Environment: Dedicated to preserving our planet

Through their climate-smart agriculture programme in Rajasthan, Centre for microFinance (CmF) aims to strengthen capacities of women members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) to increase their incomes while ensuring the judicious use of soil and water resources. Deutsche Bank is supporting this initiative to provide women farmers with technical and financial support to implement micro irrigation technologies and helping them take greater ownership of decisions on their farms and participate more actively in their communities.

Certain parcels of land in India become uncultivable over time due to climatic factors and human interventions. These parcels of land, however, can be used to grow fruit-bearing trees. As of 2025, Deutsche Bank has supported  Swades Foundation in their project to  plant 285,000 fruit-bearing trees to augment the income of Indian farmers. Our volunteers participate in tree plantation drives every year to further these efforts.

Deutsche Bank has funded Watershed Organisation Trust’s (WOTR), water management intervention programme in 24 drought-prone villages in Maharashtra. This work includes increasing the water-holding capacity of old water harvesting structures, rainwater harvesting, improving irrigation and distribution of water, and introducing agriculture practices focusing on judicious use of resources.

In partnership with Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), Deutsche Bank funds their programme to desilt community tanks in Karnataka. This effort will increase the water storing capacity of the tanks and the silt excavated will be used by farmers in the region as a natural fertilizer to rejuvenate their farmlands.

We have partnered with Swades Foundation to fund their programme to increase the income per acre for Indian farmers. Through drip irrigation systems, access to quality inputs and training, the aim is to augment farmers’ incomes while ensuring efficient water usage, higher crop yields and reduced migration of farmers.

In collaboration with Swades Foundation, we support their project to supply emergency solar-powered lighting to rural households for use during blackouts. The solar units provide lighting during outages, enabling children to study after sunset and helping families carry on with daily activities.

Swades Foundation is working towards building dream villages through a community-driven approach and Deutsche Bank is supporting them to develop 6 such villages over 3 years. The project focuses on transforming villages into beautiful, healthy, literate, and self-reliant communities. This inclusive, community-led approach creates a better community by improving the quality of life and creating a self-reliant and resilient rural framework.