And while India continues to live in its villages and the sector continues to grow, we need to ask ourselves, how are we helping the next generation of farmers grow.
The launch of Tumahara, a brand developed to get products ‘from Tumkur’s farmers for you!’ has been launched. To transition the agriculturists into agripreneurs, to create value for and with the farmers.
The first line of products to be launched by the farmers cooperative are Ragi Malt, Ragi Baby food and Virgin Coconut Oil.
The Goal: Transforming the local village farmers from commodity selling marginal players to a group of energised and enlightened entrepreneurs, moving up the value chain.
The Result: Developing a local brand with Value Addition for the local and national market. Creating a salient brand to tell the story and create product loyalty to sustain and nurture the farming community.
The Concept and Execution have been novel - creating a local brand with universal acceptance across the country, with maximum benefit going to the rural, marginalised farming community. The beneficiaries are everyone associated with the process.
The big win, is the replicability and scalability – because this design and process driven operation is possible for any agro community and produce at any location. The prototyping process has taken a lot of work and there have been many learnings.
Additionally, the processes designed and developed, creates human capital, with knowledge base and skill sets in many areas – in the rural heartland of the country. This can and will change the Face our country from an urban concentration of power and wealth, to a more evenly distributed pockets of affluence across Rural India, resulting in better living standards, education and healthcare.
The mother brand created for this initiative is Village Economy. That will also be available to other similar farmer groups, at a later date.
Dream:in has played an integral role as catalyst in understanding and unlocking the aspirations of Tumkur, in designing an inside out model of development and facilitating the business model. Manipal Foundation has supported the initiative for its imaginative yet practical and its sustainable outlook.
About DREAM:IN
DREAM:IN is a positive and open movement, an innovative global network and an organisation based in Bangalore. To empower the human resource locally and globally, more so, in emerging economies. To create a fresh new paradigm of growth and development. DREAM:IN creates systems, tools, and methodologies to grapple with complexity, to create new value with business and society, positively and imaginatively.
About Manipal Foundation
Manipal Foundation reaches out to individuals and communities Pan India by partnering with NGOs and other Implementing agencies working in five verticals, namely Healthcare , Education, Vocational Skills and Livelihood, Women Empowerment and Environment.
The beneficiaries numbering 130,000 + a year, are solely from the lower economic strata, from all over India as also from Neighbouring countries.
