A weaver at her handloom, seen through the warp threads

About ICCo

Innovate. Change. Collaborate.

A national NGO working with rural communities since 2008, building the skills, institutions and markets that let progress last long after a project ends.

Who we are

Working alongside communities, not just for them

ICCo was established as a trust on 24 October 2008. Our work centres on inclusive, sustainable agriculture: we organise small and marginal farmers into producer groups and other community institutions, and connect them to technology, markets, finance, skills and government schemes.

We work just as closely with women and youth, helping them tackle questions of equity, gender, land ownership and control over resources. Vulnerable women and young people are at the centre of every programme we run.

2008Registered as a trust
NortheastWhere most of our work is
GenderA theme across all our work

A woman farmer smiling in a green field, holding fresh greens

Women from a self-help group laughing together at a meeting

Since2008

Our reach

Where our work reaches

8states across India
1union territory
100+districts
10+cooperatives and producer organisations formed

Vision & mission

What we stand for

Our vision

A just, inclusive and equitable society.

Holistically, our work leads to stronger communities, better human development and sustainable livelihoods.

JustFair access to land, resources and opportunity.
InclusiveWomen, youth and marginalised groups at the centre.
EquitableGains that are shared, and that last.

Our mission

Ideas that grow with communities

Designing and implementing innovative ideas and solutions, and strengthening community-based organisations for inclusive, high-impact growth in society.

Across everything we do

Gender inclusion

A theme in every initiative. Farming, fisheries and other traditional sectors have long had unequal participation, and we work to change that.

What guides us

Two principles

Securing sustainable livelihoods
Ensuring justice and dignity for all

Prof. Dinesh Awasthi, Chairperson of ICCo

From our Chairperson

At the heart of our work is the belief that livelihoods become sustainable when communities have the knowledge, skills, institutions and markets to take their work forward.

Prof. Dinesh AwasthiChairperson

Our approach

Three ways we deliver our mission

We build capacity at three levels, the individual, the community and the institution, and use technology and social media to reach further.

01Design and run programmesWe design development programmes with communities and implement them directly, so we stay close to what works on the ground.
02Advocate for better policyWe bring evidence from our programmes to policy makers, for decisions that benefit marginalised communities.
03Bring people togetherWe build multi-stakeholder platforms where government, business, NGOs and communities work towards shared goals.

Our model of intervention

From the first survey to a business the community runs

Every programme follows the same path: understand the place, build skills, cut costs, find buyers, and leave behind an institution the community owns and governs.

10+cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations formed with our sister organisation, across farm and non-farm sectors.

Stronger communities

Entrepreneurship development
Skill training
Field demonstration
Governance & institution building
Market linkages
Lower input costs
Market & field research
Scientific production

Our objectives

What we set out to do

Four objectives shape every programme, from the first conversation in a village to the institutions we leave behind.

Objective 01Technical support
Give governments, NGOs and women’s collectives the technical and knowledge support to run programmes through locally owned solutions.
Objective 02Holistic development
Help every stakeholder we work with achieve sustainable, holistic community development.
Objective 03Reaching the remote
Improve quality of life in underserved and remote regions by building people’s capacity.
Objective 04Pooling resources
Create convergence platforms where different stakeholders can pool and mobilise resources.