Ten thousand smallholder farmers in Andhra Pradesh are set to benefit from the introduction of sustainable irrigation products and practices under a program offered by International Development Enterprises - India (IDEI) and supported with funding from the Walmart Foundation.
The program is expected to generate an additional USD 7.4 million in annual farming income in the state at the end of the project period, with individual gains of USD 400 per smallholder farmer household per year. Substantial water savings in agriculture are also anticipated, amounting to 33.4 million m3 of water saved for the state during the program.
More than 62% of the population of Andhra Pradesh are dependent upon agriculture, and yet many farmers live in poverty and lack access to irrigation systems or other technologies to help them improve their productivity and income.
Sustainable agricultural products with practices are the keystone of the IDEI program. It will target smallholder farming families with irrigation interventions and support for market-oriented development. Introducing sustainable irrigation will help smallholder farmers increase the planting and harvesting window, increase yields, and enable greater crop variety and productivity, unlocking new market opportunities. It will also generate cost savings and reduce negative environmental impact by curbing excess water and fossil fuel consumption.
IDEI will also work to catalyse an ecosystem of entrepreneurs to provide access to affordable water-use productivity technologies and practices and for the maintenance and safety of these systems. These complementary activities can further enhance economic opportunities in the target regions of Andhra Pradesh.
"Income poverty affects 1.3 billion people around the world and is a huge challenge. But simple solutions, like affordable modern irrigation, can make a massive difference. We have already helped more than 8 million people of farming families improve their output and standard of living, and we are determined to now doing the same for tens of thousands of smallholders in Andhra Pradesh," said Amitabha Sadangi, Chief Executive of IDEI.
Angamuthu a smallholder farmer from Tamil Nadu installed a drip-type irrigation system. "Before we never had enough money for our subsistence, but now we have surplus money to educate our children because of increased yield with all the support rendered by IDEI promoted drip," he said.
The IDEI grant is a part of the Walmart Foundation's commitment, announced in September 2018, to invest USD 25 million (approximately Rs 180 crores) in philanthropic initiatives to improve farmer livelihoods in India over the next five years.
With this commitment, the Walmart Foundation is focused on empowering Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to serve as sustainable intermediaries that can help smallholders grow their incomes and improve their livelihoods. It aims to support FPOs and their farmer members to develop sustainable farming practices, share business best practices, add value to primary commodities, and improve access to financing and markets. Under this commitment, an almost USD 2 million grant to the International Crops Research Institute for the semi-arid tropics, was launched in Andhra Pradesh last year with the unveiling of a groundnut processing facility.
"We are pleased to support organizations such as IDEI who have an expertise and a solid track record in strengthening farmers' agricultural skills. This approach helps to create sustainable livelihoods for farmers by increasing production and helps to preserve important natural resources for the future," said Karrie Denniston, Senior Director, Walmart Foundation.
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