June 06, 2025: In a landmark collaboration, the Government of Maharashtra, BAIF Development Research Foundation and Axis Bank Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for inclusive development of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Devendra Fadnavis at Gadchiroli.

The event was graced by Mr. Avishyant Panda, District Collector, Gadchiroli, Dr. Bharat Kakade, President, BAIF, Dr. Raviraj Jadhav, Regional Director, BAIF, Mr. Advait Majmudar, Senior Vice President & Group Head, Government Coverage Group, Axis Bank and Mr. Kapil Bhatra, Assistant Vice President & State Head, Rest of Maharashtra, Government Coverage Group, Axis Bank. Mr. Shailesh Bhagat, Chief Programme Manager, BAIF, was also present on the occasion.

This partnership blends the strategic intent of Axis Bank Foundation’s Sustainable Livelihood Programme with BAIF’s strength of sustainable rural transformation. Together, this collaboration is committed to enhance livelihoods through resilient agricultural practices, improved livestock management, development of micro-enterprises and stable market linkages. The partnership focuses on scalable, sustainable solutions to improve the lives and livelihoods of rural communities of Gadchiroli.

Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis emphasized, “This alliance exemplifies how government, corporate, and civil society can unite to drive transformative change.”

Dr. Bharat Kakade, President BAIF, highlighted BAIF’s role in ensuring “Policy and finance translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.”

Ms. Dhruvi Shah, Executive Trustee and CEO, Axis Bank Foundation, said, “Through our partnership with BAIF, we are working to enhance income-generating opportunities for rural households in Gadchiroli driven by collective efforts with local stakeholders.”

The ceremony concluded with a pledge to track measurable progress and publish annual impact reports, ensuring transparency and accountability in Gadchiroli’s development.

BAIF is committed to sustainable development and climate action for the reversal of the chronic poverty plaguing rural communities and guiding them towards improved livelihood opportunities through promotion of climate-smart technologies. BAIF along with NABARD, State Bank of India Foundation, R G Manudhane Foundation for Excellence and Cargill Business Services, has been implementing various development programmes for upliftment of Gadchiroli district.

June 02, 2025: BAIF Development Research Foundation with its strong commitment to Development Research and significant contribution to this sector, has once again been certified as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. This certification, valid for the period 2025 – 2028, enables legitimate access to technical support, resources and expertise, ensuring expansion of BAIF’s research capabilities, greater credibility and scope for global branding.

April 27, 2025: BAIF Rural Innovation Centre (BRIC) at Urulikanchan, Pune in Maharashtra, the first-of-its-kind Rural Knowledge Centre in a peri-urban area, was inaugurated by Shri. Giriraj Singh, Hon. Union Minister for Textiles, on April 27, 2025 in the presence of Dr. Bharat Kakade, President, BAIF, Shri. Sarveshwar Prasad Singh, MLC, Bihar, Shri. Ravi Madan, MD and Mr. Sanjay Agrawal, FiveF Agroecology LLP, senior officials from the Textiles Ministry and BAIF.

The Hon. Minister highlighted how a self-reliant rural economy can make a significant contribution to the Hon. Prime Minister’s mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He  emphasized the importance of scalable, replicable models implemented by BAIF through its on-going field programmes and by those being demonstrated at the Innovation Centre such as cactus value chain, plant propagation techniques, agrivoltaics, energy alternatives, soil enrichments, animal nutrition, animal genetics and land degradation neutrality initiatives in fostering climate mitigation and adaptation pathways while augmenting rural livelihoods. He encouraged BAIF to extend the high potential demonstrations at the Innovation Centre to various parts of the country.

Dr. Kakade in his address, stated that this innovation centre has evolved from the need to respond to the well-being and empowerment of the rural communities. He further stated that this unique centre will serve as a knowledge hub by providing information, resources and training on renewable and non-conventional energy technologies, livestock and dairy management demonstration. This centre will help generate employment opportunities for village youth through social enterprises and skills development, provide access to cutting-edge technologies and innovations and ensure scope for collaborative research. This innovation hub spread on 24 ha, will also focus on natural and organic farming practices along with artificial intelligence-driven technologies for promotion of sustainable climate-smart agricultural practices among the rural communities.

