Smallholder farmers in isolated parts of southern India are learning how to use agri-chemicals safely, to compost and to use drip irrigation technology to preserve scarce water.
Marcatus QED, a global sourcing and supply chain company headquartered in Toronto, buys more than 40,000 tonnes of vegetables a year from farmers in South India and has introduced a Responsible Farmer Programme to train them in advanced agricultural technologies.
India's monsoon-dependent farmers are highly vulnerable to climate change. The company was aware that the 20,000 smallholders supplying it with produce were struggling because of declining crop yields, an exhausted water table, and eroding soil fertility.
Marcatus QED developed a programme of advanced training and special initiatives covering composting, nutrient management, safe chemical use, drip irrigation technology, waste management, field records and biodiversity. New techniques can increase productivity, reduce dependency on scarce natural resources and improve the livelihoods of farming communities.
The Marcatus QED team travelled to villages across 3 states to conduct training demonstrations. They reached about 5,000 farming families in 2013, leveraging partners, using classrooms and conducting live field demonstrations in three local languages.
Marcatus QED designed chemical safety kits that were produced through co-sponsorship and distributed to 4800 farmers. The safe chemical kits included personal protective equipment and chemical storage boxes specifically designed for smallholders.
In collaboration with partners, more than 800 farmers invested in drip irrigation and reduced their water consumption by 30-40%.
Another 1,000 farmers have started to scientifically compost, improving the soil quality of around 500 acres. 3,000 indigenous fruit trees were planted to improve local biodiversity and food security and as part of the programme, the team collected 150kg of waste packaging from villages and incinerated it, legally.
Marcatus QED is one of the leading exporters of preserved vegetable condiments such as cucumber pickles and onions. Its partners in the programme include Unilever, Bayer CropScience, DuPont, Bangalore University of Agricultural Sciences, and the Social Education & Development Society NGO.
Jackie Wills is part of the wordworks network
