Walmart Foundation to invest over $3.5mn to strengthen FPOs in MP, West Bengal

Indore and Kolkata

Walmart Foundation announced on January 25 three new grants in the states of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and West Bengal with the aim to empower smallholder farmers through the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) framework.

This includes grants of $1.7mn to ACCESS Development Services for economic empowerment and income enhancement of farmers in MP and West Bengal, $1.09mn to SRIJAN to improve the lives of small and marginal farmers and promote women as rural entrepreneurs, and $1.1mn to the Action for Social Advancement (ASA) to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, both in MP. These projects are anticipated to reach 39 FPOs and over 60,000 smallholder farmers.

"Over the years, Walmart Foundation has invested in improving and strengthening the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through our grantee partners in India.  We have invested over $25mn towards this since 2018. With the new grants of over $3.5mn, we hope to significantly advance the work of ACCESS Development Services, SRIJAN and ASA in their efforts to build and empower FPOs through training on sustainable agriculture models. This will enable FPOs to enhance rural incomes and increase market access to farmers through the power of collectivization," said Julie Gehrki, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Walmart Foundation.

Through funding from the Walmart Foundation, ACCESS Development Services will implement the program 'UDAAN- Flight Out of Poverty’ aimed at enhancing the incomes of 12,000 smallholder farmers by strengthening FPOs and setting up inclusive value chains.

“FPOs often fail to survive in the long run without continued support, and through the UDAAN programme we want to establish a model of successful, sustainable FPO businesses. With support from Walmart Foundation, these FPOs will be transformed into hubs of excellence for learning and adaptation by other promoters,” says Vipin Sharma, CEO, ACCESS Development Services.

With funding from Walmart Foundation, SRIJAN's programme will engage with 25,000 small and marginal farmers to improve their production, institutionalize their practices and establish market linkages in six MP districts.

Prasanna Khemariya, CEO, SRIJAN, said, “Through this project, we will work to fill the gaps in production, aggregation, and marketing of the commodities produced by the small and marginal farmers of rural Madhya Pradesh by collectivizing them into Farmer Producer Organisations. With this, we aim towards increased incomes, empowerment, and self-reliance among the farmers, especially women.”

A grant of $1.1mn (Rs 8.93 crores) has been extended to ASA and will focus on the development of seven FPOs for the enhancement of livelihoods in the districts of Anuppur, Chhattarpur, Mandla, Shahdol, and Umaria in MP.

Ashis Mondal, Director at ASA, said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with the Walmart Foundation and other esteemed organizations on this noble endeavour and are confident that the project will have a significant positive impact on the lives of smallholder farmers as well as the regeneration of natural resources and biodiversity of the region.”

In 2018, Walmart Foundation made a commitment to invest $25mn over a period of five years to support smallholder farmers in India to increase their income and improve their livelihoods.