The Cooperative provides loans among members to support new income-generating ideas and emergency needs. This internal support system fosters solidarity and economic innovation within the community.

With the added income, many farmers have invested in other small businesses, such as dairy and poultry. This economic resilience reduces reliance on unsustainable practices and improves overall wellbeing.

Support from USAID’s PERFORM project helped scale up the partnership between KHP and the Cooperative. The funding strengthened the business model and increased long-term sustainability and impact.

The informal farmer group was formally registered as the Lucheche Cooperative and trained to manage its operations. This empowered the community to organize effectively and take charge of their development.

Farmers prune their trees and sell the leaf biomass to KHP for essential oil extraction, creating a sustainable and regular income stream. This reduces the need for environmentally harmful activities like illegal charcoal burning.

Kawandama Hills partnered with local farmers to plant Corymbia citriodora trees on their own farmland, encouraging sustainable land use and reforestation. This model protects the environment while giving communities ownership of the process.

Women’s groups in the Kharagpur agriscape established eco-nurseries to produce seedlings of multipurpose tree species (MPTS) like moringa, teak, papaya, and gliricidia. These nurseries supported reforestation and provided household income. Manju Kumari and others used their land to raise seedlings, supported by custom hiring centers and training from Bhagalpur University. The nurseries produced high-quality planting stock for plantation drives and private land use. Sales from seedlings generated up to INR 50,000/year per group. Women gained leadership experience, managed nursery operations, and supported outreach to other farmers. The activity reduced fuelwood dependency and restored degraded areas while enhancing economic resilience and social recognition for women’s groups in the village.

To reduce pressure on nearby forests, individual farmers were supported to cultivate green fodder (oats and maize) on private plots. This intervention aimed to transition livestock feeding away from forest foraging to stall-feeding using cultivated fodder. Households adopted varieties like oats that yield multiple harvests annually, improving economic returns and ensuring a reliable feed source. Women like Vasanti Devi found health improvements in livestock and reduced vet expenses after switching to green fodder, reinforcing adoption. The total fodder yield reached over 49,000 kg, valued at over INR 74,000. Households saved up to INR 2,500–3,000 annually by reducing feed purchases and medicine costs. This practice also contributed to reduced forest degradation, improved milk yields, and created an entry point for sustainable livestock management practices within the agriscape.