Apart from BAIF Senior team – Dr. Jayant Khadse, Mr. Rakesh Warrier, Mr. Pramodkumar Takawale, Dr. Vitthal Kauthale, Dr. Sachin Joshi, Dr. Shivaji Sontakke, Dr. Rahul Bahulikar and Mr. Sadashiv Nimbalkar, progressive leaders of Urulikanchan region were also present on this occasion.

April 16, 2025: The community-led climate actions of BAIF once again received national recognition! BAIF became a recipient of the prestigious JSW-The Times of India Earth Care Award among more than 1500 entries. The 12th edition of the awards, held on April 16, 2025 in Mumbai, honoured BAIF for its community-oriented approach towards climate action with solutions which are replicable in various parts of the country as well as in other developing countries. BAIF received the award at the hands of Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation, Rajat Gupta, Senior Partner-Sustainability Practice, McKinsey & Company and Sivakumar Sundaram, CEO (Publishing) of the Times Group and were joined by the Programme-supporting organisation – HUL Prabhat team on this occasion.​

The community-based project entitled “Breakthrough solutions for natural resource management and effective use of water” which is being implemented by BAIF with the support of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) in 25 villages of Khamgaon, Buldhana, Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Kutch since 2019, has proved to be a boon for 12,243 farmers as it has led to conservation of 6.46 billion litres of water and saved 9.9 billion litres through suitable soil and water conservation measures, groundwater recharge and micro-irrigation systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Crop diversification, improved agricultural practices on 8556 ha, vegetable cultivation and promotion of agri-horti-forestry have given a boost to the crop yield and income of farmers of Rs. 42 crores, while nurturing the environment.​

In his address, President of BAIF, Dr. Bharat Kakade, highlighted the vulnerability of the communities – almost 60% of whom are dependent on agriculture which is again dependent on the vagaries of nature. BAIF is working on adaptation measures for building resilience and livelihood of 4 million families across about one lakh villages in various parts of the country, to fight against climate impact by reducing methane through livestock management and by reducing carbon emission through water, soil and crop management for ensuring natural resource management. He expressed his gratitude to HUL for their wholehearted support and to JSW and The Times of India for recognising the good work of BAIF.

April 07, 2025: BAIF Napier Hybrid-26 (BNH-26) has been recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, for cultivation and release as an agricultural crop in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh vide its notification of April 7, 2025. BAIF Central Research Station, Urulikanchan, Pune, is a designated Centre of the All India Coordinated Research Programme on Forage Crops (AICRP) of ICAR, for more than four decades. Its advanced research studies on agricultural crops, have helped farmers all over the country to cultivate improved fodder varieties with higher returns.​

January 26, 2025: Republic Day, a day of introspection, was celebrated by BAIF at its Head Office in Pune as well as in all its operational states. In Pune, after the ceremonial guard of honour, Mr. Shrinivas Kulkarni, Group Vice President, Finance, hoisted the flag. He urged the BAIF team to respond to emerging development opportunities in general and Maharashtra in particular and highlighted the scope for sustainability and development through CSR blended with a sound value system and well-being of employees. Dr. Avinash Deo, Programme Organiser, highlighted the need to focus on climate change and mitigation as changing climate has repercussions on livestock, agriculture and horticulture development. Ms. Sucharita Dhar, Senior Manager – Information and Communication, highlighted the technological advancement in the country starting with the first space mission and the transition from traditional communication channels to digital media. Mr. Rakesh Shinde, Senior Human Resources Manager, highlighted the inherent values of equality, liberty and independence enshrined in the Indian Constitution, in BAIF Programmes. Mr. Chetan Dubey, Associate Programme Manager – CSR, emphasised on the theme of the 76th Republic Day – Swarnim Bharat – Virasat aur Vikas. Ms. Sujata Kangude, Thematic Programme Executive – Women & Development while compering the event, also reiterated the need to focus on empowerment of women in all the programmes. Ms. Sharmila Jadhav, Senior Administration Officer, BAIF proposed the vote of thanks.

