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Farmers' Market
Farmers' Market is an initiative to uplift small and marginal farmers by directly connecting them to the consumer through the setting up of temporary farmer’s markets in residential complexes.
India is largely an agrarian economy and society, 50% of Indians today are engaged in farming. Agriculture accounted for 13.2% of India’s export last year. Despite the largess of this sector, in the past few years, we have heard and seen the depravity each farmer has to face everyday in terms of shortage of funds, no access to market, bad crops, no knowledge about subsidies and so on and so forth.
The poor backbone of this economy is the mandi setup where there is an enormous price difference between what the consumers pay and what the farmers receive. The middlemen enjoy a hefty commission, and a further mandi tax is also imposed. Both, these costs, are paid out of the farmers’ meagre income and reduce them to a state of absolute poverty. As an auxiliary, the consumers get a substandard quality of fruits and vegetables.
Visit us at:
Where:
Panipat, Haryana; Ichapuri, Haryana
Change:
Uplifting and empowering small and marginal farmers, Improved efficiency in the agricultural supply chain, High quality produce for consumers
SDGs we are fulfilling:
// Provide
To provide not only more demand avenues but also a regular and stable income for farmers. Through Farmers’ Markets, we are also selling few semi-organic fruits and vegetables to the households.
// Empower
To empower small and marginal farmers by increasing their income substantially and transforming them into entrepreneurs, who are not dependent on the middlemen or any other such intermediaries to reach the market.
Sowing seeds of Prosperity
// The Community and the Business Model
The Farmers’ Market follows a four-step business model :
Farmer Producer Organizations, (FPO) is a group of farmers made to form an effective alliance to collectively address many challenges of agriculture such as improved access to investment, technology, inputs and markets. Furthermore, through the FPO network and Farmers Market, the farmers are allowed to bypass the entire mandi system and sell their produce directly to consumers.
Currently we are operating in two areas, namely – Gurgaon and Rohini.
In Gurgaon, we have collaborated with the Inchhapuri FPO. Every Sunday, we organise two spot markets in two different colonies catering to about 300 happy consumers. Majority of vegetables are sourced from the FPO, however due to climatic and soil restrictions, a few vegetables have to be purchased from the mandi to provide a comprehensive basket of goods for the consumers.
In Rohini, we are setting up 6 markets every week, each one on a different day in a different locality catering to 600 consumers. The identified Produced Group is the Panipat FPO. Being a significantly larger FPO and having the advantage of better climatic conditions, virtually no vegetables have to be purchased from the mandi.
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// Triple Botton Line Impact
Economic
The Farmers’ Market has engaged 40 farmers and helped raise Rs. 7.2 lakh for them. The markets have also provided vegetables to consumers directly and thus eliminated both the Aarti commission and Mandi Tax and subsequently the produce at cheaper prices to consumers.
Social
We strive to ensure that farmers are not exploited by middlemen and earn a fair price for their crops. The Farmers’ Market has also helped the farmers learn valuable marketing and management techniques as all the markets were managed by them. Furthermore we helped provide fresh produce to 8 colonies on a regular basis.
Environmental
The Farmers’ Market discourages the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals, most of the farmers associated with this project are moving towards organic farming. Two of our farmers are in the process of having their produce certified as completely organic.
Consumers who do not bring plastic bags are given a 5% rebate. We provide paper bags which have been made by the children of the colonies.
// Our Vision
Through The Farmers’ Market we envision to create a stable and sustainable system wherein the FPO can set up markets themselves and cater to bulk demand avenues. Our aim is to help the farmers who toil day and night, to earn an income that is fair and just which can support them and their families.