Business

Solidaridad pioneers change towards a sustainable sugarcane industry in India

The Sustainable Water Fund (FDW) project initiated by the global sustainable agricultural organization Solidaridad and its partners aimed to improve the long-term viability of sugarcane farming and enhance the smallholder’s income & simultaneously increase the water usage efficiency in sugarcane growing in India.

After a decade, the project’s findings were disseminated among a network of experts and activists from Europe and Asia (who were working to promote sustainable development) through a panel discussion organized by Solidaradad at Hotel Gold Finch Retreat in Bengaluru.

Mr. Ewout de Wit, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Bengaluru), Mr. Shivanand H Kalakeri (IRS), Commissioner for Cane Development and Director Sugar, Government of Karnataka, Ella Lammers, RVO, The Netherlands, Seth Tallvik Solidaridad Network, The Netherlands, Monika Khanna Country Manager, Solidaridad India, Prashant Pastore, General Manager, Solidaridad Network, and Dr. M Muralidhara, Osmania University, Hyderabad were a few eminent personalities who attended the panel discussion.

Indo-Dutch trade and diplomatic relations have a long history. The Government of the Netherlands has been a strong proponent of public-private partnerships (PPPs) for several decades.

Since 2012, PPPs have become a key instrument in the Dutch development cooperation policy, in line with the agenda to combine aid, trade, and investment to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals.

The current development cooperation between the two countries was shaped in the more recent past after the signing of several MoUs and a Joint Communiqué between 2013 and 2018.

The two governments signed several MoUs and high-level agreements between 2013 and 2018, focusing on public-private collaboration in priority sectors such as water, agriculture, and waste management.

The Dutch agenda for aid, trade, and investment agenda embraces multiple ambitions: to eradicate extreme poverty, to promote sustainable and inclusive economic development worldwide, and to facilitate trade between the countries.

In line with Dutch expertise and strategic sectors and in line with needs and opportunities in India, water management and agri-food became major focal themes of the collaboration between the Netherlands and India.

The detailed workshop highlighted the two most pressing matters in present times through panel discussions, the first of which was “Engagement of Partners for Sustainable Sugarcane Programmes: Lessons and Way Forwards,” moderated by Mr. Prashant Pastore, General Manager Solidaridad and presented by industry experts including Mr. Pamidi V Prasad Babu, CEO NSL Sugars Ltd.

Hyderabad, Mr. Vijendra Singh, Executive Director and Dy. CEO, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd., Mr. Raja Srivastava, AVP and Corporate Cane Head, DCM Shriram Ltd. (Sugars), Mr. Bharat Kundal, VP and Business Head OLAM Agro India Ltd. and Dr. K Mohanaraj, Principal Scientists, ICAR–SBI Coimbatore.
The subsequent panel discussion focused on “Water Use Efficiency in Sugarcane Farming: Opportunities and Challenges for Institutions,” which was moderated by Ms. Monika Khanna, Country Manager, Solidaridad India, and presented by Mr. Sambhaji Kadu Patil, IAS, Director General- Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Pune, Dr. M Muralidhara, Osmania University, Hyderabad, and Mr. Shailesh Acharya & Mr. Ashray Tyagi, Solidaridad.
While the sugar industry is vital to India’s economy, it frequently struggles due to issues like low production, high prices, an unstable sugarcane market, and a lack of water.
It is estimated that approximately 6 million farmers and many agricultural laborers are involved in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, making the sugarcane industry the country’s second-largest agro-based industry.
The recovery rates, which refer to the percentage of sugar obtained from sugarcane, are among the lowest seen anywhere in the world. The profitability of the mills and farms is impacted because of this factor.
Even though the sugarcane market in India is highly regulated, there is not a completely stable price structure.
To address these pressing issues, Solidaridad formed a public-private partnership and began a large-scale rollout of irrigation techniques and farming practices.
These challenges at the farmer, mill, and public-good levels necessitated a collaborative approach that included the private sector (e.g., sugarcane mills) along with knowledge gathered from Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), Osmania University, and Solidaridad’s resources.
The partnership’s goal was to improve the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of sugarcane production. The FDW project was launched with three mills from two leading Indian companies in Karnataka and Telangana.
The goal of this research project was to demonstrate the project’s impact on behavioral changes aimed at improving sugarcane farming sustainability and the socioeconomic conditions of the supported farmers.

