Privacy Policy

How Soil Health Foundation collects, uses, and protects your personal information.

Effective date: 30 March 2026 — Last updated: 30 March 2026

1. Introduction

Soil Health Foundation (“SHF”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is an Indian non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture, soil conservation, and environmental stewardship. Our website, soilhealthfoundation.com (the “Website”), serves as a platform to share knowledge, facilitate community engagement, and support our mission of restoring soil health across India.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect from visitors to our Website, how we use and protect that information, and the rights you have in relation to your data. This policy applies to all information collected through our Website, including through contact forms, donation pages, volunteer sign-up forms, and newsletter subscriptions.

By accessing or using our Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the practices described herein, please refrain from using our Website.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following categories:

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you interact with our Website through forms or other input fields, you may voluntarily provide personal information, including but not limited to:

  • Name — provided when you submit a contact form, volunteer application, or donation.
  • Email address — provided when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit an enquiry, or make a donation.
  • Phone number — provided optionally through contact or volunteer forms.
  • Message content — the text of enquiries, feedback, or other communications you send to us via our contact form.
  • Donation details — information related to donations you make through our Website.

Please note that our contact form currently uses a mailto: link, which means your enquiry is sent directly through your email client rather than being processed on our server. Your email provider’s privacy policy will apply to the transmission of that message.

2.2 Usage Data (Automatically Collected)

When you visit our Website, certain information is collected automatically by our analytics tools and hosting infrastructure. This may include:

  • IP address (anonymised where possible).
  • Browser type and version (e.g., Chrome 120, Firefox 115).
  • Device information (e.g., desktop, mobile, operating system).
  • Pages visited and the order in which they were accessed.
  • Time and date of visit, session duration, and bounce rate.
  • Referring URL — the website or search engine that directed you to our Website.
  • Geographic location (at the city or region level, derived from your IP address).

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect usage data and improve your browsing experience. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your web browser. We use the following types of cookies:

  • Essential cookies — required for the basic functioning of the Website, such as session management and security.
  • Analytics cookies — used by Google Analytics (GA4) to collect aggregated, anonymised data about how visitors use our Website. These cookies help us understand traffic patterns, popular pages, and user behaviour so we can improve our content and design.

We do not use advertising cookies, remarketing pixels, or any third-party tracking for marketing purposes. For detailed information about the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Responding to enquiries — to reply to questions, feedback, or requests you submit through our contact form or email.
  • Processing donations — to facilitate and acknowledge donations made through our Website, and to issue receipts where applicable.
  • Sending newsletters and updates — to share news about our projects, events, and impact with individuals who have explicitly opted in to receive such communications. You may unsubscribe at any time.
  • Managing volunteer registrations — to coordinate with individuals who have expressed interest in volunteering with SHF.
  • Improving our Website — to analyse aggregated usage data and understand how visitors interact with our Website, so we can enhance content, navigation, and overall user experience.
  • Ensuring website security — to monitor for suspicious activity, prevent fraud, and maintain the technical integrity of our Website.
  • Complying with legal obligations — to meet our obligations under applicable Indian laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”).

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

4.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Website to function correctly. They enable core features such as session management and page navigation. Essential cookies do not collect personal data for marketing purposes and cannot be disabled without affecting the functionality of the Website.

4.2 Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics — GA4)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors use our Website. GA4 uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyse the following types of data:

  • Number of visitors and sessions.
  • Session duration and bounce rate.
  • Pages viewed and user navigation flow.
  • Traffic sources and referral URLs.
  • Device type, browser, and operating system.
  • Approximate geographic location (city/region level).

IP anonymisation: We have configured GA4 to anonymise IP addresses, meaning your full IP address is not stored or processed by Google Analytics. GA4 processes data in accordance with Google’s privacy practices. For more information, visit Google’s Privacy Policy.

4.3 How to Manage Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

  • View what cookies are stored on your device.
  • Delete individual or all cookies.
  • Block cookies from specific or all websites.
  • Set preferences for first-party and third-party cookies.

