Thanal

Thanal champions sustainable agriculture, safeguarding biodiversity and the environment while empowering farmers for increased incomes. Its initiatives span across Kerala, including the Save Our Rice Campaign, organic farming promotion, and the Organic Bazaar. Advocating for GMO-free policies, Thanal played a key role in Kerala being declared 'GM-Free' and supported policies promoting organic farming. Its work extends beyond projects on the ground, advocating policy changes for food safety and security.

Thanal's Finance Management programme is an integral internal system focused on ensuring the organisation's financial stability and expansion. This department oversees crucial tasks such as bookkeeping, accounting, financial control, and fundraising. Currently evolving, Thanal is actively developing policies, guidelines, and protocols for Finance Management, aiming to make these resources accessible to potential partners and interested individuals once they are finalized.

The Administration and Institution Development programme within Thanal focuses on building robust systems and practices. Its aim is to secure the organisation's sustainability, growth, and advancement as a model institution. This initiative intends to instill confidence within the Thanal team, empowering them to actively pursue the organisation's overarching vision.

Thanal focuses on sustainable resource management for equitable development and a toxin-free world. Guided by Ethics, Efficiency, and Economics (3Es), it stresses ethical resource use for communal well-being and sustainability. This requires societal change to align with nature for survival. Thanal advocates efficient resource utilization, identifying sustainable materials, devising eco-friendly production, and promoting mindful consumption. By integrating ethics and efficiency, it reshapes the economy for inclusive growth, emphasizing livelihoods over private profit. Alongside Zero Waste, its Climate Action initiative aids in building climate-resilient communities, supporting 'Low Carbon' or 'Carbon Neutral' programmes. This aligns with Thanal's vision of People, Planet, and Sustainability.

The Living Ecosystems programme by Thanal challenges the current development paradigm, highlighting its failure to encompass the entirety of ecosystems vital for human lives and livelihoods. This paradigm's profit-driven motives often overlook fair and equitable rights to natural resources, resulting in piecemeal land management that triggers environmental crises and societal conflicts. Thanal's initiative aims to raise awareness among the public and policymakers about land use practices that preserve ecosystems supporting millions of lives. Through policy advocacy, it played a significant role in formulating Wetland and Paddy land conservation policies in Kerala and is actively engaged in ongoing debates concerning the Western Ghats.