The problem: Creating jobs for India's rural youth continues to be a challenge & if we fail to create income opportunities, they will remain undeserved & migrate to cities. Green College initiative aims to empower the rural and marginalized youth in sustainable agriculture and natural resource based local entrepreneurship opportunities.

The opportunity

We see an opportunity to incubate rural youth as entrepreneurs in local natural resource based business opportunities instead of being job seekers. This will not only offer them with income opportunities, but also empower them as drivers of rural economy through local employment generation.

  The Certificate Course on Neera Technician

Is a 6 months of intensive training program and 6 months of implementation support for aspiring rural youth that provides them with a hands on, skill-based education in palm-based products. The program offers a mix of classroom and practical learning exposure to the entire process of preparing of plam based products ranging from selection of right trees to processing and making of palm-based products: Plam candy, Syrup and solid jaggery from palmyra plam and nalen jaggery, semi solid jaggery from date palm.

  The Certificate Course on Entrepreneur on Handicrafts (Mat and Babui Grass)

Is a 3 months of intensive training program and 9 months of implementation support for aspiring young farmers that provides them with a hands-on market oriented training in Mat and Babui Grass products. This full-time program offers the participants a unique opportunity to not only learn about better product designs but also help them gain a better understanding of the market. The trainees are also equipped with the knowledge and practical exposure of making a business plan for their Mat and Babui Grass product entreprises.

  The Certificate Course on Entrepreneur on Leaf Plate Products

Is a 1 month of classroom program and 11 months of implementation support which provides rural yout with entrepreneurial opportunities in Non-Timber Products (NTFP) Sal. The program equips the young participants with strong understanding and exposure of sustainable harvesting, storing, packaging, processing and marketing of sal products. We also offer them with the unique opportunity to design and prepare the business plan of their enterprises, to fully equip them in their entrepreneurial journey.

  The Certificate Course on Integrated Aquaculturist

Is a 1 month of classroom program and 11 months of implementation support which provides rural yout with entrepreneurial opportunities in Non-Timber Products (NTFP) Sal. The program equips the young participants with strong understanding and exposure of sustainable harvesting, storing, packaging, processing and marketing of sal products. We also offer them with the unique opportunity to design and prepare the business plan of their enterprises, to fully equip them in their entrepreneurial journey.

 The Certificate Course on Enterpreneur on Backyard Small Ruminants and      Livestock

Is a 3 months intensive training program and 9 months start-up support. It equips the rural youth with rigorous understanding of theoretical concepts as well as hands on exposure to scientific methods of raising and management of backyard small ruminants and livestock poultry - pig, cattle and rabbits. We aim to enable youth to not only to setup thier commercial livestock units

A training on Date Palm product making has changed the lives of a group of five unemployed youth of Bankura district. The young men from, Ramkrishnapur village of Onba Block, Bankura got the opportunity to attend the training course of Date Palm product making from the Green College initiative. Post successfully completing their 60 days training in January 2016, they have been able to product 12 Quintal liquid of jaggery and 80 kg Plam cake (Patali) from 250 local Date Plam trees.

Tehy have earned Rs.55000/- from selling their products in the local market and have saved a profit amount of Rs.10000/- in their group fund for further business in the next season. Date Plam processing has provided them with a meaningful livelihood opportunity during lean dry season.

Earlier Nagen Pauria was involved in non-stitched sal leaf plate making but the returns were inadequate. With the aspiration to learn the trade properly, Nagen a rural youth from Machantala village of Rajnagar Block in Birbhum district enrolled himself for training on Sal leat product making from Green College in the year 2015.

After completion of training he received a stitching machine as a part of start-up support from DRCSC in 2016. His earning from plate making found upswing trent as in just two months he could prepare 16,000 stitched leaf plates and earned 10000/- with the investment of 4000/-. Motivated with the enhanced income opportunity, he wants to upscale his enterprise to make this trade a viable mode of his family existence.

Earlier Nagen Pauria was involved in non-stitched sal leaf plate making but the returns were inadequate. With the aspiration to learn the trade properly, Nagen a rural youth from Machantala village of Rajnagar Block in Birbhum district enrolled himself for training on Sal leat product making from Green College in the year 2015.

After completion of training he received a stitching machine as a part of start-up support from DRCSC in 2016. His earning from plate making found upswing trent as in just two months he could prepare 16,000 stitched leaf plates and earned 10000/- with the investment of 4000/-. Motivated with the enhanced income opportunity, he wants to upscale his enterprise to make this trade a viable mode of his family existence.

Achinta Pain, refused to follow the conventional way of pursuing job in cities after completing his MSc. Rather he wanted to be his own employer and decided to make a living out of the his family owns at Prashadpur village under Durgapur Faridpur Block in Bardhaman district. To learn and scientifically practice fishery and pond bank management. In August 2014 he enrolled himself in integrated aquaculturist course at Green College.

Equipped with advanced knowledge and skills, he has started earning Rs.25,000-30,000 per monthj as an integrated aquaculturist. In addition, through the introduction of 150 ducks, he is earning Rs.9,000-10,000 per month from the sale of eggs.

Biswajit Ruidas, is now a renowned livestock entrepreneur in Dubrajpur Block of Birbhum District. Being a successful trainee of 4th Batch of Green College, Biswajit has been providing veterinary services to 1,350 farming households spread across eight to nine villages.

Transitioning from the economic hardships he faced as a subsistence farmer, Biswajit is now earning Rs.11,000 per month on a sustainable basis by serving as Small Ruminants and Livestock Entrepreneur.

Invest in Eco-preneurs: Your opportunity to build the entrepreneurial capabilities of the rural youth