Republic Day was also celebrated with pride at other operational areas of BAIF. In Nashik, Maharashtra, the flag was hoisted by Dr Raviraj Jadhav Jadhav, Regional Director, West; in Sambalpur, Odisha by Mr. Rakesh Warrier, Regional Director, East; in Ranchi, Jharkhand, by Shri. Dharmendra Tiwari, State Head and in Patna, Bihar by Mr. Sanjeet Sinha and the state team. In Karnataka, Mr. Malathesha Kulkarni, State Head, chaired the Republic Day celebration at the Head Office in Tiptur. Celebrations were also organised at the Lakkihalli campus, Dharwad Regional Office and Grama Chetana Training Centre, Surashettikoppa. Republic Day was celebrated under the Digital Sakhi Project in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with interactive events such as Rangoli and drawing competitions evoking tremendous enthusiasm among children.

Pan BAIF Celebrations

BAIF Livestock Technician, Sri. Bhaskar Padhan, is the proud recipient of the prestigious National Gopal Ratna Award for “Best Artificial Insemination Technician” for the year 2024. This award, instituted by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, is a recognition of his excellent service to the rural community through efficient breeding and advisory services at their doorsteps, resulting in improved herd productivity, milk yield and enhanced income for the families.

With a background in Arts, Mr. Bhaskar Padhan, an Artificial Insemination (AI) Technician from Kanpur village, Ulunda block of Sonepur district of Odisha, took up farming as an occupation. The turning point in his life came in 2011 when he joined the BAIF Livestock Development Programme as a self-employed youth (SEY) with the S. Mahada Cattle Development Centre. Since then, Bhaskar has been providing breeding services to 1500 to 2000 families in 32 villages within a radius of 8 to 10 km. With adoption of cutting edge technologies such as sex sorted semen, genomic evolution and goat AI, he has improved the herd productivity as well as income of livestock keepers. His significant achievements include conducting 26,800 cattle AIs recording birth of 11,200 calves and performing 2,800 Sorted Semen (SS) inseminations which have resulted in the production of 1,120 calves.

Bhaskar has been making news for a long time with ”Best AI Technician Award” by the Animal Resources Development Department in 2021, “Best Dairy Farmer Award” for Sonepur district by the F&ARD Department in 2011 and multiple state-level recognitions by BAIF, including first position in Conventional Semen (2017) and second position in Sorted Semen (2017). Bhaskar has been constantly upgrading his skills through various training programmes conducted by BAIF and The Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (OMFED).

With this national recognition, Bhaskar’s dedicated services have transformed the lives of countless farmers and also brought glory to BAIF Odisha for the third consecutive time. He is a role model for livestock technicians across Odisha as well as in the country.

BAIF Development Research Foundation, Pune, an accredited Observer Organization of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), participated in the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cali, Colombia from October 22 to 26, 2024.

BAIF Representatives Mr. Pramodkumar Takawale and Mr. Sudhir Wagle were invited to attend side events on mitigating the agricultural drivers of biodiversity loss, leveraging nature positive agriculture to achieve sustainable food system and meet multiple GBF targets and making the case for ecological benefits: community language for nature positive solutions. They highlighted BAIF’s native crop diversity conservation in conjunction with livelihood enhancement models of livestock development, climate-resilient agri-horti-forestry water-centric land degradation neutrality initiatives and promotion of rural enterprises, green and renewable energy for achieving sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. They also shared BAIF’s collaborative project for implementing Nature Positive Solutions in Maharashtra state of India in collaboration with the Alliance Bioversity and CIAT, other CGIAR partners. BAIF elaborated various Nature-based Solutions adopted by it to conserve, manage, restore and recycle with focus on six “C” approaches of agrobiodiversity, integration of livestock in farming system for sustainability, circularity, livelihood, climate resilience and building ecosystems.

