Farmers for Forests (F4F)

How can AI drive social impact effectively? Join us Tomorrow at this SOCAP session to explore AI’s potential, practical applications, and challenges in social impact initiatives. https://bit.ly/3VC6GrC) #AIforGood #SocialImpact #SOCAP

Our co-founders Arti Dhar and Krutika Ravishankar will be at #SOCAP24 in San Francisco starting tomorrow (28th October). We look forward to sharing our observations from the field, as well as learning more about how we can do good quality and durable agroforestry and land restoration work at scale, which hopefully will unlock more types of capital towards ecosystem protection and restoration work. Krutika will be speaking at a panel on how we leverage AI to granularly measure our impact, along with Brigit Helms and Irina Raicu. We will also be talking about Farmers for Forests' model and future plans at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship 2024 Social Enterprise Ignite Talk at SOCAP: https://lnkd.in/gwKc4qgw If you are a fellow practitioner or want to learn and/or invest in this space, please find us. We would love to connect.

Our co-founder Arti Dhar completed the Fast Forward Startup Accelerator early this year and loved the program! It helped us hone our pitching and fundraising skills, improve our tech offerings and learn from an amazing cohort of peers on how tech can used to do good across sectors and countries 🙌 💚 For more on how different organisations are using AI for social good, subscribe to Kevin Barenblat's AI for Humanity substack here: aiforhumanity.substack.com

We’ve kicked off an exciting biochar application trial on our agroforestry land! 🌍 Our pilot aims to explore how exactly biochar can enhance soil health, increases water retention, and boosts sapling growth. We will periodically report on what we are observing on the ground. Pictured here is our incredible Ahmednagar field team who were on the field to monitor tree growth in our biochar plot, when- woof! 🌧️ First rain of monsoon season hit, bringing much-needed relief and joy! Instead of running for cover, the team huddled under a tractor trolley—laughing, chatting, and soaking in the first drops of Indian monsoon. Krushna Chaudhari Dada Waghmode Mahesh Lamkhade Manish Singh Ganesh Karande

#OpusOpusOpus Technologies #Opus Rural Foundation #Opus Tree Plantation 2024🌳🌴 Trees play a vital role in cleaning the air and helping to preserve the Earth's natural balance. The trees absorb harmful substances from the air and release oxygen making them essential to the health of the planet and all living beings. We are planting a tree to teach us to gather strength from our deepest roots. Opus Tree plantations gave us this opportunity to explore nature. Praveen T M Babitha Nambiar Mukesh Joshi Niraj Kaushik Nilam Pimparkar - Katore Paul D'souza Sunil Padiyar agnes pathan Lipsa Sahoo Sabeeka Lambe Pravin Ganji Sushant Urankar Ajinkya Khalche Anurag Raj Meenakshi Khedkar Suvarna Gaikwad Ritesh Shukla PANKAJ RAUT Shashikant Tekade Diksha Dayama Sanket Waman Rohit Patil Pratik Bhavsar Swapnil T. Shashi Mokate Abhinav Shirore yogesh deshmukh Sanjana Thakur jitendra Patel Akshay Patne Farmers for Forests (F4F) Nishant Tripathi Abhijit Pawar

One thing that cannot be argued in the debate on climate change is the importance of working with communities to help protect our world's forests adn biodiversity. One example that comes to mind is Farmers for Forests (F4F), co-founded by Arti Dhar which is a hybrid social enterprise that works on protecting and restoring forest cover in very close collaboration with rural communities. Arti is joining our SOCAP Global Fellowship Program as part of our multi-year partnership with Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. You can learn more about her work, and the work of her cohort members, at SOCAP on Tuesday, Oct 29th at 10:45 am in Goldman Hall, CJM.

