The Walmart Foundation has announced two new grants as part of a commitment made in September 2018 to invest $25 million (approximately ₹180 crore) over five years in improving farmer livelihoods in India.

The new funding of $4.5 million is aimed at supporting non-profits, Tanager and PRADAN to scale up their efforts to help farmers earn more from improved output and fair market access. Both will focus on increasing opportunities for women farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

With these grants, the Walmart Foundation has invested a total of $15 million with eight NGOs in the country, supporting programmes designed to impact more than 140,000 farmers, including nearly 80,000 women farmers, to date.

Kathleen McLaughlin, President, Walmart Foundation, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has increased pressure on India’s farmers, especially women farmers shouldering extra responsibilities in the household while seeing their incomes diminish overnight. We at the Walmart Foundation and our grantee partners are focussed on supporting farmers to increase their resilience and sustainability for a better future.”

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Flipkart Group CEO and a member of the Walmart Foundation Board of Directors, said: “There is huge potential for innovative technology solutions to help farmers in India improve productivity and yield, access valuable market information and succeed as part of a efficient and transparent supply chain. FPOs are key to the Foundation’s strategy for empowering farmers and bringing them into the digital era.”

Tanager will receive $2.6 million to extend its successful Farmer Market Readiness Program and help farmers in Andhra Pradesh expand their knowledge, resources and reach.

PRADAN, based in Delhi, will use grant of $1.9 million grant to launch its Livelihood Enhancement through Market Access and Women Empowerment (LEAP) programme in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

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