The thematic discussions organised by CGIAR focussed on the benefits of adopting nature-positive agriculture for achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adapted to local conditions and cultures and the challenges and opportunities for scaling up these approaches across regions. The participating organisations unanimously agreed that global challenges posed by industrial agriculture had put to risk the nutrition and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers and that it was only nature-positive approaches leveraging traditional knowledge and innovative technologies and practices which could restore the health of the ecosystem, build resilience against climate change and conserve biodiversity. It was evident from the presentations at COP16 that community-based solutions for nature and climate action by indigenous people and local communities have been leading efforts in agrobiodiversity conservation in various countries. A discussion on multilateral collaboration for a regional biodiversity conservation was also focussed on.

BAIF delegation engaged in discussions with representatives of several global programmes and donor agencies that will help expand our pro-livelihood and climate action programmes while protecting the precious biodiversity of the country.

Oct 22, 2024: Hon. President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred the 5^th National Water Awards 2023 for “Best Civil Society” on BAIF Development Research Foundation, Pune today at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.  The award was received by Dr. Bharat Kakade, President and Managing Trustee of BAIF and Mr. Waman Kulkarni, Chief Thematic Programme Executive – Natural Resources Management and Climate Action, BAIF in the presence of Shri. C.R. Paatil, Hon. Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri. V. Somanna, Hon. Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Railways and Shri. Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Hon. Minister of State for Jal Shakti.

The award announced by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India included 38 winners in 9 categories i.e. Best State, District, Village Panchayat, Urban Local Body, School or College, Industry, Water User Association, Institution (other than school or college) and Civil Society for water conservation and management.

BAIF has transformed the lives of 16,970 families from 115 villages of 12 states by promoting diversion-based irrigation and smart irrigation practices on 7816 hectares, construction of 3547 water conservation structures for drinking water and irrigation of rural catchment areas, 299 traditional rain water harvesting structures such as Tankas and Agors in arid regions to benefit 4485 families.

Resolving drinking water scarcity in Surgana, Nashik district, adoption of water positive village approach on 5000 hectares in Nashik and Satara districts, solar irrigation systems to benefit 1068 families and minimise carbon footprint in Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Gujarat, water stewardship programmes for sustainable river basin and micro-watershed management in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttarakhand, roof top rain water diverted into defunct hand pumps to recharge the ground water in Uttar Pradesh and roof top water harvesting in schools in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan were the other achievements.

The selection process included acceptance of the proposal, presentation, verification and impact assessment by the evaluation team from Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board.

We thank Water Resource and Watershed Departments of State Governments of all our operational states, Corporate Partners and Communities for their contributions and support in BAIF’s endeavour of Water for All.

Oct 05, 2024: Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi launched the ‘Unified Genomic Chip’ – ‘Gau’ chip for cattle and ‘Mahish’ chip for buffaloes at Pohara Devi, Washim, Maharashtra, thereby heralding a major breakthrough in dairy farming in the country.

These SNP chips designed for genomic profiling and evaluation of Indian cattle breeds, have been developed by a consortium comprising of BAIF Development Research Foundation, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology and the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources and led by the National Dairy Development Board. Each participating organization pooled their genome sequence and genotype data to facilitate the development of these genomic techniques. This advanced technology has enabled the direct application of DNA technologies to enhance the genetic potential of diverse dairy animal populations in the country. These chips will help farmers to identify young, superior quality bulls at an early age for selection and boost livestock productivity.

BAIF Development Research Foundation is working in rural development at Pan-India level for more than 57 years with special focus on genetic improvement, health care and systematic herd management practices.

Sept. 27, 2024 : Global food nutrition giant – Nutricia International Private Limited (Danone) and BAIF Development Research Foundation announced a three-year programme to train about 5,000 smallholder dairy farmers from 100 villages of Ludhiana, Moga, Ferozpur, Faridkot, Barnala, Bhatinda, Sangrur and Mansa districts of Punjab through a network of 70 milk collection centres in Punjab. The farmer development programme will focus on animal health, manure management, livestock management and community engagement.

