BAIF Development Research Foundation (formerly registered as the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation), is a reputed voluntary organisation established in 1967 by Dr. Manibhai Desai, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, at Urulikanchan, near Pune to promote sustainable livelihood in Rural India. BAIF is committed to provide sustainable livelihood to the rural poor through climate-resilient agriculture, management of natural resources, livestock development, watershed development and agri-horti-forestry as major income generation activities. BAIF has evolved innovative models of micro-enterprises to ensure inclusive development through dairy husbandry, goat production, agri-horti-forestry and sustainable agricultural production for food security and poverty alleviation. Formation of Producers' Groups, Empowerment of women and environmental sustainability cut across all these programmes. BAIF has developed the Village Cluster Development Approach to reach the poorest of the poor. This facilitates identifying the problems and needs of poor families and introduction of appropriate technologies and services to solve them. To facilitate backward and forward development and to ensure sustainability, self help groups of men and women of homogeneous socio-economic status are being promoted. These groups have identified various on-farm and non-farm income generation activities to boost their income further. With a flexible and innovative approach to address individual needs of families, BAIF is now able to provide services to over 5.0 million small and marginal landless families spread over one lakh villages in backward regions of 16 states in the country. Apart from 4500 staff engaged by BAIF, there are thousands of field volunteers and para-veterinarians who are engaged in mentoring the needy beneficiaries at the grassroot level. The participating families are able to make best use of the available resources and to generate additional income to ensure their food security. The increased value of the produce generated through BAIF's programme has been contributing over 5000 crores of rupees to the national GDP every year. Most of these programmes are serving as result demonstrations for wider replication across the country. BAIF Fact Sheet Vision Building a self-reliant rural society assured of food security, safe drinking water, good health, gender equity, low child mortality, literacy, high moral values and clean environment. Mission BAIF's Mission is to create opportunities of gainful self-employment for the rural families, especially disadvantaged sections, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment, improved quality of life and good human values. This is being achieved through development research, effective use of local resources, extension of appropriate technologies and upgradation of skills and capabilities with community participation. BAIF is a non-political, secular and professionally managed organisation. BAIF Logo The BAIF Logo is a symbolic representation of the Mission of BAIF in Rural Development. It is a visual portrayal of the four important natural resources - land, livestock, water and vegetation. Anna Bahu Kurveet Tadh Vratam as inscribed in the epitaph signifies BAIF's commitment to the conservation of these precious natural resources and to promote abundant agricultural production from land. The crossbred cow located strategically in the centre depicts the efficient conversion of coarse fibre from straws of sorghum, millet, bajra and wheat into milk which is a major source of protein in the diet of the poor rural people, without suppressing the production of food grains. The two milk bottles embedded in the soil signify milk being a product of earth. The microscope highlights the role of research in rural development. The wheel symbolizes the blend of science, technology and industrial approach towards agriculture practiced by small farmers. The petals of the lotus form a bell and are synonymous with rural prosperity. The original name Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) also reflects the need for treating agriculture and rural development as an industry requiring sound back up of management and motivation to turn the farmers into entrepreneurs to manage their resources, while generating gainful self-employment in their own environs. BAIF was renamed as BAIF Development Research Foundation to emphasis the need to blend development programmes with research and appropriate technologies, as development without research becomes outdated and research without development becomes academic.