The vast majority of poor people in developing countries live in rural areas, their livelihoods are tied to the agricultural sector.

One of Divine Onkar Missions’ main function is prevention and empowerment. Therefore, we do not only wish to respond to hunger-related disasters. We wish to address the underlying causes of hunger, vulnerability and poverty.

Orissa & Jharkhand:

In Orissa agriculture is the major contributor to the state’s economy. About 76% of the total working population in Orissa is engaged in agriculture and agriculture related industries.

Orissa is one of the largest producers of rice in India and the state grows almost one tenth of the total rice production of the country. Favourable climate and presence of rich soils account for the flourishing agriculture of Orissa.

Agriculture in Jharkhand is the mainstay for most of the tribal communities.

In fact, about 80% of the total population practices agriculture in Jharkhand.

Sadly, despite these great natural assets, these two states remain the poorest in India.

Many are from tribal communities are living well below the poverty line, maintaining their livelihoods through local agricultural and rural development.

Our Response:

We have been working in Jharkhand and Orissa for two decades building trust and respect amongst the various tribal communities that struggle to fight the harsh realities of poverty and exploitation. They are quite rightly suspicious of outsiders, who have sadly exploited them in the past.

We actively locate remote villages situated in uncultivated land where inhabitants have little means or knowledge of producing their own food. We purchase this land and then work to empower local people with the necessary training and skills; so that they can begin to survive off the land. Thereby, producing crops to feed their communities and selling any surplus to generate income.

Currently, we have two agricultural and horticultural one in Orissa which is linked to one of our schools and the other in Pallu, Ranchi. We are producing organic vegetables and fruits which we use in our schools.

MORE Needs to be done:

Although, we have significantly impacted the lives of some rural villages and their communities, there are many more that remain untouched.

Divine Onkar Mission wishes to further expand our work in agricultural development by placing special emphasis on the latest technological aspects to secure more cost-efficient ways of cultivating land.

Data suggest that the countries that have been most successful in reducing hunger, are the same ones that have invested heavily in agriculture.