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A Legacy of Impact

Sehgal Foundation (USA) and S M Sehgal Foundation (SMSF) in India emerged from a shared vision of two individuals whose childhoods were marked by displacement due to significant historical events.

Surinder M. Sehgal

Founder of Sehgal Foundation

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Surinder M. Sehgal (Suri) was born in a part of India that became Pakistan during the Partition in 1947. His father, a businessman and community organizer, worked alongside Mahatma Gandhi for India's independence. Suri’s family fled as refugees when he was thirteen.

Edda Jeglinsky Sehgal

Founder of Sehgal Foundation

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Edda Jeglinsky Sehgal was only three years old when World War II ended, and her family fled their home in the Silesian lowlands (now Poland). Both families rebuilt their lives—Suri’s in Amritsar, India, and Edda’s in Göppingen, Germany.

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A Life of Service and Science

Suri came to the U.S. in 1959 to study plant genetics at Harvard University, motivated by his experience of famine in India. It was during this time that he met Edda, an au pair learning English.

After earning his PhD, Suri took a role with Pioneer Seed Company in Des Moines, Iowa. He and Edda married, raised four children, and built a successful international career in hybrid seed development, working to provide affordable, high-quality seeds to poor farmers worldwide.

The Birth of a Vision

In 1998, after the lucrative sale of their seed companies, Suri and Edda made a pivotal decision: they would share generously with their employees, then use the bulk of their wealth to give back to Suri’s country of origin in gratitude for all that India had done to prepare him for success in life.

Sehgal Foundation in the US was incorporated in 1998 with the purpose of promoting sustainable agriculture, plant biodiversity and genetic resources, environmental protection, and women’s literacy. However, they soon realized the need for more direct action and created S M Sehgal Foundation (SMSF) in India in 1999 to develop and test innovative rural development models for the benefit of the millions of small-scale farmers in India’s often-neglected villages.

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Addressing the Water Crisis

Early on, the team identified a critical issue in the villages where they worked: a lack of usable water. Water Management became a core focus, alongside Agriculture Development. Recognizing that lasting change would require village-level empowerment, they introduced the Local Participation and Sustainability Program, emphasizing rural governance.

Capacity-building of Farmers for Sustainable Livelihoods

From the beginning, emphasis on the capacity-building of farmers included women farmers, improving agricultural practices, and promoting new technologies that increase crop yields, conserving water, and improving soil fertility. SMSF teams work with small-holder and marginal farmers in rain-fed and irrigated areas to facilitate adoption of advanced and sustainable agricultural practices that include soil health management, climate-smart interventions, crop production management, input-use efficiency, small farm mechanization, water-efficient irrigation techniques, horticultural development, livestock management, and the use of
information and communication technology in agriculture.

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Empowering the Next Generation

SMSF's initiatives include digital literacy and life-skills training for girls and young women, along with vocational training for boys. In 2016, the Transform Lives: one school at a time program was launched, combining elements of water management, agriculture, and governance to improve government schools in rural areas.

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With support from corporate, government, academic, and individual donors, SMSF has made groundbreaking progress in rural India, receiving local, national, and international recognition. With more than a quarter century of experience, SMSF continues expanding its programs across India, bringing lasting change to the most vulnerable communities.

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