Corporate social responsibility: win-win propositions for community, corporates and agriculture

This book examines the design and implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in rural areas, based on collaboration between well-known corporates and an international research organization. Researchers used various scientific tools and methods to enhance rural livelihoods and improve sustainable natural resources management. Including three chapters covering the philosophy and practices of CSR, this book covers emerging policies and their implications in India. Eight case studies based on actual practices explore climate-resilient agriculture, water footprint, improving livelihoods, diversification of crop pattern, enhancing crop productivity, and sustainable development in low rainfall regions. Five further chapters cover soil health improvement, improving rural wastewater management and enhancing rural livelihoods, based on various case studies. The book offers macro and micro perspectives of CSR work and its critical benefits to both community and natural resources. This book covers: Philosophy and practices of corporate social responsibility. Impact studies on improving livelihoods and sustainable development of natural resources. Process steps across various CSR initiatives. Distinct features of each corporate agency. This book will be useful to corporates, individuals involved in CSR work as well as students and researchers focused on agricultural development and the sustainable development of natural resources. This book with 13 chapters presents various efforts across India, made by different corporates in collaboration with ICRISAT. It describes how in each location, cutting across the sectors, both the corporate and a research organization have meticulously designed and executed location- specific projects in the interest of enhancing livelihoods and improving natural resource use efficiency. The first chapter sets the stage to understand the CSR path of development, course corrections, policy support from the Government of India, refinements made over the years, key findings of the recent assessments made by leading agencies and critical role played by national-level corporate associations. Chapter 2 presents why holistic solutions are needed to effectively address the issues of increasing land degradation, water scarcity and threat of climate change to bring in sustainable system intensification and diversification to high-yielding, climate-smart and high-value crops. Chapter 3 deals with unabated soil degradation due to low soil organic C levels, multiple nutrient deficiencies including micro and secondary nutrients, rising salinity and soil loss due to erosion which jeopardize food security of swiftly rising global population projected to be 9.7 billion by 2050. Chapter 4 describes the semiarid tropical region as primarily agrarian with the dominance of rainfed traditional agricultural production systems. Chapter 5 explains how water plays an important role in semiarid tropical regions to address water scarcity, land degradation, and crop and livestock productivity which improve the rural livelihood system. Chapter 6 shows the initiative by Asian Paints Limited to improve rural livelihood through integrated watershed development programme in six villages in Patancheru mandal of Medak district, Telangana, covering an area of 7143 ha. Chapter 7 emphasizes the development of the Bundelkhand region of Central India, which is the hot spot of water scarcity, land degradation and poor socioeconomic status. Chapter 8 provides soil health mapping for enhancing water use efficiency in watersheds for sustainable improved livelihoods in Sir Dorabji Tata Trust-supported initiative across 16 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states of India. Chapter 9 describes a scaling-up approach in developing soil test-based fertilizer recommendations at block level, supported by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Chapter 10 explains innovative model of farmer-centric watershed management in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh and Vijayapura district, Karnataka for improving rural livelihoods and reducing degradation of natural resources. Chapter 11 presents the success story the community and farm-based rainwater conservation (supported by RECL) have created a net storage capacity of approximately 18 000 m3 with total conservation of approximately 50 000 m3/year of surface runoff water in Anantapur watershed of Andhra Pradesh and 27 000 m3 storage capacity with conservation of approximately 54 000 m3/year of surface runoff water in Mahabubnagar watershed of Telangana. Chapter 12 demonstrates how improved sanitation and hygiene through proper wastewater management is critical to sustainable growth of rural communities. Chapter 13 summarizes, based on different case studies shown in earlier chapters, livelihood benefits and improved water use efficiency across various CSR sites. Overall, this book provides an excellent insight into the early phase of CSR work undertaken by ICRISAT-led consortium for achieving the impacts and has gathered number of learnings by working in partnership This book, the first of its kind, is based on empirical and science-based evidence from the design and implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in rural areas. It covers emerging policies and their implications in India, using eight specially written case studies based on actual practices.