has played a key role in establishing several strategic organizations across India, including Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, Sahjeevan, Drishti, Centre for Social Justice, and the HID Forum. His expertise lies in human and institutional development, capacity building, and training. He was a former chairperson of RRA Network Advisory committee and currently serves as a member of the advisory board.
– Kushagra Merchant is a management consultant. He is a co-founder of Social Synergy Foundation (sosynergy.org) that, since its set-up in 2014, provides long-term organisational development and institution building support to a variety of predominantly small and medium-sized civil society organisations. Prior to Social Synergy Foundation, he was a management consultant, first with Accenture Services India’s consulting division, and later with the erstwhile Monitor Group’s unit called Monitor Inclusive Markets (later part of FSG) on their work on development of market-based models for low-income housing and drinking water in urban India.
RRA Foundation is committed to providing clear, transparent and timely information on our finances and grantmaking efforts. We post our annual reports and audited financial statements to the site as they become available
