Dear Friends,
20 Years of the twenty-first Century have passed by. Giving a situational analysis, eminent historian Yuval Noah Harari (the author of Sapiens) has written a very popular book 21 Lessons for the twenty-first Century and has raised several issues – How can we protect ourselves? Are we Prepared? What do we do? The UN has set the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to remove Poverty (SDG 1) and Hunger (SDG 2) from the world; ensure Quality Education for underprivileged children (SDG 4); reduce Gender Inequality ( SDG 5); minimise the impact of Climate Change (SDG 13) and reduce the ever-expanding Inequality (SDG 10). These have also been the core of Agragamee’sinterventions from the beginning, and we shall continue in pursuit of these Goals as they provide a vision of the future human beings must-have on this earth!
Whether it is Education for Underprivileged children or it is the practice of Ecological Agriculture and Organic Farming to help poor communities move towards better and more sustainable livelihoods, we have made persistent efforts to reach many villages and communities across the state of Odisha.
Looking at burning Agrarian Issues in the country, we have undertaken research and initiated discourse by organizing Round Tables. We have tried our best to reach Farming Communities across the state and capture their voices as well as their concerns. This participatory action research has deepened our appreciation and understanding of the critical issues facing the farm sector.
The spectre of the Covid-19 Pandemic and the lockdown affected children’s education severely. We are really happy that village youth have come forward to help us address this situation by starting learning centres in the villages. Agragamee School was closed, this provided the impetus to take Agragamee School to the villages.
On a brighter note, we are delighted that our Vice-President, Shrimati Shanti Devi has received the Padma Shri Award this year. It is richly deserved. Shanti Appa as we call her is a versatile and multi-faceted person who can spin, knit weave, just as well as she manages her projects for orphaned children. She has devoted her life to tribal children and tribal people. She is a true Gandhian, and we are immensely proud of her achievements.
In its, work Agragamee has got tacit financial support from the Government of Odisha under PKVY and Odisha Millet Mission Programmes. It has also got support from International Donors – Karl Kubel Stiftung ( Germany) for Eco-village Development, SEMATECH ( Belgium) for Education, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung ( Germany) for Agrarian Issues, MINI-DDS who have supported our women farmers as Millet Sisters and Giving Circle Foundation ( USA) for Education.. We have also received support from WIPRO FOUNDATION. Significantly, Agragamee has received generous support from many individuals across the world which have helped us to carry forward our programmes and reach the poorest and most unreached.
We are grateful to all for the financial assistance given to us. We invite more people to join our efforts to reach the excluded and the unreached – those who don’t even get two square meals a day and help make the world more just and beautiful.

Achyut Das