National Farmers’ Day 2020: CSR Initiatives aimed at uplifting farmers

As 23^rd December marked the National Farmers’ Day, it once again reminded us to honour and celebrate the unsung heroes of the nation. From stabilising the country’s economy to playing a major role in our society, the contribution of farmers cannot be overstated. However, as much as they are doing for us, are we doing enough for them?

Let’s take a look at how, besides the government, the private sectors of India are working towards uplifting the farmers and addressing the challenges they face.

1. TechnoServe and Kellogg’s – With the pandemic affecting agriculture to a great extent, the joint initiative by TechnoServe and Kellogg’s is quite commendable. The two companies have collaboratively launched ‘Improving Livelihoods for Smallholder Farming Households in Uttar Pradesh’ – a program that aims to economically empower the smallholder wheat farmers across five districts of UP. Furthermore, crop productivity and farmers’ accessibility to better markets are some of the areas it will cover. The program is a part of Kellogg’s ‘Better Days’ initiative that is committed to supporting around 1 million farmers.

2. Mahindra & Mahindra – In its bids to support the Indian farmers who have been badly hit by the pandemic, Mahindra & Mahindra has recently launched a digital crowd-funding campaign called ‘Seed the Rise’ in partnership with the digital agency – Flying Cursor Interactive. The aim of the campaign is to raise up to Rs 2 crore fund and Mahindra & Mahindra has pledged to match the donated amount, the final amount of which will be used for farmers’ welfare.

3. Numaligarh Refinery Ltd – When it comes to carrying out CSR activities for the farmers and local communities in general, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd has always put its best foot forward. ‘Farmers First’ is one such initiative by the organisation, that was aimed to provide assistance to farmers in terms of traditional and alternate farming through fertilizers, seeds, tractor support, etc. With this, the yield of the farmers has increased manifold.

4. Hindustan Unilever Limited – As a part of its community development initiative Prabhat, Hindustan Unilever Limited, in partnership with UDAY, has launched ‘Project Mooo’. The first-of-its-kind AgTech solution, the project tackles milk deficit and its related issues. It imparts dairy skills to rural farmers including women dairy farmers to help create a sustainable livelihood for them.