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| BAIF Development Research Foundation (formerly registered as the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation), is a reputed voluntary organisation established in 1967 by Dr. Manibhai Desai, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, at Urulikanchan, near Pune to promote sustainable livelihood in Rural India. |
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| BAIF is committed to provide sustainable livelihood to the rural poor through management of natural resources and promotion of livestock development, watershed development and agri-horti-forestry as major income generation activities. BAIF is serving over 4.5 million poor families living in 60,000 villages spread over 16 states across the country through the dedicated efforts of over 4500 employees. |
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| The major activities of BAIF are promotion of dairy husbandry, goat husbandry, water resources development, sustainable agriculture and agri-horti-forestry for rehabilitation of tribals on degraded lands and various rural non-farm activities for generating employment for landless families. Environmental sustainability and empowerment of women cut across all these programmes. |
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| BAIF has developed the Village Cluster Development Approach to reach the poorest of the poor. This approach is a unique approach to identify the problems and needs of poor families and introduce appropriate technologies and services to solve them. To ensure sustainability, self help groups of men and women of homogeneous socio-economic status have been promoted, who have identified their needs and initiated various income generation activities and community development initiatives with facilitation from BAIF. |
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| Today, the multidisciplinary programme has enabled over 85% of participating families in cluster development programme, to come out of poverty through family-based enterprises. Increased value of farm produce through BAIF programmes, contributes Rs. 2500 crores to the GDP. Many of these successful programmes have been widely replicated through various on-going Government schemes. |
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| Vision |
Building a self-reliant rural society assured of food security, safe drinking water, good
health, gender equity, low child mortality, literacy, high moral values and clean
environment.
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| Mission |
BAIF's Mission is to create opportunities of gainful self-employment for the rural families, especially disadvantaged sections, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment, improved quality of life and good human values. This is being achieved through development research, effective use of local resources, extension of appropriate technologies and upgradation of skills and capabilities with
community participation. BAIF is a non-political, secular and professionally managed organisation. |
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BAIF Logo
The BAIF Logo is a symbolic representation of the Mission of BAIF in Rural Development. It is a visual portrayal of the four important natural resources - land, livestock, water and vegetation. Anna Bahu Kurveet Tadh Vratam as inscribed in the epitaph signifies BAIF's commitment to the conservation of these precious natural resources and to promote abundant agricultural production from land.
The crossbred cows located strategically in the centre depicts the efficient conversion of coarse fibre from straws of sorghum, millet, bajra and wheat into milk which is a major source of protein in the diet of the poor rural people, without suppressing the production of food grains. The two milk bottles embedded in the soil signify milk being a product of earth. The microscope highlights the role of research in rural development. The wheel symbolizes the blend of science, technology and industrial approach towards agriculture practiced by small farmers. The petals of the lotus form a bell and are synonymous with rural prosperity.
The original name Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) also reflects the need for treating agriculture and rural development as an industry requiring sound back up of management and motivation to turn the farmers into entrepreneurs to manage their resources, while generating gainful self-employment in their own environs. BAIF was renamed as BAIF Development Research Foundation to emphasis the need to blend development programmes with research and appropriate technologies, as development without research becomes outdated and research without development becomes academic.
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