In episode 31 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Jitendra and Shivani Sinha, co-founders of SAI Sustainable Agro.

SAI Sustainable Agro is a social venture working to improve the livelihoods of tribal and marginalized farmers in Odisha, India, using agroforestry to redevelop degraded land.

The goal: to develop a truly inclusive and sustainable business model that uplifts marginalized people and farmers worldwide.

Jitendra is a veteran of the agricultural industry in India and a passionate social entrepreneur. His diverse career has included serving as International Chief Technical Advisor to UNDP/GEF and Ministry of Agriculture to the Government of Iran.

In 2019, he co-founded SAI-Social Purpose Corporation (SAI-SPC) in America, and has been replicating his agroforestry model across Africa in Uganda, Ghana and South Africa.

In his spare time, he mentors entrepreneurs in resilient agriculture supply chain development across Asia and Africa.

Shivani has been working passionately on women and children issues since 1999. She initially worked as Vice Principal of an educational institution before moving working in the NGO sector to focus on healthcare for women and children. She currently leads SAI Sustainable Agro’s initiatives to improve healthcare and education for the tribal communities they work with in Odisha.

Prepare for a fully packed episode as Jitendra helps simplify how SAI’s agroforestry model operates, and how their framework continues to support marginalised farmers and be self-sustainable (even during COVID-19).

In this episode, Jitendra, Shivani and I dive into:

The disconnect between levels of government, nonprofits, and NGOs working with marginalized communities.
The need to create sustainable jobs in tribal and marginalized communities that foster localization.
Reconnecting city dwellers to where their food comes from and the people who fuel our agriculture system.

Connect with Jitendra and Shivani, and learn more about SAI Sustainable Agro, at sai-agro.org and on YouTube and Facebook.

Empowering Tribal Farming Communities through Agroforestry with Sai Sustainable Agro