Focus on tribal communities through stronger value chains, resource management and rural institutions

Action for Social Advancement (ASA), with support from the Walmart Foundation, has launched the second phase of its initiative to strengthen smallholder farming in Madhya Pradesh. This initiative will be targeting 35,000 farmers and bringing 75,000 hectares under regenerative land use.

The project, which places emphasis on tribal communities, seeks to develop agriculture value chains, improve natural resource management and reinforce community institutions. ASA aims to raise crop intensity from 124 per cent to 200 per cent and increase Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) membership from 7,800 to 13,500, while mobilising Rs 160 million in working capital to bolster long-term resilience.

The fresh grant builds on the outcomes of Phase I, during which seven FPOs were formed, more than 30,000 farmers received training in vegetable cultivation and agroforestry, and 10,500 adopted water conservation practices. The first phase also facilitated credit worth Rs 80 million through Ploughman Agro Private Limited, enabling trading of over 70,000 quintals of crops.

According to ASA, these measures translated into a 25–30 per cent rise in farmer incomes, while FPOs recorded turnovers between Rs 45 million and Rs 60 million, strengthening their capacity to aggregate produce, expand markets and provide value-added services.

G. Jayanthi, Director at ASA, said the initiative underscored the value of collaboration in reshaping rural livelihoods by combining sustainable practices with greater market access. Nishant Gupta, Social and Environmental Impact Advisor to Walmart.org, noted that the partnership reflected a shared focus on advancing sustainable agriculture and inclusive rural growth, particularly for women farmers.