Vikram Sarabhai Centre for Development Interactions (VIKSAT) was set up as an Institution of the Nehru Foundation for Development (NFD) in the year 1977. NFD is registered as Public Charitable Trust under the Bombay Public Trust act 1950 and was set up in the year 1966 by Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai having its registered office in Thaltej Tekra, Ahmedabad.

VIKSAT’s pivotal objective has been to strengthen the implementation of activities that can improve the environment. Since its early stage of involvement with the directions set by the head concern then, VIKSAT strives to meet its purpose, which is to Promote interactions between individuals and organizations for environmental protection Endeavour to build Peoples’ Institutions (PI) for sustainable development and management of natural resources.

Over the last four decades, VIKSAT has progressed from being a platform for intellectual discourse to an agency advocating for people’s rights over the forests, its produce and ultimately providing protection to the forest. Further moving ahead towards a novel approach of decisive participation of communities undertaking various innovations in water harvesting, joint forest management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, climate-proofing intervention project which included interventions i.e. installation of solar pumps, drip irrigation system, mulching practice in crop cultivation, soil and water conservation, and various demonstrations to build climate resilience capacity of the community. This also included some level of forward and backward linkages via Farmer Producer Company (FPC). 

VIKSAT focuses on five major thrust areas i.e. Land and Water Management, WaSH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene), Sustainable Livelihoods, Institution and Capacity Building, and Environment and Climate Change.

VIKSAT has, directly and indirectly, touched the lives of people through its initiatives. Presently, we are working in 7 Districts of Gujarat and 27 Aspirational Districts from 8 states of India as knowledge partners with ITC and Niti Aayog and have directly affected the lives of more than 50,000 households through the facilitation of PIs formed at the village level. Along with the direct activities, VIKSAT has also covered more than 25 lakh households indirectly through the capacity building of various stakeholders.