Year 2014-15 saw Kabil setting up the SDTT supported project in Assam to help small farmers improve productivity of their homesteads through appropriate irrigation technology. The project aimed at creating irrigation facilities for the cultivation of vegetables and plantation crops in the homesteads of about 500 farmers mainly in Kamrup Rural district. Kabil also started supporting 8 local NGOs Assam with operating area in Kamrup Rural, Bongaigaon, Sonitpur, Nalbari, Kokrajhar, Goalpara and Karbi Anglong districts. The aim was to enhance their abilities for livelihood promotion of the rural poor. These NGOs voluntarily formed a learning group in which Kabil also participated. Leaders of these NGOs were members of the learning group. The group met once in a quarter, hosted by one of the participating NGOs in its own location. Kabil professionals visited the field areas of participating NGOs to provide support as per needs generated in the learning group. The work with NERLP continued and Kabil made village level Community Development Plans (CDPs) emphasizing on livelihoods generation with intense involvement of local communities in West and South Sikkim districts. Support of Kabil professionals was sought by Tripura State Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM) and they trained TRLM staff in phases on matters relating to promotion of SHGs. Elsewhere in the country, Kabil supported ASA in Madhya Pradesh, Banausodhi Vikas (an SHG federation in Odisha), Kudumbashree at Attapadi of Kerala and Shamayita Math at Dantewada of Chhattisgarh. A branch office of Kabil was established in Guwahati.

Spreading Indian innovations beyond its shores:

It is worthwhile to record that Kabil in its initial days carried forward a partnership between PRADAN and iDE Ethiopia that sought to pilot the Indian innovation of “community led integrated natural resource management (INRM)” in a few villages in the latter’s project area in Ethiopia. The pilot ran in two villages, viz. Dodicha and Gulenta near Ziway Lake in the acutely food-insecure Rift Valley region. Kabil professionals provided technical support through periodic visits. At the end of two years there have been several recognized achievements in the pilot in terms of augmentation of water availability, improved agriculture and introduction of women’s self help groups. However, since the current form of Kabil’s legal entity does not allow it to receive or spend resources for work abroad; no finances were either received or spent by Kabil. An appropriate legal entity is under consideration, which will attempt to spread Indian innovations in rural livelihood promotion outside its shores.