Jay Sehgal discusses how the Sehgal Foundation’s grassroots model is transforming rural India through sustainable agriculture, women’s empowerment, and community-driven innovation.
In an era where discussions about climate action and sustainability often occur in high-profile settings, the S.M. Sehgal Foundation has emerged as a beacon of impactful rural development in India. This organization prioritizes the voices of the communities it serves, ensuring that its initiatives are both relevant and effective.
During a fireside chat at Climate Week in New York on September 24, Venky Raghavendra, a senior philanthropic leader, engaged with Jay Sehgal, the executive vice president of the Sehgal Foundation. Their conversation highlighted the foundation’s grassroots approach to fostering sustainable change in rural India.
Founded by Indian American agri-scientist Suri Sehgal and his wife, Edda, the Gurugram-based foundation is one of two philanthropic organizations established by the couple, with the other being the Sehgal Foundation, USA, located in Des Moines, Iowa. The foundation has dedicated 25 years to empowering rural communities across India.
Raghavendra commended the foundation’s unique bottom-up model, which places community needs at the forefront of its mission. “An organization that really keeps the community at the heart of its mission develops and designs its programs from the bottom up,” he stated. He contrasted this approach with traditional top-down philanthropy, which often imposes solutions without community input. “Sehgal Foundation truly has flipped that model,” he added, emphasizing the importance of partnership in driving meaningful change.
According to Sehgal, the foundation has positively impacted nearly six million lives across thousands of villages in India. He noted that India, representing one-sixth of humanity, serves as a “laboratory for change,” suggesting that successful social solutions developed there could be replicated globally.
The foundation’s origins trace back to Suri Sehgal, who left India in the early 1960s to work for Pioneer Seeds in Iowa. After nearly three decades of expanding the company globally, he turned his focus to philanthropy, aiming to improve rural livelihoods in India. “He said, ‘I want to give it back — to do something for the farming community in India,’” Jay Sehgal recounted, explaining the foundation’s mission.
Today, the Sehgal Foundation operates in over 3,000 villages across 13 Indian states, employing more than 400 staff members. Its programs focus on sustainable agriculture, water management, climate adaptation, and women’s empowerment, all of which are intricately linked in India’s rural economy.
Sehgal highlighted the challenges faced by small-scale farmers in India, where landholdings are typically between one and five acres. “We wanted to make an impact with those poor farmers — creating sustainable practices, teaching below-the-soil solutions so they have more productivity on the land,” he explained.
Water management is a critical component of the foundation’s initiatives. “You can’t talk about agriculture without talking about water,” Sehgal asserted. The foundation’s programs aim to recharge groundwater, construct check dams, and promote efficient irrigation practices, all designed to enhance community resilience against climate shocks.
Sehgal emphasized that their focus is specifically on rural solutions, as urban areas often have different challenges. The foundation also recognizes the importance of women’s empowerment in achieving sustainable development. “When you work in rural communities, you cannot just work with the men. You have to get women involved, especially when we’re talking about sustainability,” he stated.
One of the foundation’s most significant initiatives has been improving girls’ education in rural areas. Sehgal noted the stark disparity in literacy rates between men and women, with many girls attending under-resourced government schools. To combat this, the foundation began upgrading these schools, transforming them into environments conducive to learning. “We realized the girls were coming to school, staying in school, and thriving,” he said, highlighting the importance of facilities such as water, toilets, and playgrounds.
Raghavendra pointed out that the foundation’s approach reflects a deep understanding of intersectionality, connecting education, gender equality, agriculture, and public health. “You can’t divvy these up,” he remarked, emphasizing their interrelatedness.
The discussion also touched on the pressing issue of climate change, which poses significant challenges for small farmers. Raghavendra cited the devastating floods in Punjab and Pakistan earlier this year, which destroyed a large percentage of crops in affected areas. Sehgal acknowledged the complexity of adapting to such extreme weather conditions, explaining how the foundation trains farmers to implement practices like deep-plowing to improve water percolation and prevent flooding.
In addition to individual farm-level interventions, the foundation constructs check dams and rainwater harvesting systems to recharge aquifers. “The only way you can divert the flash water is to the ground, to the aquifer,” Sehgal explained, stressing the urgency of these measures in regions where groundwater levels have plummeted.
When asked about fostering innovation amid resource constraints, Sehgal emphasized the importance of grassroots solutions. “You can’t sit in a lab and develop something and then go tell the farmer, ‘Here’s your solution,’” he stated. He recounted how the foundation’s plans evolved once they engaged directly with communities, adapting to their real needs and circumstances.
One innovative solution developed by the foundation addresses inland salinity, a problem affecting groundwater far from coastal areas. By creating large wells to harvest and divert fresh rainwater, the foundation has successfully provided clean water to numerous communities.
As technology continues to advance in rural India, the foundation is cautiously exploring new tools. “AI is becoming very prominent, especially in India,” Sehgal noted, mentioning the testing of soil and irrigation sensors that alert farmers when their fields require watering or fertilization. However, he stressed the need for careful implementation, as farmers’ livelihoods depend on these resources.
Trust is a crucial element in the foundation’s approach to innovation. “Resistance is always there,” Sehgal acknowledged, sharing how initial skepticism towards new practices, such as drip irrigation, has shifted over time as trust has been built within communities.
Community participation remains central to every initiative undertaken by the Sehgal Foundation. “We have 400 social scientists in the field who hold community meetings in every village,” Sehgal explained. Before launching any project, the foundation ensures it has the community’s support, recognizing that sustainability requires both acceptability and commitment.
Scaling successful models often necessitates collaboration with government agencies. “We demonstrate through government,” Sehgal stated, highlighting the foundation’s role in influencing decision-making through research and policy briefs. While the foundation does not accept government funding, it aims to work closely with agencies to enhance program delivery.
“The solution has to come from the grassroots,” Sehgal concluded. “Only then does change take root — and last.”
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