Although India is considered to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world, an estimated 77% of the Indian population, still live below the poverty line. Oxfam's program in India is one of their oldest programs. Oxfam continues to have many on-going projects in many different areas around India.

Oxfam Japan supports projects in the north-west Himalayan region and the Uttrakhand State. Most of the area consists of mountainous terrain, which means that there is very little arable land for agricultural purposes. In this region it is estimated that around 3 million people, out of total population of 8.5 million, live below the poverty line.

Livelihoods in the mountain villages are mostly subsistence based. Therefore the survival of the communities depends solely on agriculture and the availability of natural resources. There is a paucity of non-agricultural livelihoods options in the villages. Therefore, out mitigation, particularly of men, is very high.

In the projects, covering more than 150 villages, the major focuses are promotion of livelihood and natural resource management. Women are seen as key actors as well as beneficiaries.