About Pran
Preservation and Proliferation of Rural Resources and Nature (PRAN) is a grassroots non-profit organisation dedicated to building sustainable livelihoods, ensuring food security, and empowering women in rural India. It was formed on 30th November 2012 with a vision to enhance agriculture for marginal families. PRAN is registered as a Public Charitable Trust (not-for-profit) under The Indian Trusts Act, 1882 in the holy city of Gaya Ji, Bihar, vide Registration No. 23544/12.
Our work is centered on the System of Root Intensification (SRI), an innovative, climate-smart farming practice that increases crop productivity while conserving natural resources. Beyond agriculture, PRAN invests in women’s economic empowerment through mushroom cultivation, goat rearing, tailoring, small shops, and other rural enterprises. We also support education and employment by enabling women to re-enter the education system through the Second Chance Education Program and by connecting them to skill development, vocational training, and job opportunities.
PRAN’s interventions extend to natural resource management, including natural farming, borewell recharge, water conservation, and agri-fisheries models. We advance gender equality through sensitization programs that strengthen women’s voices and leadership, while also providing disaster relief to vulnerable households during crises with food supplies, health kits, and shelter materials.
Since its inception, PRAN has expanded operations to six Indian states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand – covering more than 20 districts. We primarily work with marginal farmers, women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and landless households, with significant presence in districts such as Gaya, Aurangabad, Begusarai (Bihar) and Simdega, Gumla, Ramgarh (Jharkhand).
Our innovations in grassroots development have been widely recognized at both national and international levels. PRAN’s work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, and Voice of America and acknowledged by global academic institutions such as Harvard University and Cornell University. These recognitions affirm the scalability, sustainability, and global relevance of our community-driven initiatives.
Our Mission
“Enhancing agriculture and the well-being of women and marginal families through the preservation and proliferation of rural resources and nature.”