Raintree Foundation
Website:
theraintree.org
Job details:
About Raintree Foundation -
Raintree Foundation, founded by Leena Dandekar and her family, works at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity, and community resilience - building sustainable, living landscapes.Our work began in Velhe (Western Ghats), where we have developed an integrated model across 2,100 hectares covering 9 villages, focused on water security, clean energy, livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation. Building on this, we are now scaling to the Shastri River Basin (~209,800 hectares) - a largely undammed and unpolluted ecosystem - with a vision to impact 400+ villages.
Our approach follows a micro-to-macro model, starting at the household level and expanding to communities and wider regions, integrating ecological restoration with human development including mental health, inclusion, financial resilience, and livelihood creation. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we aim to enable long-term systems change through research-driven, collaborative, and scalable interventions.
Position/Role Overview:
The Program Manager – Livelihood will lead initiatives that strengthen rural livelihoods through improved agricultural practices, regenerative farming, water security, and value-chain integration for smallholder farmers. The role focuses on strategic planning and design, program management, partnership development, technical expertise in agriculture and rural development, capacity building, market linkages (farm-side), and community engagement to improve incomes and resilience in rural communities.
Importance of the Thematic:
In vulnerable landscapes such as the Western Ghats in India, livelihood and income augmentation are indispensable pillars of climate action because economic insecurity is the primary driver of environmental depletion. When communities depend on rain-fed subsistence, an erratic monsoon can force families into a "cycle of survival" characterized by high-interest debt and distress migration, leaving them with neither the bandwidth nor the resources to invest in conservation. The Raintree Foundation addresses this through its sustainable landscape management model, which introduces diversified, climate-smart income streams such as regenerative agriculture, farm-ponds, and women-led micro-enterprises. This economic buffer provides the financial sustenance necessary to sustain long-term stewardship, proving that environmental restoration can only be successful when it is built on a foundation of financial dignity and local agency.
Key Responsibilities:
Program Design & Strategy
- Design and implement livelihood-focused interventions that enhance rural and agricultural productivity, regenerative farming, and climate-resilient land and resource management practices.
- Develop strategies for farmer mobilization, producer collectives, and livelihood enhancement aligned with community needs and organizational priorities.
- Integrate a service-delivery lens into program design for agriculture, natural resource management, and livelihood ecosystem strengthening.
- Contribute to planning for land-use diversification through regenerative farming, agroforestry, water conservation, and sustainable natural resource management.
Project Management & Implementation
- Lead the planning, implementation and monitoring of livelihood programs, ensuring adherence to timelines, quality, and budget.
- Coordinate with field teams, partner NGOs, government bodies, and community stakeholders to achieve project outcomes.
- Identify challenges and opportunities to scale livelihood interventions across communities.
Technical Expertise & Capacity Building
- Provide technical guidance and support on agronomy, post-harvest, regenerative agriculture, water-harvesting methods, soil health, and sustainable practices.
- Facilitate capacity-building activities, training workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions to empower farmers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
- Strengthen adoption of regenerative farming practices, advanced water harvesting techniques, and integration of clean energy solutions.
Market Linkages & Value Chain Development
- Identify farm-based market opportunities and strengthen linkages between farmers, producer groups, and buyers.
- Promote market-oriented approaches such as collective marketing, aggregation models, contract farming, and certification programs.
Partnership Development & Stakeholder Engagement
- Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, private sector companies, research institutions, and other stakeholders to leverage resources, expertise, and networks for agricultural development.
- Engage with local communities, farmer groups, and marginalized populations to ensure their meaningful participation and inclusion in project activities and decision-making processes.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)
- Establish MEL frameworks to track progress on livelihood outcomes, income improvements, farm productivity, and environmental benefits.
- Capture and disseminate learnings, best practices, and case stories for adaptive management.
Advocacy & Policy Engagement
- Support advocacy for policies related to sustainable agriculture, regenerative farming, and rural livelihoods.
- Facilitate convergence of government schemes to benefit farming communities.
Fundraising Support
- Assist in the development of concept notes, grant proposals, funding proposals, and donor reports.
- Assist the fundraising team in the management of donors, as and when needed.
Communication
- Provide the communication team with content for the development of marketing materials.
- Contribute to communication strategies and storytelling that highlight success stories.
Technical Expertise: Agricultural & technical expertise, Project Management, Program Development, Community engagement, Partner management, Multilingual, knowledge of Marathi is essential, Tech savvy
Must have skills
Program Design
Project Management
Qualifications
Master's degree or higher in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, or a related field
Experience Level
10-18 years
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