Pramel Kumar Gupta Member since 06/04/2025

Development professional with over 20 years of diverse experiences in promotion of rural livelihoods development programs. I have specific sectoral expertise in regenerative and agroecological agriculture, natural resource management, landscape restoration, social enterprise and climate change adaptation. I headed prominent livelihoods sector organisations (such as Vrutti) and have also founded ‘Natural Capital’ as an organization to promote soil health related agroecologically and economically sustainable development practices. During a diverse tenure spanning over two decades, mentored and helped in skill-building of hundreds of young professionals. I have a deep expertise in building partnerships and networking, which is evident in the range of network that has facilitated or is being part of. Strenuously working with thousands of farmers and hundreds of farmer organizations, has developed a national profile of championing farmers’ economic empowerment and livelihoods. I have been an innovator with several new models of economic empowerment, skilling and entrepreneurship developed over the years. Last five years develop deep passion for and commitment to promotion of natural farming and developing low-cost community lead scalable model with support on NCNF-MP chapter.

Relevant experience (from most recent) Highlight experience in the region and on similar projects.

• Last 27 months established GRREEN Foundation NGO work on Natural farming and Regenerative agriculture in Madhya Pradesh. A 40-person team is engaged and ready to scale NF/RA work with above 15000 farmers.
• Expertise in use of participatory approaches (Established a social mobilization model-for livelihood development with a Tribal village), impact assessment and Monitoring & Evaluations: Empowerment Evaluation, Agriculture income and expenditure analysis, Livelihood asset status tracking (LAST) etc.
• Developed Agriculture Enterprise Facilitation Centre (AEFC) model working with Vrutti for smallholder’s economic empowerment.
• Promoted producers’ collectives of selected commodities and building profitable market- engaged in promoting above 80 Farmers producers’ companies (FPCs)-, 20 Primary agribusiness & farm forestry cooperatives-, 2- Women SHGs federations-, 8 Agri Business hub/ Clusters - Business Acceleration units (BAU). Vrutti and IFFDC
• Promoted a concept of Maati Mange More (3M)- A participatory campaign to enable living soils - to restore the depleting soil health and protect ecosystem and One Acre Eco-farm model Vrutti & Natural capital
• Skilling and mentoring young professionals, lectures delivered on social enterprise and livelihood experience at IIM Bangalore, IIFM Bhopal, IRMA, APU Bangalore, JD Birila Institute- Kolkata, AISECT, Bhopal, BVIC Hyderabad working with Vrutti and Natural Capital. CNN News 18 chosen me as a Mentor for Nestle Maggi Desh Ke Liye 2 Minute - The Agri Challenge 2020. During this mentored 4 teams and my SIIB Pune team was winner of 5.0 Lakhs cash award on Cumin value chain model development for Rajasthan producers.
• Developed cadre of business development services provider and promoted enterprise enablers model to support entrepreneurship in rural and urban area.
• Engaged and exchange knowledge with several networks such as Revitalizing Rainfed Agriculture (RRA), Rapid Rural Community Response (RCRC), and National Coalition for Natural Farming (NCNF), Sustainable Development Initiative Association (SDIA), Tropical Agriculture Association (TAA)-UK, and Community of Evaluation (CoE).
• Represented as executive board member international platform round table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) and presented Indian Civil Society and farmers to enable soy producers and industry to have a global dialogue on economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sound soy production. Brussels, Belgium and Lille, France participated as speaker to share Madhya Pradesh small and marginal farmer’s experiences on Sustainable Soy and responsible practices certification.
• India: Worked as a research coordinator and agriculture expert under the Vrutti- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Agricultural Incomes and Nutrition Study: “The Effect of Seasonality and Household Coping Mechanisms” (especially women and children’s) covering 4 districts Madhya Pradesh. The study principal investigator was Dr. Anjani Kochar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Stanford University, USA, 2016-17.
• India: A study on “Impacting Livelihoods of Families Dependent on Cotton as a Predominant Crop – Moving beyond cotton and farmer to the families – Study of Intervention Opportunities in for states of India namely. Year: August 2015 –Dec 16, Client: IDH, Location: Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat & Telangana. Main project features: To understand the gap in better cotton initiative program and family aspirations. To assess the current livelihood levers of cotton growing families. Propose better models. Position held: Team Leader & Livelihood Expert
• India: Worked as agriculture expert for design of impact evaluation of organic farmers training programme by cotton connect with International Initiative for Impact Evaluation(3ie) March 2015 

Publications:

2022 - Maati Maange More: Can 3M bio-input resource centres (BRCs) meet farmers’ needs ?- IRMA         2015 - 'How to Help India’s Farmers Boost Production' - World Economic Forum
2014 - 'Collective Action, Multiple Benefits: A Case of Social Enterprise Model' - LEISA India
2010 - 'Evaluation at the Grassroots' - Evaluation Conclave Report
2020 - 'Soil Health and Natural Farming: Lessons from Indian Farms' - Agronomy Journal