At the launching ceremony organised by Danone and BAIF in Chandigarh, Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO, Danone said, “India is an important growth market for Danone. We are committed to building inclusive growth for all our farming partners and local manufacturing. This programme is in line with Danone’s longstanding support for our local farmer communities in India. At Danone, we have always believed that we cannot succeed without our farmer partners and must work closely with them to create shared value.”

Vikram Agarwal, Chief Operations Officer, Danone, said, “We source specialised nutrition grade milk from over 5,000 small dairy farmers across 100 villages near our Lalru plant. Our partnership is about expansion through inclusive growth and will be pivotal in supporting our farmer partners improve both yields and livelihoods while increasing volumes of high-quality milk available for Danone as we continue to invest in increased capacity at the plant. Together, we are driving mutual growth for a brighter future”.

Dr. Bharat Kakade, President and Managing Trustee, BAIF, said, “We are happy to work with the farmers of Punjab to address major challenges in the Indian Dairy Sector such as low productivity of animals, poor quality milk production and shortage of fodder and in particular, green fodder. BAIF’s dairy development programme is in maximum number of districts in the country and during the year 2023-24, BAIF was able to reach out to 33,95,933 families from 99,452 villages in 343 districts of 13 states. BAIF will be bringing its OPU-IVF & ET technology and improved fodder varieties released by ICAR, to Punjab. BAIF’s past experience of working with the farmers of Punjab will help to provide need-based services to them. I am grateful to Danone leadership team for their trust in BAIF to improve the livelihood of farmers in Punjab”.

On this occasion, a MoU was signed between Dr. Kakade and Mr. Shashi Ranjan, Managing Director, Danone India in the presence of Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO, Danone, Mr. Vikram Agarwal, Chief Operations Officer, Christian Stammkoetter, President, Danone for Asia, Middle East and Africa and Mr. Arjun Bhowmick, Vice President, Operations, Danone for Asia, Middle East and Africa, Mr. V.B. Dyasa, BAIF Regional Director – North and Mr. Sandip Yadav, State Head, Uttarakhand.

Sep 19, 2024: BAIF Development Research Foundation, an organisation working at Pan-India level in rural development, with special focus on genetic improvement, health care and systematic herd management practices for improving the productivity of Indian Dairy Livestock, signed a MoU with the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB). NIAB is an autonomous research organisation affiliated to the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. The MOU was signed between Dr. Bharat Kakade, President and Managing Trustee, BAIF and Dr. G. Taru Sharma, Director, NIAB in Hyderabad for collaborative research in livestock genomics and reproductive biotechnology. This collaborative effort will be in huge sync with the BioE3 Policy recently announced by the Union Cabinet.

BAIF and NAIB are already engaged in a collaborative project on Livestock chip development in association with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). On this occasion, Dr. G. Taru Sharma, stated, “NIAB, Hyderabad earlier in 2021, developed the world’s largest and India’s first HD chip for indigenous cattle. Now, the combined data of NIAB chip and NDDB-BAIF chip could lead to the generation of LD chip”.

Dr. Bharat Kakade, stated, “With this collaboration, the strength of BAIF in applied research and large scale field programme outreach and NIAB’s capability in basic research in animal biotechnology have paved the way to jointly work on many problems in animal health, productivity and reproduction and come out with appropriate solutions for the benefit of dairy farmers”.

The MoU focuses on Inter-Institutional centres on thematic areas to promote interdisciplinary research while addressing challenges in Animal Biology and Biotechnology. With shared resources and expertise, BAIF and NIAB will design and implement programmes aimed at innovative solutions, scientific progress and positive societal impact and their dissemination among communities, policy makers and industry through lectures, workshops and contact programmes organised at the national and international levels.

This collaborative partnership will be governed by a Research Advisory Committee led by the Heads of NIAB and BAIF, which will also comprise of experts on livestock genomics and biotechnology.