• Rural livelihoods and local governance
• Sustainable agriculture and agroecology
• Agriculture and horticulture production clusters
• Water resources and irrigation
• Lac value chain development
• CSO-Government partnerships
• Development practice in non-profit organisations

Binju is a faculty at the School of Continuing Education – University Resource Centre (SCE-URC), Azim Premji University. He contributes to the University’s work on rural livelihoods and the design and delivery of practice-based learning programmes for civil society organisations, practitioners, and government functionaries.

With over 25 years of experience at PRADAN, one of India’s leading development organisations, he has worked extensively with rural communities across central eastern tribal region before joining the Foundation. His practice has focused on strengthening rural economy in poverty pockets through agriculture, livestock, natural resource management, commodity value chains and women’s collectives. He has worked closely with community-based organisations, civil society organisations, and government agencies to facilitate design and implementation of livelihood projects at scale that provide effectiveness to government programmes and strengthen community participation.

He started his engagement with the Azim Premji Foundation in 2022 where he anchored the Livelihoods Initiative at the Field Institute, contributing to setting up six grassroots teams in three districts in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh providing leadership to livelihood programme development (on paddy, small ruminants, horticulture, lac, entitlements and farm development), learning processes and convergence with line departments. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University College of Engineering, Sambalpur University (Odisha), a master’s degree in development studies from Cornell University (USA) and is a recipient of Netherland Fellowship Programme (2003), Ford Foundation International Fellowship(2005) and Einaudi International Travel Grant (2007) awards.