Indian Eco-village development project of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY)

Since the year 2002, the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä has had an Eco-village Development project in the villages of the rural area around Bharatpur in the state of Rajasthan in India. The main goal of the Eco-village development programme is to gradually convert the 19 selected villages into community oriented Model Eco-Villages, where farming and energy production can be done in a sustainable way by using local know-how and resources. The objective of the project is to promote sustainable development and increase the villagers’ knowledge and awareness about their environment and about their possibilities to affect their own living conditions.

Rajasthan suffers from drought and poverty. Because of the climate conditions and gender inequality it is especially the women who lead a life of hardships. This project emphasizes people centred development as well as long term sustainability and promotes especially women empowerment and their possibilities to participate in the decision making in the community. The implementation is done by the Indian partner organizations of the Student Union. These Indian NGOs are Women’s Action For Development (WAFD), which works for the development of rural areas and for the improvement of the status of women and children in the society, and Integrated Sustainable Energy and Ecological Development Association (INSEDA), which promotes low-cost renewable energy solutions.

Technical components are transferred to the villages to help the people use natural resources in a sustainable way. This will be achieved for example with the help of small-scale renewable energy solutions, rainwater collecting and organic farming. At the same time social structures are created and strengthened. This will spread the know-how and democratic decision making