“Solidaridad is proud of its collaboration with the Sustainable Water Fund, Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), and Osmania University on this project, which has the potential to improve the livelihoods and working conditions of thousands of sugarcane farmers across the country while also further propelling the country forward as a leader in sugarcane production. We believe that progress must benefit those whose labour fuels it in the most environmentally and socially sustainable way possible. We are hopeful that the impact of this project will provide an incentive for all stakeholders to invest in socially responsible and sustainable development practices, prioritizing the needs of the farmers.”

Monika Khanna, Country Manager, Solidaridad India, said,

“India has over 20 million modern water extraction structures. on current trends, it is estimated that 60% of groundwater resources will be in a critical state of degradation within the next 20 years. Water resource management is thus critically important in India because of the growing demand for food, feed, fibre, power, and employment, as 60-70% of the population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture. Options are available to reduce water consumption at the end-user level (farm level) besides supply management. Solidaridad with its vision towards sustainable agriculture and the improvement of the livelihood of people has been initiating programs to sustainably manage crop production (economic, environmental, and social) in India. The project taught us how we can connect with an Indian government priority. Sugar is important for the government but it was under pressure because of water scarcity in different states. We already had a strong sugarcane team; it was doing the right thing at the right time. We gained confidence because of it. The political overturn was clear, there was alignment between the Indian and the Netherlands government on it, and the program was completely rooted in their logic”.

Mr. Prashant Pastore, General Manager, Solidaridad shared,
The current program is also helping to develop and embrace what is coined as a social landscape approach rather than a strictly ‘green’ landscape agenda.
This social landscape approach is applied in geographies that can be considered as ‘ecological poverty hotspots’.
The concept of ecological poverty points to the need of developing a natural resource base that can help the poor improve their agriculture-based livelihoods.
It provides an umbrella concept where deep-impact topics are not addressed through technical solutions alone, but which connect the interconnected conundrum of poverty, farming, nutrition, water, and climate change.

The key findings from the Sustainable Water Fund (FDW) Project suggest the following noteworthy observations and recommendations:

  • Conduct a food system analysis. Sugarcane farmers and related project goals are strongly influenced by socio-economic and environmental drivers.
  • Apply targeted interventions for different types of farmers. Some farmers are able to maintain profitable sugarcane businesses despite the challenges they face, and some are not. Therefore, future interventions need to be adjusted to the realities of different kinds of farmers.
  • Resource poor farmers may require non-commodity-focused interventions. Some interventions are not accessible to resource poor farmers or not sustainable in the long run. Many farmers are shifting away from sugarcane. Priorities for farmers without the possibility to invest in better agricultural practices that cost additional money, or that are not able to achieve a living income from sugarcane production should be explored.
  • Engage farmers in the design of interventions more strongly. To better meet farmers’ needs and possibilities in terms of resources, their stronger engagement should be promoted from the beginning of the program.
  • Consider shocks and farmers’ resilience. Decreasing prices, sector unrest and a shortage of labor led to a shift to other means of income among farmers, and it shows the resilience of farmers. To minimize the effects of the shocks on farmers, they need to develop a better understanding of the value chain.

About Solidaridad

Solidaridad has been a frontrunner in sustainable economic development and champions the cause of the small and marginal farmers, workers, and miners.
The organization fosters sustainable and inclusive supply chains, focusing on bringing prosperity; harnessing inclusivity, and producing in balance with nature.
With over 50 years of experience in developing solutions to make communities more resilient, Solidaridad employs around 1,000 expert staff as boots and brains on the ground, operating in over 40 countries across five continents through eight independently supervised regional offices.
Recognizing markets as pivotal to realizing positive changes in the society and environment, Solidaridad looks at public-private partnerships as an increasingly important mechanism for testing innovations, speeding up change, and taking success to scale.
With improved scale and speed, the organization aims to create a pervasive impact in society toward a more inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable economy.
A pioneer in developing and implementing national sustainability, Solidaridad engages in joint programs with businesses, investors, governments, producers and producer organizations, service providers, labor unions, and other CSOs to bring about effective transformation in the agriculture and mining sectors towards sustainable farming and responsible mining practices.
This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a Press Release.
Must Read – VingaJoy launches
Follow Us: Facebook Instagram | Twitter YouTube | LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr

Related Posts

1 of 1,082