Nature-Based Livelihoods & Community Enterprise Development

As countries pursue climate resilience, ecological protection, and inclusive economic growth, nature-based livelihoods have become an essential pathway for protecting ecosystems while supporting rural and Indigenous communities. These models enable income diversification, climate adaptation, circular value chains, cultural preservation, and sustainable use of natural resources. This domain prepares learners to design, scale, and manage nature-based community enterprises across forestry, agro-ecology, NTFPs, regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, sustainable tourism, watershed stewardship, and restoration value chains. Learners gain practical skills to identify nature-based livelihood opportunities, build business models rooted in community ownership, apply regenerative resource management and co-governance, strengthen producer collectives and value-chain participation, mobilize green finance for community enterprises, integrate climate resilience, biodiversity, and gender inclusion, and support market access through digital and cooperative platforms.

  1. One-Week Certificate Courses
Course Title Duration Mode Key Learning Outcomes Skills Gained Assessment Suggested Fee (INR/USD) Industry Relevance
Introduction to Nature-Based Livelihoods 1 Week Online Concepts; ecosystem services; case studies NbS literacy MCQ ₹2,000 / $25 Dev + Gov
Sustainable Forest Products & NTFP Value Chains 1 Week Online Product mapping; value addition Value chain basics Assignment ₹2,000 / $25 Forest + Agri
Regenerative Agriculture & Soil-Health Enterprises 1 Week Online Principles; community models Regenerative practice MCQ ₹2,000 / $25 Agri + Rural Dev
Blue Economy Micro-Enterprise Models 1 Week Online Community fisheries; aquaculture Blue livelihood skills Task ₹2,000 / $25 Coastal Dev
Community-Led Ecotourism Models 1 Week Online Tourism planning; conservation Sustainable tourism Task ₹2,000 / $25 Tourism + Dev
  1. Two-Week Certificate Courses
Course Title Duration Mode Key Learning Outcomes Skills Gained Assessment Suggested Fee (INR/USD) Industry Relevance
NTFP Production, Aggregation & Marketing 2 Weeks Online Producer groups; market systems Supply + aggregation Case Study ₹3,500 / $40 Forest + Rural
Community Aquaculture & Sustainable Fisheries 2 Weeks Online Fisheries mgmt; community enterprise Blue enterprise design Project ₹3,500 / $40 Coastal + Inland
Agro-Forestry Enterprise Models 2 Weeks Online Trees + crops; income; risk Agro-enterprise Assignment ₹3,500 / $40 Agri + Rural
Developing Eco-Tourism Value Chains 2 Weeks Online Branding; marketing; conservation Tourism value chains Task ₹3,500 / $40 Tourism + Gov
Green Micro-Enterprise Finance & Cooperatives 2 Weeks Online Credit models; cooperatives; SHGs Finance + governance Case Study ₹3,500 / $40 Dev + Finance
  1. One-Month Certificate Courses
Course Title Duration Mode Key Learning Outcomes Skills Gained Assessment Suggested Fee (INR/USD) Industry Relevance
Nature-Based Enterprise Design & Business Planning 1 Month Online Business models; planning; markets Enterprise design Capstone ₹6,000 / $70 Dev + CSR
Regenerative Food Systems & Value Chains 1 Month Online Farm-to-market models; quality Food systems Project ₹6,000 / $70 Agri + Retail
Blue Economy Enterprise Incubation 1 Month Online Fisheries/aquaculture business Blue markets Assignment ₹6,000 / $70 Coastal + Marine
Community Forest & Landscape Management 1 Month Online Commons governance; restoration Landscape mgmt Project ₹6,000 / $70 Forest + Gov
Community-Owned Tourism & Cultural Enterprise 1 Month Online Heritage; inclusion; planning Tourism dev Capstone ₹6,000 / $70 Tourism + CSR
  1. Three-Month Certificate Courses
Course Title Duration Mode Key Learning Outcomes Skills Gained Assessment Suggested Fee (INR/USD) Industry Relevance
Sustainable Livelihoods Planning & Implementation 3 Months Online Situation analysis; design Livelihood mgmt Capstone + Exam ₹12,000 / $140 Rural + Gov
Inclusive Value-Chains & Producer-Owned Enterprise 3 Months Online Collectives; finance; governance Cooperative systems Project ₹12,000 / $140 Dev + CSR
NbS for Climate-Resilient Rural Economies 3 Months Online NbS design; climate adaptation Adaptation strategy Capstone ₹12,000 / $140 Gov + NGOs
Digital Platforms for Rural & Green Markets 3 Months Online Market access; e-commerce Digital market design Project ₹12,000 / $140 Tech + Rural
Finance for Nature-Based Community Enterprise 3 Months Online Green finance; risk; credit Finance + impact Capstone ₹12,000 / $140 Finance + Dev
  1. Six-Month Diploma Courses
Course Title Duration Mode Key Learning Outcomes Skills Gained Assessment Suggested Fee (INR/USD) Industry Relevance
Diploma in Nature-Based Livelihoods & Climate Resilience 6 Months Online NbS; adaptation; value chains NbS + livelihoods Dissertation + Capstone ₹25,000 / $300 Gov + Dev
Diploma in Community Enterprise Design & Cooperative Models 6 Months Online Collectives; models; design Social enterprise Thesis ₹25,000 / $300 Rural + CSR
Diploma in Blue Economy & Coastal Livelihood Systems 6 Months Online Fisheries; aquaculture; tourism Blue systems Capstone ₹25,000 / $300 Coastal + Marine
Diploma in Landscape Stewardship & Restoration Economies 6 Months Online Restoration; payment models Ecology + markets Project ₹25,000 / $300 Forest + Climate
Diploma in Nature-Positive Business & Market Acceleration 6 Months Online Nature markets; NTFP; branding Enterprise + branding Dissertation ₹25,000 / $300 Private + SME

Common Features Across All Courses

  • Self-paced modules
  • Ideal for: graduates, policymakers, researchers, planners, professionals, NGOs, and development practitioners
  • Community-driven and equity-centred design
  • Integration of climate resilience, biodiversity, and inclusion
  • Hands-on focus—value chains, market linkages, enterprise incubation
  • NbS + regenerative principles
  • Emphasis on cooperative and collective ownership
  • Access to digital marketing + traceability tools
  • Capstone projects linked to rural development
  • STRATI certification + learning pathways