Our Commitments
Agricultural Transformation
Dedicated to scale up efforts to help farmers in distress
Overview
Increase farmer’s resilience & sustainability for a better future
Agriculture has a strong track record to pave the way out of poverty and hunger, address climate change, biodiversity loss and rising rural-urban inequality. It also plays a pivotal role in empowering women and girls with economic opportunities.
Marri Channa Reddy Foundation is driven to make a positive impact across the agriculture value chain. Through identification and implementation of sustainable technologies and practices, working on ways to improve productivity and yield hence earnings to improve livelihoods of the most vulnerable farming communities including smallholder farmers, women and minority farmers.
Rs. 1,697/-
Farmers of Telangana are left with in hand to spend every month
4th
Telangana ranks in the nation in farmer suicides
Over 7,000
Farmer suicides in Telangana since state formation (2014)
A closer look
Agriculture is woven into the fabric of Indian history and has long been an important part of our economy and culture. With a 17% portion of India’s GDP, it is a key contributor to the economy. The entire rural sector is massively dependent on the agricultural industry for employment.
Agriculture employs more than half of Telangana’s workforce, which is crucial to the state’s growth (60%). As a result, the state of Telangana’s farmers’ income is based on agricultural productivity and market accessibility.
Some Ground Realities
Since the formation of the state of Telangana in 2014, 7,409 farmers had died by suicide, out of which the government only recognised 1,598. Among the 1,598 families, only around 1,300 got the full compensation, while others are yet to receive it. (Rythu Swarajya Vedika)
Telangana stands fourth in the country in farmers suicides (National Crime Records Bureau, 2020)
Telangana farmers have only Rs.1,697 net income per month (Central government’s recent report in Lok Sabha)
When farmer families suffer, rural communities also suffer, and in turn, the country is most likely to take a hit as well. In recent years, the alarmingly high rate of farmer suicides, debt burdens, financial distress, and poor wage growth are among the biggest issues that farmers face in the state of Telangana and the country as a whole.
Insufficient rainfall causes crop/yield losses. As per records, the maximum crop failures across seasons have occurred due to unexpected rains and shortages of water during critical growth stages. To add to this, improper irrigation facilities are a common sight even though there are two major rivers, Godavari and Krishna, flowing through the state. Lack of application of Integrated Farming Approaches and Integrated Crop Management are creating huge gaps in the development of the agriculture sector. Limited use of mechanisation, modern agricultural practices, and unavailability of necessary facilities and financial support to farmers are problems that have plagued the system over the years. In addition to the aforementioned, farmers and allied workers still remain unaware of the aid they are entitled to from the government, the knowledge of the evolving know-hows and schemes of the industry, and where to seek support from.
Marri Channa Reddy Foundation has witnessed and acknowledged these crucial issues in the agricultural sector, which employs approximately 50 percent of the country’s workforce. The foundation has witnessed firsthand the consequences of failing to comprehensively develop farmers and rural communities and is working to restore healthy, vibrant rural farming communities throughout Telangana, not just in the cities.
Our approach
At Marri Channa Reddy Foundation, we aim to improve the livelihoods of at least one lakh farmers including economically empowering women farmers in the next 3 years.
Our Work
We have been working on a comprehensive strategy to build a more nourishing, sustainable and equitable model involving farmers as well as the food industry to improve and support transformation at every level of the farming and food systems for today and tomorrow.
How do we do it?
Eco-friendly, cost-effective, sound agricultural practices and solutions with scientific interventions that will help improve quality and quantity of yield allowing for an increase in earnings
Creating a "fair-trade system" and a "food quality promise model" that will allow the customer to buy produced food, thereby directly affecting the livelihood of the farmer without any middle-men
Educating farmers on and offering them environmentally safe (green) methods of farming that would lead to the improvement of crops, plantations, and livestock.
Empowering women farmers through education and skill training to foster inclusivity, improve resilience and economic growth in these communities
Starting data resource centers to give useful insights to farmers like weather information, critical inputs, and agri-advisories
Creating new supply chain models between the farmer and the consumer to increase market accessibility
Best practices and protocols for pest management
Various low-cost water harvesting and conservation methods
To advance these goals and initiatives, Marri Channa Reddy Foundation is working closely with other NGOs, agronomists, industry coalitions and many other partners to make a positive impact on the farming communities of the state and nation.
