Pawan Kumar, holds a Postgraduate degree in Rural Management and a Bachelor's degree in Commerce. Currently, he serve as an Associate Manager for Market Linkage with Transform Trade, a UK-based charity, stationed in Jharkhand, India. His professional experience encompasses various domains such as Organic farming, Non-timber forest produce supply chain management, Indigenous seed conservation, Social Enterprise Development, and value chain enhancement and Market Linkages. Through the Omlas Project, he aims to uplift tribal groups in the community, specifically targeting the Pahariya community, one of the eight tribal groups listed under Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Jharkhand, India. The Pahariya community is increasingly vulnerable due to the loss of their customary habitats and livelihood resources, unfair practices of market intermediaries, poor infrastructural facilities, and inadequate access to government social programs. This project emphasizes working closely with local communities to discuss and agree on the types of interventions that would be most meaningful and sustainable. The proposed project intends to promote women-led institutions to introduce community-based sustainable resource management systems, enhance food security by introducing improved farming practices, and conserve indigenous seeds. The project plans to work with 1,000 small women farmers in two districts: Godda and Pakur in Jharkhand, India.

Targeted SDGs: SDG 2: Zero Hunger; 2.3- Double the productivity and income of small scale food producers, 2.4- Sustainable food production and resilient agriculture practices, and 2.5- Maintain the genetic diversity in food production.