You may also opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Please note that disabling cookies may affect certain features of our Website. For further details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal grounds, in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”) and the Information Technology Act, 2000:

  • Consent — where you have given clear, informed consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, such as subscribing to our newsletter or submitting a contact form. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.
  • Legitimate interest — where processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of SHF, such as improving our Website, understanding our audience, and furthering our charitable mission, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.
  • Legal obligation — where we are required to process your data to comply with applicable Indian laws, regulations, or valid legal processes.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Trusted service providers — we use third-party services that assist in operating and maintaining our Website. These currently include:
    • Google Analytics (GA4) — for website analytics (data is anonymised).
    • Firebase Hosting (Google) — for hosting our Website and serving web content.
    These providers process data on our behalf and are contractually obligated to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.
  • Legal requirements — we may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of SHF, our users, or the public.
  • With your consent — we may share your information with other parties if you have given us explicit consent to do so.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Specifically:

  • Contact form enquiries — retained for up to 2 years from the date of the last interaction, unless you request earlier deletion.
  • Newsletter subscriptions — retained until you unsubscribe or request removal from our mailing list.
  • Donation records — retained for a minimum of 8 years as required by Indian tax and financial regulations.
  • Analytics data — Google Analytics retains aggregated, anonymised data in accordance with Google’s data retention policies. We have configured GA4 data retention to 14 months.
  • Volunteer records — retained for the duration of the volunteer engagement and up to 2 years thereafter.

You may request the deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us at admin@soilhealthfoundation.com. We will process your request within 30 days, subject to any legal obligations that may require us to retain certain records.

8. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it, including:

  • SSL/HTTPS encryption — all data transmitted between your browser and our Website is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) / Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.
  • Secure hosting — our Website is hosted on Firebase Hosting (Google Cloud), which provides enterprise-grade infrastructure security, including DDoS protection and automatic SSL certificates.
  • Access controls — access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only, on a need-to-know basis.
  • Regular review — we periodically review our data collection, storage, and processing practices to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately.

9. Your Rights Under the DPDP Act, 2023

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the following rights as a Data Principal:

  • Right to access information — you have the right to obtain a summary of the personal data we hold about you and the processing activities associated with it.
  • Right to correction — you have the right to request the correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you, and to have outdated data updated.
  • Right to erasure — you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data from our records, subject to any legal obligations that require us to retain certain information.
  • Right to grievance redressal — you have the right to lodge a complaint or raise a grievance regarding the processing of your personal data. You may contact our Grievance Officer (details below) or file a complaint with the Data Protection Board of India.
  • Right to nominate — you have the right to nominate another individual to exercise your rights under the DPDP Act on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity.
  • Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to the withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Grievance Officer using the details provided in Section 14 below. We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and endeavour to resolve it within 30 days.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our Website is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 18 years of age. In accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023, processing of personal data of children requires verifiable consent from a parent or lawful guardian.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under the age of 18 without appropriate parental consent, we will take immediate steps to delete such data from our records. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at admin@soilhealthfoundation.com.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to external websites, resources, or services that are not operated or controlled by Soil Health Foundation. These links are provided for your convenience and informational purposes only.

We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or security of any third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit before providing any personal information. The inclusion of a link on our Website does not imply endorsement of the linked site by SHF.

12. International Data Transfers

Your personal data may be processed by third-party service providers whose servers are located outside of India. Specifically:

  • Google Analytics (GA4) — analytics data may be processed on Google’s servers, which are located in various countries worldwide.
  • Firebase Hosting — website content and access logs may be stored and processed on Google Cloud infrastructure outside India.

Where data is transferred outside India, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, consistent with the requirements of the DPDP Act, 2023 and any rules notified thereunder by the Central Government regarding permissible jurisdictions for data transfer. These third-party providers maintain robust security practices and comply with applicable data protection laws in their respective jurisdictions.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will:

  • Update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
  • Post a notice on our Website to inform visitors of the changes.
  • Where required by law, seek your consent before applying material changes to the processing of your data.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the Website after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

14. Grievance Officer

In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, the details of our Grievance Officer are as follows:

Grievance Officer
Soil Health Foundation
2nd Flr, L-2/39, New Mahavir Nagar
Tilak Nagar, Vikaspuri, Delhi 110018

Email: admin@soilhealthfoundation.com
Phone: +91 70171 50134

The Grievance Officer will acknowledge your complaint or query within 48 hours of receipt and will endeavour to resolve it within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with the resolution, you may escalate your grievance to the Data Protection Board of India as established under the DPDP Act, 2023.