Centre for Livelihoods Security

The Centre for Livelihoods Security (CLS) is a registered trust working to improve livelihood opportunities across rural and urban India. It was set up around the belief that the development of India begins with the development of its villages, and it addresses unemployment, low agricultural productivity, ecological imbalance, climate change and social and economic inequality as connected problems rather than separate ones. Its stated vision is sustainable and equitable development achieved through social, economic and ecological intervention, and its mission is to uplift weaker sections by providing sustainable livelihood solutions while promoting ecological balance. The organisation frames migration as a symptom of missing local opportunity, so much of its work is aimed at creating income where people already live. Its approach centres on building social capital in villages, strengthening community institutions and turning producers into entrepreneurs. CLS works across multiple states in India.

Headquarters: Uttam Nagar, Delhi.

Major Areas of Work

• Income enhancement: Work with poor and marginalised households to raise income through agriculture, livestock, enterprise development and skill-building.

• Water, sanitation and hygiene: Promote safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene practices, with attention to women, children and vulnerable households who carry the heaviest burden from poor WASH conditions.

• Sustainable farming: Promote organic and sustainable farming practices that improve soil fertility and agricultural productivity.

• Traditional knowledge and natural resources: Preserve local and traditional knowledge systems for managing land, water and forest resources, alongside land and water conservation work.

• Capacity building and climate resilience: Build the capacity of women, farmers, youth and persons with disabilities, and address climate change, renewable energy and non-traditional livelihood options.

Major Initiatives and Programmes

• Agriculture: Introduce improved practices and new technological interventions to raise the quality and quantity of production, and link farmers to better market opportunities.

• Livestock management: Improve livestock-rearing practices to increase rural and urban incomes and strengthen market linkages for farmers.

• Enterprise development: Support farmers in becoming entrepreneurs by building their capacity to manage production, processing and marketing of their products.

• Natural resource management: Run land and water conservation initiatives so that poor and marginalised communities can use natural resources sustainably and securely.

• Skill development and coaching centres: Build the employable skills of rural and urban youth, and coach students so they are equipped to take up livelihood opportunities later.

Enterprise development is the thread that runs through the rest of the work. CLS describes its strategy as building social capital in villages, strengthening community institutions, establishing entrepreneur schools, transforming farmers into entrepreneurs, creating market linkages and expanding networking opportunities. The intent is that a farmer does not stay a supplier of raw produce but moves into processing and marketing, and that the resulting income makes migration unnecessary.

Leadership

• Neelay Singh, Board Member

• Dr. Dipti Paridhi Kindo, Board Member

• Arjun Kumar, Board Member

Working here suits someone who wants field-level development work rather than desk-bound policy work. The role mix spans agriculture and livestock extension, WASH, skilling and coaching, natural resource management and enterprise incubation, so a person picks up exposure across several development domains rather than specialising narrowly. It is a small registered trust, which means more direct responsibility and closer contact with the communities served, and it will appeal to people who want to see whether an intervention actually raised a household's income.