Welcome

 With the objective of ecologically sensitive farming and healthy food production this multi-fold programme has reached out to more than 4000 farmers in 70 villages of both the talukas. The outcome of the programme is the formation of Organic Farmers’ Producer Company ensuring value chain from production to Marketing. This programme has taken significant lead in conservation, cultivation and sale of millets including Raagi, Devthan Bajara, Buck wheat, Varaias well as Kalbhat (brown rice) an indigenous variety of rice. 

Starting with Watershed development in 1993, today Lokpanchayat’s programme of environmental regeneration has taken a leap in terms of securing community forest rights for tribal communities and being part of Maharashtra Gene Bank working towards restoration of biodiversity in Western Ghats including protection of forests, sacred grooves and local variety of cattle Dangi cow. The biodiversity conservation through community forest rights has also provided ample opportunities for tribal to strengthen livelihood activities. 

  Lokpanchayat expanded it’s geographical area to neighbouring Aokoletaluka in 2011 with the aim of strengthening tribal livelihood, child development and women’s empowerment. Initially tribal communities were organised for their legal entitlements of child education and tribal self-governance. The campaign on tribal self-governance for the implementation Panchayat Extension in Schedules Area (PESA) resulted into mobilisingtribal communities for claiming formation 72 Gram Sabhas. For development funds from Gram Panachyat. 

  Lokpanchayat has established Rural Technical Training Institute in 2011, with aim of providing employable skills development to rural youth. This institute educates 250 youth per annum on subsidized fees. Institute provides hostel facilities to youth from remote tribal villages. With a seven acre campus and government recognised six technical courses, Lokpanchayat’sRural Technical Training Institute provides a full facility of 10 classrooms, 6 workshops, a computer lab and a boys hostel. Rural Technical Training Institute has 20 qualified teachers.

Lokpanchayat’s work with women started formation of women’s self-help groups, which further led to formation of a cooperative for income generation and “Jivhala” women’s organisation for voicing issues in governance and against discrimination. Today Lokpanchayat has organised Jivhalagroups in 60 villages providing platform for voicing issues of women in distressed. Lokpanchayat provides service of “Short Stay Home” to women in distress since 2012. Lokpanchayat is known for its work in women’s empowerment reaching out to more than 50000 women. 

Lokpanchayat has organised 16 women led indigenous seed banks preserving 127 varieties, seed sovereignty.   

Lokpanchayat's Efforts resulted into  production of 350 tons of total organic food production in 2022 including grains, pulses and millets  in 2022.

Lokpanchayat's Rural Technical Training Institute provide skills development education 250 rural youth from poor families