Agriculture
Since 1987, RASTA has been focusing on sustainable agriculture as one of the focal point of intervention as the livelihood of the 95% of the inhabitants of the region are from agriculture and moreover the farming sector has been facing major problems like diminishing productivity, increased incidences of pest and diseases, lack of availability of appropriate technologies at farmer level and weak extension services. RASTA has undertaken a number of activities especially awareness generation, research and extension, infrastructure development activities to support farmers.
Women's empowerment
La condizione delle donne nel distretto di Wayanad era stato molto patetica e indietro fino agli anni recenti. Le donne della popolazione comprende 50% of which about 70% fare affidamento su di loro agricoltura sostentamento e lavoro agricolo. Si impegnano in queste opere, dopo aver completato tutti i loro doveri nazionali. Non hanno mai avuto la sicurezza per domani o l'abitudine di risparmio. Mentre stavano avendo alcun possesso delle attività e stabilità economica, the financial institutions like banks were unwilling to extend loan facilities for them. At this context RASTA initiated to the formation of Self Help Groups ( SHGs ) for the women in villages. RASTA had been the first among the NGOs to form Self Help Groups in Wayanad. By the time the SHGs sono diventati un modello di ruolo nello scenario di sviluppo del villaggio. Ora ci sono circa 900 SHGs facilitated by RASTA. The project was supported Intercorporation, and Rb foundation.
Sostegno alle comunità indigene
Tribal communities contribute 17% of the total population in Wayanad district. Eight different communities are living in this hilly and backward district. A causa di afflusso di migranti provenienti da varie parti dello stato queste comunità indigene ricevuti emarginate e hanno dovuto affrontare diversi problemi come la mancanza di proprietà della terra, unemployment, insicurezza alimentare e la mancanza di servizi di base. During the past 15 RASTA anni ha cercato di migliorare la situazione delle comunità tribali in diversi modi.
Technology Dissemination
The technologies developed for application at village level, whether it is agriculture related, water harvesting or health and hygiene, are often away from the vicinity of common man. The role of an intermediary to introduce, fine tune and modify technologies are very important if it has to be adopted at village level. Quiet often the technologies need to be field tested in the specific local conditions before replicating. Being an organization responsive to the local needs, RASTA found a big gap in the technology promotion aspects in the district and it has undertaken it as a primary role in its functioning. During the past 20 years RASTA has been able to introduce, fine-tune and replicate a number of technologies in agriculture and allied sectors to improve the quality of life of rural men and women.
