Abstract - EN
Association for Sarva Seva Farms (ASSEFA) – India -50 years of Sustainable Development Since 1968, ASSEFA has helped create thousands of self-sufficient villages in Tamil Nadu (the majority), but also in 6 other states. Even if the association uses the expression Community Development, the similarities with Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) are striking. The ASSEFA leadership is aware of SSE and they are at ease with the concept. From its origins until today, the approach is to fulfill Gandhi’s teaching that uplifting the situation of the hundreds of millions of poor people in India. To achieve this goal, the first task was having land for farming, under collective ownership, for the landless. This was possible with land given for this purpose, and later, by small farmers pooling together their land to create such villages. The SDG’s were adopted in 2015.
