Sugarcane cultivation in India reached close to 32 million tons in 2018 alone. The environmental and social challenges of the industry are prominent. They are becoming even more critical as the price of sugar collapses, against a backdrop of overproduction, what with factories failing to pay producers.
Our experts at Ksapa worked with strategic partners to develop a digital training project. The goal ? Build up the capacity and resilience of sugarcane farmers in the Barabanki and Lucknow districts.
KEY challengeS
In the framework of a pilot preparation, our expert has conducted a scoping study among 100 farmers to identify the main levers to change and incentivize smallholder farmers. The main objective was to assess, through a win-win approach, the adoption of regenerative practices among smallholder farmers in the sugarcane value chain in Uttar Pradesh.
Here are three ways our expert explored:
- Improving sugarcane productivity and lowering annual production costs and natural resource depletion (soil fertility and water consumption);
- Encouraging crop diversification, circularity, carbon valuation in order to improve smallholders’ environmental footprint;
- Positively impacting the social dynamics across sugarcane-producing communities by fostering a greater collective recognition of human rights and affecting the inclusion of youths and women in related economic activities.
OUR APPROACH
Our expert took an active part in aligning the various sets of expertise from partnering industrial players, business coalitions, non-profits and IT through a pilot project.
