The main objective of creating Community Based Science Societies is to strengthen communities by engaging them more in scientific thinking and usage of scientific knowledge and technologies in their day-to-day life and to create income generating activities (e.g. farming, self-employment, cottage industries etc.).

The word ‘community’ can be defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Accordingly, the NSF develops its strategies to harness an integrated approach to build up the community to create economic equity, develop health conditions and safe environment to live in by conducting various programmes to provide informal education, transferring necessary technologies to improve their economic activities, giving them expert advice, technical assistance and establishing supporting network among segments of the community and relevant experts, etc. to improve the system.

The NSF identified that the best way to reach the different segments of the community is through their own familiar societal networks such as “Vidatha Centres”, Sarvodaya Centres, farmers’ societal networks, “women associations “and other available societal networks.

With the engagement of the community through these networks it is planned to create educational programmes to stimulate community responsibility and scientific literacy towards environmental protection, sustainable production & consumption of natural resources, energy, nutrition, food safety and disaster awareness etc. These processes are expected to be facilitated by integrating natural science, social sciences, and indigenous knowledge systems from and within the society that will suit to the local conditions and cultures of the community.