Imran's Essay

1. MIT Sloan MBA
Application
Optional Essay
Imran Karim
2014

2. In 2008, prior to joining the Canadian Foreign Service, I was awarded a
Fellowship in International Development Management in Gujarat, India
through the Aga Khan Foundation Canada.
2008
Near Rajpipla, Gujarat, India
Interviewing local farmers for the Development
Support Centre
2013
High Commission of Canada, New Delhi, India
With Ed Fast, Canadian Minister of International Trade

3. My objective was to document best practices in rural Gujarati villages for Participatory
Irrigation Management, an innovative tool being used by the Government of India to
transfer management responsibility for irrigation directly to farmers.

4. Challenges to the Implementation
of Participatory Irrigation
Management in India
• Poor literacy
• Lack of NGO capacity
for the whole country
• Low level of
management
knowledge among
rural farmers
• Personal conflicts
between farmers

5. Exploring Solutions
• 2008-2009:
• Radio Show orally disseminating information to increase farmers’
capacity
• Manuals and guidebooks
• Workshops
• 2014 and into the future:
• Educational apps?
• Free online courses?
• How do private sector solutions compare?
• Private sector/NGO partnerships?

6. Excited to Soar at MIT through Action
Learning, Sustainability, and International
Opportunities
• Leading Sustainable Systems
• Global Entrepreneurship Lab
• Sloan Entrepreneurs for
International Development
• MIT India Conference
• Certificate in Sustainability