Agricultural Fields - Kodangal Area 

Meeting with Community 

REEDS - INTRODUCTION

Research in Environment Education and Development Society (REEDS)
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INTRODUCTION

REEDS Stands for Research in Environ­ment Education and Development society. it is a non-political, secular, social service and scientific research organisation. Its aims and objectives are based on the concept of SARVODAYA. REEDS also believe that Environmental awareness is a pre condition for development. REEDS was registered on 8th October, 1992 as a society under public societies registration Act. Its members consisting of social activists, social scientists, planners, Environmentalists and administrators.


BACK GROUND

The world shares as a single environ­mental system. Three fourths of the humanity live in the SOUTH. The SOUTH has to be vitally concerned about the safe­guarding the life support systems of the planet The NORTH is responsible for the bulk of the damage to the environment because of its scientific and industrial advancement and the lifestyle itself. However poverty is also a great degrader of the environment, and an effective strategy of poverty also a strategy for the protecting the environment. But different development strategies have different environmental implications.

The SOUTH's development strategies must take explicit account of the finite character of the world's natural capital. The concept of sustainable development serves to draw attention to the need for compatibility between growth and the preservation of the environment and to warm against a narrow minded and short sighted approach to development and economic modernnisation.

Society has to be mobilised in support of life styles that do not put ecessive pressure on scarce natural resources. Strategies for the utilisation of land and water must prevent their over exploitation. Energy intensities must be kept within prudent limits Lastly Environmental issues should become an essential component of educational and development programmes.

Witnessing the environmental issues, and the plights of people, year in and year out. The founders of REEDS decided to take the initiatives themselves to do something for the society. The process of environmental awareness and Socio-economic transformation for deve­lopment, though at small level, had already started even before the inception of R E E D S as organisation. The latter strengthened the process further.

REEDS PHILOSOPHY

REEDS is of the view that right kind of collective leadership can play an impor­tant role in mobilising the local resources and making the best use of them People must work towards improvement of their own environment and economic situation. In addition, they should develop a genuine sense of mutual co-operation and put it in practice.

REEDS OBJECTIVES

1. To conduct research and educate people about changing global environment and conservation of resources for future generations-
2. To conduct courses for youth in Environmental studies.
3. To conduct study groups, lecture series, conferences. Seminors, translate, publish, print and distribute books, Journals, periodicals for promoting Envi­ronmental Education and Concentisation for development.
4. To mobilise the people to realise themselves, through practical methods, that they can look after their basic econo­mic needs through collective efforts.
5. To educate the farmers about Sustainable Agriculture through demonstration plots.
6. To find out ways and means for stopping migrations of landless lebourers and small and marginal farmers to the cities.
7. To promote non conventional energy resources in the rural areas for better environment,
8. To promote afforestation and to encourage people for plantation and pro­tection of trees in order lo preserve eco­logical balance of the region and to develop watershed areas.
9 To make education accessible to all according to their convenience
10. To promote community health programmes.
11. To educate women and make them as part of development programmes.
12. To organise women & youth to 'fight against social evils of the society in the area-
13. To mobilise people to utilise the existing Government infrastructure in most appropriate way.
14. To promote the rural skills and village artisans for better rural integra­tion,
15. To carry out the objects, the orga­nisation shall take up various socio-economic development programmes for village reconstruction.

ACTIVITIES

In order to achieve the above objectives, REEDS has undertaken the following activities:—
1. Establishing Village Development Committees and Women Development Committees,
2. Establishing Community Development and Education Centres.
3. Formation of Village Vigilance Commities
4.Conducting various types of Training Camps.
5 Establishing kitchen. gardens, for better nutrition.
6. Maintening Common grazing lands and Agro-Social forestry.
7.Establishing demonstration plots for educating the farmers about soil con-servation, water management, ecological farming methods-
8 Promoting smokeless chullas, Gobargas plants for better environment.
9.Promoting agricultural and allied activities-
10. Establishing Grain Banks in every village.
11. HIV / AIDS
12. Tsunami - Relief and Rehabilitation
13. Rainwater Harvesting
14. Tank Irrigation
15. Elimination of Social Evils

METHODOLOGY

REEDS aims and emphasizes on building up of Village Republics. The Village Development committees which wilt be able to control local leadership and is capable of preparing and implementing all kinds of programmes which are pri­marily in the interest of the poor of the Community. Therefore REEDS activities are implemented through functional groups called Village Development Committees.

MANPOWER

REEDS Chief functionary is its Exe­cutive Director. He is supported by a number of technical and administrative staff and experts in different fields. In addition, there are some employed persons who supervise the programmes and assist the functional groups at grass-root level and also help in maintaining close contact between people and REEDS.

REEDS activities are financed mainly by the people themselves. The other sources of finance have been Government, Non-Government and Individual Contri­butions for Rural Development Programmes-
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Contact Address

V.S.B. Reddy
M.Sc., M.R.P(IIT), A.I.TP.(IND). P.G.D.E.E.
Executive Director,
Research in Environment Education and Development Society (REEDS)
H.No. 17-1-386/S/22. S N. Reddy Nagar, Nagarjunasagar Road. Vaishalinagar (P.O.) Hyderabad-500 660, A.P. INDIA.
Phone No. / Fax : 0091-40-24078942

Field Office:
REEDS, Ground Floor, Ratna Mansion, Kodangal, Mahaboobnagar Dt. A P. 509 338.
Phone no / Fax: 0091-8505-284789

Training Centre:
REEDS WISDOM DEVELOPMENT CENTER, Chettupalli Tanda, C. Mylaram Post, Bommaraspet Mandal, Mahabubnagar District, A.P. 509338
Phone No. 0091-8505-283081
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