With many Indians moving to cities, the way people eat is changing. A lot of these changes have far-reaching consequences. As people become more disconnected from where their food comes from, they tend to eat more meat and fast food. This in turn results in increasing levels of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. On the other hand, although many farmers are adopting best practices in sustainable agriculture, they lack the resources and market access needed to sell organic produce to urban consumers.   

This project aimed to connect India’s sustainable farmers with the country’s growing urban class. To do this, it started by setting up 10 Producer Knowledge Centers (PKCs) and trained over 2 400 farmers – teaching them organic farming techniques. Next, it established three organic food markets where farmers could sell their organic produce directly to urban consumers. The markets are referred to as Food Info Marts (FIM) as they also provide consumers with information on the health and environmental benefits of buying locally produced, organic food.

11 villages and 5 crops (paddy, wheat, groundnut, tomato, papaya) in two project locations were selected as case studies looking into emissions reductions due to the adoption of sustainable practices – including reduction in water, chemical and energy use.

With well over 35 000 kg of organic produce being sold, the project has achieved a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the shift away from energy intensive synthetic farming.