💚 Big News Alert! 💚 We're thrilled to announce some major growth in our team—and it's nothing short of amazing! 🌟 First up, a huge congratulations to Aditya Avinashe, who’s officially stepping into the role of Co-Founder! Over the past two years, Aditya has been the backbone of our operations, expanding our reach to new districts and states while leading our field teams with calm precision. We're beyond excited to see him take this next big step! 🎉 But that’s not all! We’re also welcoming some incredible new members to our leadership team:  🌟 Archita Jain joins us as Chief People Officer. With over a decade of experience in the development sector and a passion for farming that rivals our own, she’s here to bring people power to the forefront! 🌟 Anand Kothari joins as Chief Impact Officer. He brings a wealth of expertise in Monitoring & Evaluation, having led impactful projects across various states, including Bihar and Jharkhand. We can’t wait to see how he amplifies our mission! 🌟 Satish Salunke steps in as VP of Operations. With over 10 years of experience in the corporate sector, Satish will work closely with Aditya to keep our operations growing smoothly. We’re so excited to have him on board! 🌟 Shashi Bhushan Kumar joins as Senior Manager Operations – Gadchiroli. Shashi has managed large field teams across multiple states and is set to establish meaningful community relationships and positive impact in Gadchiroli. 🌟 Priyajeet Kumar joins as Field Manager Operations – Gadchiroli with extensive experience managing teams across India. We’re thrilled to have him strengthening our field efforts! 📸 Pictured: Satish, Aditya, Archita, and Anand sharing a sunny moment in our office garden in Pune.

Have a few minutes to spare today? Then come with us to the lush green heart of the Central Indian Forest. Our short film "The Elephants of Eastern Maharashtra" made in collaboration with The Grasslands Trust, Centre for Wildlife Studies and Pernod Ricard India Foundation takes you to the districts of Gadchiroli and Gondia, that a surprising set of new visitors are now calling home. In 2021, a herd of 24 #elephants migrated into this region from Chhattisgarh - the first time that wild elephants had lived here in centuries. That herd is now 28 elephants big! While elephant migration is a testament to the successful conservation work in this region, the herd had also created numerous problems for the community that lives in eastern Maharashtra: crop damage, loss of houses and even life. The film explores the many nuances of human-wildlife conflict, ultimately exploring the question is peaceful human-elephant existence even possible? Given that there are less than 30,000 elephants left in India, what choice do we have? The film features stunning, original footage of the #forests and elephants of eastern #Maharashtra. Also hear from the people who have been at the frontlines of this conflict: community members, the forest department and member of the F4F team Dhananjay Mahadore, Sanjay Wankar, Makarand Datar and Krutika Ravishankar. Watch: https://lnkd.in/eQqC8Bxb

We are feeling little melancholic, so here's an interesting story on what we were doing around this time last year. 🎍 In a remote village called Yermagad in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra, a forward-thinking farmer named Uddhav Pendam decided to enrol in F4F's agroforestry program. Uddhav's land had few wild trees growing naturally, but he wanted to finally leverage his land to generate new income for him and his family. With that in mind, F4F procured and transported various species of bamboo and tree saplings, totalling nearly 7000, to the very remote location. To get to Uddhav's land, one has to drive on dirt roads and cross 5 rivulets. One the way there, our transportation vehicle got stuck in the mud. It took our team 3 hours to get the vehicle out and back on the road. But alas! It got stuck again! And this time, for good. The only way out this time was to unload all the saplings. But this time Uddhav came to the rescue. For the last mile, he somehow managed to transport all the saplings to his land. Over the next few days, F4F team, community members and Uddhav's family (including children, under the supervision of the family) got together to convert Uddhav's land into an agro-forest. Bamboo not only grows fast but also helps combat climate change by capturing carbon and supporting soil health. In a region known for its rich biodiversity, we hope our interventions in places like Gadchiroli will add resilience against unpredictable weather patterns- securing a sustainable future the people.

This week, we highlight speakers from the #SOCAP24 content track "AI = Accelerating Impact." This track will look beyond the headlines and zero in on specific aspects of AI that can support, challenge, or disrupt the field of impact investment. 💻✨ Meet the speakers below, and register for SOCAP24 today to secure your spot at the summer ticket price ($300 off the full-price ticket!). The price increases on October 1: https://hubs.la/Q02R5Cc50 • Ravit Dotan, PhD | TechBetter • Carol Anne Hilton, MBA, ICD.D | Indigenomics • Monique Malcolm-Hay | Rethink Education • David Evan Harris | University of California, Berkeley • Valentina Rozo Ángel | Colombian Truth Commission • Megan Price | Human Rights Data Analysis Group • Brigit Helms | Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship • Nitin K. | UC Berkeley Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) • Irina Raicu | Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University • Shu Dar Yao | Lucid Capitalism • Amanda Bickerstaff | AI for Education • Mark Angel | Amira Learning • Mutale Nkonde, MA | AI for the People • Krutika Ravishankar | Farmers for Forests (F4F) • Alissa Black | Self • Govind Shivkumar | Omidyar Network • Danielle Forward | Natives Rising • Sara Cole Stratton | Māori Lab • Ian S. Fuller | Westfuller