The Walmart Foundation will provide $750,000 to an irrigation project of International Development Enterprises - India (IDEI) aimed at raising the income of 10,000 small farmers in 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh, it was announced here on Wednesday.
The programme aims to introduce sustainable irrigation products and practices and create a complementary support ecosystem that will boost farm yields, reduce negative environmental impact and increase market access and income of farmers with small holdings, the Foundation said in a statement.
The programme is expected to generate an additional $7.4 million in annual farming income in the state at the end of the project period, with individual gains of $400 per smallholder farmer household per year. Substantial water savings in agriculture are also anticipated, amounting to 33.4 million m3 of water saved for the state during the programme.
"Income poverty affects 1.3 billion people around the world and is a huge challenge. But simple solutions, like affordable modern irrigation, can make a massive difference. We have already helped more than 8 million people of farming families improve their output and standard of living, and we are determined to now do the same for tens of thousands of smallholders in Andhra Pradesh," IDEI Chief Executive Amitabha Sadangi said.
The IDEI grant is a part of the Walmart Foundation's commitment, announced in September 2018, to invest $25 million (approximately Rs 180 crores) in philanthropic initiatives to improve farmers' livelihoods in India over the next five years.
Under this commitment, a $2 million groundnut processing facility was unveiled at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in Andhra Pradesh last year.
"We are pleased to support organisations such as IDEI who have expertise and a solid track record in strengthening farmers' agricultural skills. This approach helps to create sustainable livelihoods for farmers by increasing production and helps to preserve important natural resources for the future", Walmart Foundation Senior Director Karrie Denniston said.