TGG’s Sustainable Rural Development Goals encompass all essential elements to transform and improve the lives of people in rural areas through responsible and sustainable habits. Ideated to allow men to strike the right balance between industrialization and environmental concern, empowered by the true story of people who have started to live in the new sustainable way.
It is essential to effectively plan the development model of rural areas in which the project takes place by the geographical location, its culture, traditional heritage, craftsmanship, art & craft, habits, natural resources, history, education level, social awareness, and many other factors that are unique to each country.
According to the intrinsic diversity and uniqueness that characterizes different regions, we have set these goals. Each point is structured to adapt in a dynamic way to a variety of rural areas allowing them to achieve the same grade of development, ensuring that sustainability objectives are reached, as those are at the true core of the whole program.
Every village should be self-sufficient in terms of food production, and they must be able to store and process it. Cooperative farming and chemical-free farming practice will be given special support. Plantation projects will be given priority to attain financial security for farmers. Collection of parent seeds and research on developing natural varieties that sustain the available conditions, creating value-added products, and developing natural preservatives are some research activities in which we focus. Agriculture will be the main pillar of our sustainable development goal.
India has much more to offer to the world in terms of its culture, cuisines, lifestyle, hospitality, traditional knowledge, home remedies, geographical knowledge, preservation methods, zero-waste techniques, and eco-products. Enhancing the development of each of the above-mentioned areas in a systematic way and documenting them properly for information and for future reference is vital for us to speak about our historical existential reality. It will also provide useful information for travelers visiting these places, thus contributing to rural tourism development.
Prevention is better than a cure. Having good health is essential for our survival and prosperity. Reviving traditional medicinal knowledge and promoting natural cures are the priorities. Due to our change in lifestyle, we have now started depending on chemical-based drugs for a speedy recovery and quick response: however, once the situation is under control, health care should be conducted using clean natural products and with a balanced diet and healing processes, so to limit side-effects that derive from chemical-intensive drugs.
As the civilization of this country is at least 10000 years old, there are many traditional handicrafts and skilled manpower available in this country. Most of the craftsmen are moving away from these age-old creative works due to their replacement by cheaper options available through commercial and mechanized production. The revival of such handicrafts, small-scale industries, and artisanal practices, with the goal of establishing a worldwide market with its inclusion in rural tourism, is essential for the country’s rebirth.
The planet is for all kinds of species. We have been getting them out of our way, destroying their habitat, and killing them for the sake of urban expansion and industrialization by exploiting natural resources excessively. The sustainability of human life is possible only if nature exists. We have to protect nature and biodiversity, finding a way to peacefully coexist. Restoration and replenishment of biodiversity is our prime focus.
Responsible technologies are the need of the hour. Special emphasis will be given to researching and developing such technologies as well as creating new opportunities for such newly developed technologies to thrive. These are the priorities to effectively address and counteract climate change and pollution, to lead the way towards sustainable development, and symbiosis with nature, since a mutual and respectful relationship with the environment is key in rural sustainable communities.
Though zero waste is the policy that is practiced in the eco-cultural model villages, there is waste that gets produced through various activities including e-waste. Every village must find a way to address waste management systematically, so as to avoid non-ecological and polluting practices. It is our objective to develop proper recycling methods, and a special research division will be constituted to receive feedback from villages and to provide advice on how to effectively manage waste.
Every drop of fresh water that we receive needs to be preserved and used for agricultural activities and drinking purposes. Creating a proper landscape survey and making ponds to harvest rainwater is on the top priority list, followed by small rainwater harvesting tanks with a natural filtration system. Ensuring the reliability and safety of clean water supplies is essential to the stability of the sustainable community. Moreover, canal projects and other irrigation and drinking water projects will be given special attention, given the central role of water in both agriculture and sustainment.
Most of the present education system has been focused on creating the much-needed workforce for the industry and other commercial establishments. An alternate education system is aimed to create human beings with values and respect for nature. Nature-based learning programs where observations are given super importance are highly encouraged along with strong communication skills to interact, future technology and its foundation program, traditional knowledge, and wisdom are the new streams of this educational practice. Simultaneously employability is also given foremost importance and the ecosystem is set to absorb these students and offer them higher educational opportunities in specialized areas as they work.
Nature has a pace at which evolution takes place until it is accelerated by human intervention. It is essential to understand nature’s pace of production, and set out consumption accordingly, to reduce the pressure on the planet. A study on nature’s replenishment pace must be conducted before the implementation of any projects in rural areas, where natural resources are utilized for production purposes.
Every citizen is an individual entity with their own rights and responsibilities entrusted by the constitution. They must be aware of their fundamental rights and their responsibilities towards society and nature. Every opportunity to educate people in rural areas about their rights and responsibilities, and how to protect themselves from infringement of such rights, is of utmost importance for us to create self-awareness and self-respect.
All rural development programs must maintain the aesthetics of the rural areas yet providing the essentials for equal opportunities. These include, but are not limited to: eco-houses, non-polluting vehicles, slow life, village libraries, education and tutoring, youth clubs and associations, community markets and common facility centers, as well as irrigation, stockyards, connectivity to cities, transport, proper hygiene and sanitation, responsible agriculture practices and fair trade systems.
Systematic development of rural areas, with a vision to provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, is essential for self-reliance ambitions and sustainability purposes. Furthermore, the development that will derive as a consequence of this process can also contribute to reducing migration of workers and families to urban areas in search of employment, as well as better livelihood and salary opportunities. The viability of such projects will increase, as the cost of operations and production are reduced due to factors such as low rent/lease amount, low energy cost, wage being lower, and production-based.
For the successful implementation of any of the above-mentioned projects, the availability of funding is extremely important. It is essential that such funds come with more responsibility and care for the environment, rather than just the ultimate desire to generate a profit on interest: equity and participation-based funding will imply a more effective and beneficial alignment of incentives. Also, monitoring will play an important role in the fundraising process, ensuring greater levels of accountability and responsibility for both parties involved. It is therefore important also to consider the aim through which funding is provided, as it is part of the social transformation process we are fostering.
In order to achieve capillary distribution of items and resources through the rural net of communities and villages, crucial for increasing living standards, stocking items and transporting them to a central distribution point is essential. Improved logistics and warehouse management will start to put the economic wheels into the rotation and will ignite the lively and dynamic trading aspects of the rural economy, acting as the center of the interactions of workers and helping foster development even further.
The success of all commercial activities is attributed to its capability to convert the goods and services to a common medium of exchange. Cost-effective sales and marketing are key to achieve this common goal and it is possible through E-commerce and E-auction. There is a wide range of goods and services produced through various projects and it needs to be brought to the notice of people, creating demand for the products, services, and sales to be achieved. If we cannot sell the products that we produce then it is a waste of resources.