RURAL URBAN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK DEVELOPMENT 

Challenges

• 16196 farmer suicides were registered in the year 2008
  
• Farmers are exploited by the traders as farmers lack information and access to the market
• Unsustainable use of natural resources
• High costs of fertilizer and pesticide put small farmers at a disadvantage right from the start, driving them off land while big farmers grow bigger
• Soil Productivity/ Fertility loss due to the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in certain areas
• High operating cost, ineffective agricultural inputs
• Health degradation due to low nutritional value crops  
• Poor interaction between research centres and farmers leading to lack of information/ knowledge about cash crops or high value crops

Strategy
In our farmer development activity we

• focus on natural farming to develop a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people by use organic in house developed bio-pesticides and fertilizer.  
• set up R&D and training centres for training on in house development of bio-pesticides and fertilizers. 
• increase the price at which the organic produce is bought from the farmer by optimizing the supply chain network
• rely on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.
• focus on cattle concentric organic farming. (hyperlink to livestock development)
• combine Tradition, Innovation and Science to fulfill the rural needs through utilization of cow dung, urine and milk. 
• make sure the farmers remain centre of decision making process.
• promote Food Processing by our entrepreneurship development activity. 
• develop of supply chain with the help of local entrepreneurs and monitoring them regularly.
• inform farmers about high value crops in collaboration with research institutes such as CIMAP (Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants) 
• train farmers for efficient farming

Result

• Natural farming improved agricultural performance, nutritional adequacy, environmental quality, economic efficiency and social equity. 
• Increase in the income of farmers 
• Better quality of life for farmers
• Improvement in soil quality 
• Better quality of food available