Impact Lab
Rural Action Lab’s Impact Lab drives community-led development by designing and implementing field-based interventions that strengthen rural livelihoods and climate resilience. Our work combines grassroots engagement, behavioural change strategies, and local capacity-building to ensure long-term ownership and sustainability. Through field-based innovation, partnership building, and iterative learning, the Impact Lab supports farmers, rural entrepreneurs, and community institutions to adopt practices that enhance incomes, promote ecological stewardship, and foster inclusive rural growth.
​Climate-smart agriculture project
Our Climate-Smart Agriculture initiative empowers farming communities across Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to adopt sustainable, low-cost, and climate-resilient practices. By combining on-ground demonstrations with farmer-led learning, the project bridges the gap between traditional knowledge and modern agricultural innovation. Through 30+ demonstration plots and 50+ village-level trainings, we promote practices such as integrated nutrient management, crop residue recycling, Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in paddy, and the use of biofertilizers and organic compost. These field schools act as open classrooms where farmers witness real-time results and replicate successful methods in their own fields. We also focus on improving soil health, enhancing water-use efficiency, and engaging rural youth as drivers of agricultural transformation. From distributing soil testing kits and promoting vermicomposting to piloting drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting, every intervention is designed to reduce environmental stress while improving farm productivity and profitability.
Project SANJH
Project Saanjh is a community-driven initiative aimed at tackling Punjab’s annual stubble burning crisis, which sees nearly 20 million tons of crop residue burned each year, causing severe air pollution, soil degradation, and health risks across Northern India. Implemented across 10 villages in Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts, the project has engaged over 1,000 farmers through 50+ training camps and 5 demonstration plots showcasing no-burn sowing, water conservation, and regenerative practices. It has also facilitated access to Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery through community-based rental models, benefiting 20 service providers and promoting cost-effective alternatives to residue burning. By combining collective action, agroecological techniques, and women’s leadership in farming, Project Saanjh is fostering resilient, low-emission, and sustainable agricultural systems that improve livelihoods while contributing to cleaner air and healthier ecosystems in Punjab
THE MANGO PROJECT
Fruit and vegetable farmers are among the worst affected by supply chain disruptions. Through The Mango Project, we aim to support mango farmers in Western Uttar Pradesh by directly connecting them with consumers in the Delhi–NCR region and facilitating the logistics required for door-to-door delivery of farm-fresh produce. This reduces post-harvest losses, improves price realisation, and lowers dependency on middlemen.
Rural Digitization Initiative (RDI)
Through Rural Digitisation Initiative we are helping rural businesses, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), governance bodies, and social organizations to establish an online presence; integrate with modern marketplaces; build technical/managerial capacity so that digital tools serve them for marketing, procurement, and information access.
