Entrepreneurship and Market Access for Smallholder Farmers

600 small-holder farmers from tribal communities have improved and diversified their agricultural practice integrated as part of SOCEO’s Sustainable Livelihood Development Program (SLDP). To offer the possibility to value-add the farmers’ agricultural produce, mechanical units for processing the harvest have been installed in two selected locations. The machines can be accessed by the participating farmers and the local community. To improve market access, the farmers were also connected to an e-commerce platform so that they can sell their products also in more distant markets.

SOCEO has designed the project, conducted the Baseline Study and implemented SLDP.

Impact of the project: Ratni Birja
Ratni Birja, her husband, and their two children live off agriculture in Khoribari (Darjeeling district). They used to cultivate rice and seasonal vegetables on their land and earned around 3,500 rupees per month, which made it difficult for them to make ends meet. As part of the project, Ratni Birja took part in various training courses that helped her to introduce crop rotation. She also received vegetable seeds, rice seeds, and spices such as black pepper. Now she grows corn, wheat, millet, and rice, as well as seasonal vegetables, fruits, and spices. She has also started raising poultry and sells meat and eggs. As a result, she currently earns an average of 6,500 rupees per month and is able to lead a better life.