BAIF Development Research Foundation

BAIF Development Research Foundation is a rural development organisation based in Pune, Maharashtra. It was founded in 1967 by Dr. Manibhai Desai and entered its Diamond Jubilee year in August 2026. BAIF is registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act 1950 and is recognised as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. It helps rural families build lasting livelihoods through livestock, farming, water, and enterprise work, backed by its own research stations. About 7,700 employees and associates work with rural communities across India.

Head Quaters: Pune, Maharashtra, India

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Major Areas of Work

• Sustainable Livelihoods: Helping families earn better through livestock, tree based farming (wadi), water management, and rural non farm enterprises.
• Climate Action: Running climate smart farming, carbon sequestration, solar energy, nature based solutions, and agro biodiversity conservation.
• Women in Development: Supporting women through self help groups, entrepreneurship, leadership, and reproductive health and hygiene.
• Health and Nutrition: Improving food, nutrition, and maternal, child, and adolescent health in rural and tribal households.
• Education and Skilling: Running schools, literacy centres for women, farmer training, and digital learning.
• Development Research: Carrying out scientific research in agriculture, livestock, natural resources, and social sciences through the BAIF Central Research Station and field stations.

Major Initiatives and Programs

• Livestock development programme, which has improved the livelihoods of over 8.6 million families, with 8.63 million cows and buffaloes born under the programme
• Wadi programme, supporting tribal and poor families with fruit and forest tree based farming
• Samruddha Gram, a holistic village development model that has developed 408 villages
• Swayamshree programme, training SHG women in enterprise
• Smart School programme and Functional Literacy centres in Bundelkhand
• Agrivoltaics, including India’s first multi model agrivoltaics demonstration facility at Uruli Kanchan, Pune
• Community seed banks and women seed conservationists across six states
• BAIF CARES, which has incubated 17 rural startups in agriculture, livestock, food processing, and waste management
• Disaster Management Fund for immediate relief to families hit by natural calamities

Impact

BAIF is working toward Vision 2030, which aims to reach 10 million rural families from the current level of 5 million. Its livestock programme alone has reached families in over 102,000 villages across 351 districts in 14 states. BAIF works in 70 Aspirational Districts. Its climate programmes have sequestered a total of 8.2 million tons of carbon, and its people’s organisations include 114 farmer producer organisations and 74 agri business centres.

Leadership

• Hrishikesh Mafatlal, Chairperson
• Dr. Bharat Kakade, President and Managing Trustee
• Dr. Jayant Khadse, Vice President, Livestock Development and Scientific Research
• Dr. Raviraj Jadhav, Vice President, Programmes and Regional Director, West

Partners

Gates Foundation, GIZ, KfW, CGIAR, INRAE, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, NABARD, WRI India, UNFCCC, UNCCD

BAIF offers close to six decades of experience in rural development, with work spread across many states and themes. Staff can work on field programmes, research, climate action, and rural enterprise within one organisation. The Board of Trustees includes leaders from industry, science, and public service. BAIF also publishes annual reports and a whistle-blower policy, and has an Internal Committee in place.