At SAANJ Group, our mission is to harness the power of nature to address the pressing social and environmental challenges facing South Asia. We are dedicated to creating sustainable solutions that mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, and foster community development. Our work is grounded in the belief that nature-based solutions are key to solving many of today’s critical issues.
By promoting sustainable agriculture, restoring ecosystems, and empowering communities, we aim to create lasting environmental and social benefits. For instance, our consultancy services on agroforestry projects in India help farmers diversify their crops and improve soil health, while our mangrove restoration efforts in Bangladesh protect coastal communities from storm surges and erosion.
Beyond environmental conservation, SAANJ Group places a strong emphasis on community development. We aim to engage local communities in collaborative decision-making processes, ensuring that our projects are responsive to their needs and aspirations. Through capacity-building programs and inclusive partnerships, we empower communities to actively participate in and benefit from sustainable development initiatives.
Finally, through our collaborative efforts, we seek to inspire positive change and pave the way for a more sustainable and equitable future.
We are a group of researchers, practitioners, and environmental enthusiasts with a shared commitment to nature and climate justice. Our team operates across the UK and South Asian countries, working hand-in-hand with local communities to implement impactful nature-based solutions. Our diverse backgrounds in environmental & social sciences, medical & life sciences, geology & engineering, make us a dynamic and interdisciplinary group of people who have come together to support ecosystem restoration, and Just Transition initiatives catering to the wider needs of the South Asian community.
At SAANJ Group, we recognise that environmental challenges and their impacts are not experienced equally. Our approach to climate justice is deeply informed by the principles of intersectionality, understanding that issues such as gender, race, class, and ethnicity intersect to shape the lived experiences of individuals and communities. We work to ensure that our projects are inclusive and equitable, particularly focusing on the most vulnerable and marginalised groups. By integrating feminist political ecology perspectives, we emphasise the roles and contributions of women and other marginalised groups in environmental management and decision-making processes.
In our work across South Asia, we draw on the insights of several influential feminist political ecologists and intersectionality scholars like Bina Agarwal (for gender-inclusive environmental policies and practices in forestry projects), Lyla Mehta (for her work on water, scarcity, and gender politics), Andrea Nightingale (for her work gender, caste, and class influence in environmental governance and resource management in Nepal) and Farhana Sultana (for her research on water governance, climate change, and social justice in Bangladesh).
By adopting an intersectional approach, we aim to address not only environmental degradation but also the social inequalities that exacerbate its impacts. This commitment is reflected in our community-based conservation efforts, sustainable agriculture initiatives, and ecosystem restoration projects, all designed to empower women and marginalised communities, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met in the quest for climate justice.
We see a South Asia where:
Dr. Anjali Dalal is the visionary founder of SAANJ Group. With a PhD in Environmental Sociology from the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Dalal has dedicated her academic career in studying interlinkages between climate change, human health and social justice. Her doctoral research under the India-UK collaboration on ‘Sustainable Nitrogen Policy-making in South Asia’ explored farmers’ behaviours & perspectives in adopting sustainable agricultural practices in northwest India. Her extensive fieldwork experiences includes primary data collection and analysis using both quantitative & qualitative methods, document & policy analysis, and systematic literature reviews. Dr. Dalal has a proven track record in project management, worked with cross-country stakeholders, designed MEL frameworks and impact evaluation strategies and has presented her findings at major national & international conferences.
Dr. Dalal brings over a decade of research experience across various disciplines in social and environmental science, focusing on climate change, sustainable development, agrarian transformations, food systems, environmental impact associated with food & water, migration and reproductive care, youth employment, and vulnerabilities affecting health in the Global South countries. Previously, she taught a course on Sustainable Development to undergraduate students at the University of Edinburgh where she designed multiple tutorial sessions and handled administrative responsibilities. She holds an impressive experience of working as an Environmental Consultant at Plan Vivo Foundation (Edinburgh) where she developed participatory toolkit for voluntary carbon markets in the Least Developed Countries (in Asia, Africa and Latin America) in managing sustainable forestry and land use projects that promotes inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups. Here, she furnished her project management & stakeholder engagement skills and designed monitoring frameworks and methodologies for identification and social assessment of environmental outcomes on vulnerable and marginalised communities.
Dr. Dalal’s passion for climate justice is evident in her commitment to promoting social inclusion and equity in all her projects. Her expertise and dedication drive SAANJ Group’s mission to create positive environmental and social impacts across South Asia.
We invite you to join us in our journey to create a greener, more sustainable South Asia. Whether you are a business looking for consultancy services in environmental sustainability, a community seeking sustainable solutions, or an individual passionate about conservation, there is a place for you in our mission