SEDEM's core business activities: SEDEM is engaged in (i) research, (ii) development and testing of solutions to improve the environment, reduce poverty, improve general health of farming communities and (iii) dissemination of information and technology. Track record: SEDEM has an impeccable track record of high quality work and actionable feedback to clients, stakeholders, grantor organizations. Since inception, the SEDEM has completed around 200 research studies for various clients. The break up of the 46 completed projects in the last five calendar years is given below.
Completed projects by SEDEM
| Type of studies | Numbers |
| Evaluation and impact assessment studies | 27 |
| Concurrent evaluation/ monitoring | 5 |
| Exploratory research for policy support | 12 |
| Testing of solutions [farming and rural livelihoods] | 2 |
Total |
46 |
Meetings and international programs
1. People’s SAARC summit in Kathmandu, Nepal. A team of experts were in Kathmandu during March 2007 to discuss threats to food security and rural livelihoods. Their recommendations were adopted by the 30,000 representatives in the form of summit resolution.
2. Member of the core group of ‘Imagine a New South Asia’ (INSA). This is a South-Asia based group of thinkers, planners and activists seeking peace and better governance in South Asia. In its Kathmandu meet, experts of Meristem were tasked to prepare a key policy paper “Natural Resource Management in South Asia”. The lead author was Arun Shrivastava, assisted by one expert from each South Asian country.
3. Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan
Participation in Annual Convention of, December 8-12, 2007. Arun Shrivastava was invited to present his paper “Are we destroying the Himalayas” which has been published world-wide and is also stored as a resource paper at the e-library of UN-International Council for Integrated Mountain Development (UN-ICIMOD).
4. Special invitee to consultations on NREGA at Habitat Centre at New Delhi organized by World Bank, UN-WFP, and Ministry of Rural Development etc. in August 2004.
Technical and managerial capability
MANPOWER AVAILABILITY
The total full time staff comprises of nine professionals and eight support staff. The support staff comprise of mainly computing and database experts. The project-based part time staff comprises of 21 consultants and 115 support staff. The support staff comprise mainly of supervisors, editors and investigators.
| Manpower details | |||
Professionals |
Support Staff |
Total |
|
| Full time employees | 9 |
8 |
17 |
| Part time employees | 21 |
115 |
136* |
| Total | 30 |
123 |
153 |
| * The part time professionals and support staff are hired on project basis. | |||
Interventions of SEDEM
SEDEM and its partners have taken a decision, through their respective General Bodies, to intervene in Himachal Pradesh on five key issues:
- Community based management of natural resources within the current legal framework,
- Biological-diversity based ecological agriculture [BEA farming],
- Innovative, low-cost, electricity generators for remote rural communities,
- Strengthening rural constructions in the Himalayas and built habitat, and
- Food and nutrition security through low cost and sustainable strategies
The local partner organizations are:
- Lok Vigyan Kendra [People’s Science Centre], a registered NGO based at Palampur