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Community Development Programme

Sustainable Livelihood

Empowering vulnerable households with lasting financial and social wellbeing.
In the villages of Northeast India, the path from subsistence to stability is possible — but it requires the right knowledge, skills, and support. Sunbird Trust works alongside farming households to build livelihoods that last.

Why Livelihoods Need Support

For farming households in remote Northeast India, the gap between effort and income has remained wide — for generations.

Isolation, lack of access to modern methods, and limited connections to markets and credit have kept households locked in cycles of subsistence. Addressing this requires more than goodwill — it demands structured, sustained intervention.

No Surplus for Income

Produce is barely enough for household consumption, leaving nothing to sell or save.

Limited Scientific Knowledge

Farmers rely on traditional methods with little access to improved on-farm and off-farm practices.

No Training Opportunities

Geographical isolation means formal training and development programmes rarely reach these communities.

No Credit or Market Access

Without credit facilities or market linkages, growth remains out of reach even for motivated households.

Interventions Built for Real Conditions.

Each intervention is designed around what farming households in Northeast India actually face — and what it takes to build something lasting.

SALT Farming

Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) is a sustainable cultivation method for high-rainfall, hilly terrain. Hedgerows of nitrogen-fixing plants control erosion and restore fertility, clippings become mulch, and small livestock are woven into the system – creating a self-reinforcing cycle of productivity on land farmers already have.

Contour hedgerows & soil conservation

Mulching & natural fertilisation

Multi-crop cultivation between rows

Small livestock & manure integration

This initiative builds household income through a scientific approach to livestock farming – designed for longevity, not just immediate yield. The focus is on practices that reduce disease, improve productivity, and give farmers the confidence to manage their animals independently over the long term.

Shed construction & management

Feed management

Vaccination & medicine

Farmer Training and Empowerment

The Support Behind Every Intervention.

Across both programmes, farmers receive the same three-layered commitment — knowledge to grow, guidance to improve, and resources to start.

Knowledge, Skills & Behaviour

Exposure trips, hands-on training, and ongoing conversations to shift practice and build lasting confidence in new methods.

Technical & Monitoring Support

Field teams make daily visits and dedicated advisors provide direct, farm-level feedback to help every farmer continuously improve.

Financial Support

Farm establishment grants and a revolving fund give households the capital to start new enterprises and sustain them through the early stages.

Impact at a Glance

Across three intervention types, real households in Manipur and Majuli are seeing change.

SALT Farmers

Active SALT farmers across 3 districts in Manipur, building soil health and diversified income from sloping land.

Livestock Households

Households in Majuli and Singngat benefiting from scientific livestock management, including egg incubator support.

Roselle Enterprise

Farmers engaged in Roselle cultivation as a commercial crop - building an additional, market-linked income stream.

Households Reached

Empowering vulnerable households across remote Northeast India to build lasting financial and social wellbeing.

Testimonial

SALT

In a year, from the SALT farm I am getting around ₹70,000–80,000. I am growing over 15 varieties of crops and have 7 goats whose manure I use in the farm. The soil quality is improving — before it was very dry, but with the hedgerows it is getting better. Compared to jhum, this is less laborious as we don’t have to cut trees every year.

Roda Inka
SALT Farmer · Puichi Village

SALT
I have been practicing at a SALT farm for 3 years. Comparing SALT and jhum — SALT is much better because working days are less. It will be even better than jhum when the farm becomes mature. The bananas and other fruits are getting better year by year.

Rinchuiba
SALT Farmer · Puichi Village

SALT
SALT farms are much better than jhum. Within three years of observing, I decided to practice SALT and leave jhum. Through Sunbird I came to know what SALT is and how to do it — theory, practically, and with materials. Sunbird is an eye opener to me.

Saronang Khumba
SALT Farmer · Puichi (Oktan) Village

SALT
I received training from Sunbird Trust and learned simple techniques like pruning, mulching, and using natural manure. I have seen gradual improvement in soil condition and plant growth. With support through a revolving fund, I also started goat rearing. I feel more hopeful that these practices will strengthen my livelihood in the long run.

Diaguang Lansa
SALT Farmer · Ijeirong Village

Livestock

Sunbird Trust came into our lives with goat farming. We built a proper shed, planted Napier grass, and slowly began to recover — not just physically, but mentally too. We now have goats, including newborn kids. Goat farming has given us not just an income source, but also a sense of stability.

Lakhemei Pegu
Livestock Farmer · Gangam Village, Majuli

Every Family Deserves a Livelihood That Lasts.

Your support helps farming households in Northeast India build skills, income, and the confidence to grow independently.
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