IIRD Staff Study Tour (Dec 4 - 13)
Senior staff of IIRD participated in study tour to South India from Dec 4 to 13 to re-visit the PEACE philosophy of IIRD and learn more about biodynamic agriculture and community based entrepreneurship.

Distribution of blankets to the elderly poor (Dec 16)
About 200 blankets were distributed to the elderly poor of Aurangabad district. This was really very much needed by the elderly when they usually sleep on the floor in the cold winter conditions.
 

Organic Bazaar Partners Meeting (Nov 30)
The national partners of the Organic Bazaar network met in Aurangabad to discuss on concrete strategy and action plan for the next year.
 

Organic Bazaar Bag Distribution  (Oct 9)
An eco-friendly bag with a message "I love organic" will be distributed to about 250 potential and regular customers of the Organic Bazaar in Aurangabad. This is to appreciate their support and express this during the festive season.

First National Convention of Rural Institutes  (Oct 19)
IIRD presented a case study of relevance of PGS, Organic Bazaars, and the Gandhian philosophy at the First National Convention of Rural Institutes that was organized by National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI) at Hyderabad on Oct 19.

Senior Professors from Kobe University, Japan, visit Aurangabad (Sep 18 -20)
Senior professors from Kobe University of Japan visited IIRD and the project area to study the viability of organic farming in dry land areas. Of particular interest to them was the relevance and potential of Organic Bazaar to improve their livelihoods.

IIRD Staff trained on biodynamic agriculture from  (Sep 22-26)
One of IIRD staff, Ms. Archana Patil, participated in a one-week training course on biodynamic farming from Sep 22-26 that was organized by Biodynamic Association of India in Kodaikanal of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. About 18 participants from different parts of India, Sri Lanka, and Sweden participated in the course. Ms. Archana Patil will be organizing monthly workshops in Aurangabad district to share this knowledge with farmers.

Exposure Visit of farmers and staff to Rallegan Siddhi - the village of Anna Hazare (Sep 30)
About 21 women farmers and many of the staff of IIRD visited Rallegan Siddhi to witness how community participation can transform villages. The group also had the opportunity to discuss with Shri Anna Hazare, noted social reformer, for about one hour. Further, the group visited a nearby village, Hivare Bazar, known for good local governance. During this trip, the participants learned about watershed management, sanitation, and afforestation.