Walmart Foundation announces two new grants to benefit over 81,000 smallholder farmers

The Walmart Foundation on Tuesday announced 4.8 million dollars (about Rs 34 crore) in grants to Digital Green and TechnoServe to enable the programmes that help smallholder farmers have access to agriculture technology, training on sustainable farmer methods, enhanced access to formal markets, and skill and capacity building for farmer producer organisations (FPOs).

These grants are a part of the foundation's commitment made in September 2018 to contribute 25 million dollars (about Rs 180 crore) over the next five years to improve farmer livelihoods in India. Besides, Walmart India said it will grow its direct sourcing from farmers to 25 per cent of produce sold in its cash and carry stores by 2023.

With today's announcement, the Walmart Foundation has contributed over 10 million dollars (about Rs 71 crore) toward its 25 million dollar goal. These grants are expected to create a meaningful impact to more than 81,000 farmers, including more than 29,030 women farmers (many of whom are organised into FPOs) in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

"Today's grant announcement builds upon the Walmart Foundation's efforts to increase economic opportunity for smallholder farmers and their families while promoting sustainable farming practices and the empowerment and inclusion of women," said Kathleen McLaughlin, Walmart Foundation President and Executive Vice President of Chief Sustainability Officer of Walmart.

"The work being accomplished by our grantees and their partners is inspiring. We hope the Walmart Foundation's commitment, alongside the work of Walmart and Walmart India's direct farm sourcing teams, will help drive real momentum in sustainable agriculture development in India and we encourage others to join us in our commitment," she said.

The event was inaugurated by Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Rameswar Teli. "The private sector is playing a strong role in aiding development in the agriculture and food processing sectors. These will play a major role in the Government's vision of doubling farmer incomes by 2022," he said.

Digital Green is a global development organisation that empowers smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the collective power of technology and grassroots-level partnerships. TechnoServe is a non-profit organisation harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty.