Grow Further Explores Opportunities in India
Happy New Year! Or to our readers in places like China and Ethiopia with different calendars, Happy International New Year!
My trip to India with Vice President of Development, Venkat Pegadaraju, was highly successful. We met with numerous people and organizations, gaining insights into opportunities and building a solid foundation for future partnerships..?
I'm excited about our plans to expand our programs into India this year. It's a country with great scientific research capacity as well as millions of smallholder farmers. I was inspired by the potential to collaborate and innovate to address agricultural challenges and enhance families’ food security. ?Read all about it in this issue.
Yours in a Food-Secure Future,
Peter Kelly, Founder, Grow Further
Grow Further Goes to India
Grow Further is?eager to support projects that help smallholder farms in a variety of developing countries, not only those in Africa. India looms large on Grow Further’s radar, which is why our Founder and CEO and Vice President of Development recently traveled there for an extended trip.
Both felt their visit was highly successful.?They met with top officials and researchers from key nonprofits, government agencies, agricultural companies and India's?leading?universities. They also visited both farms and food processing facilities.
“The purpose of the trip was to develop business partnerships and receive strategic advice in preparation for future programs in India,” said CEO Dr. Kelly. “The aim is to develop programs that are similar to those in Africa but not exactly the same.
”We're?focused on India because we know that it is playing a huge role in the world’s food security picture, and we believe Grow Further is poised to greatly contribute to India’s unique needs."
Asia's Agricultural Giant Still Has a Long Way to Go
The world's largest country is also a giant in agriculture, but it's far from "mission accomplished" in this breadbasket of Asia.
India is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture. This leaves them vulnerable to climate change. The government and nonprofits are helping to introduce more irrigation to India’s cultivated fields, but this development risks depleting groundwater resources.?
India’s climate means that farming can occur year-round in much of the country, but intensive farming can strip soils of nutrients and lead to soil degradation. Frequent tilling also makes erosion worse. Innovation can address all these concerns
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