HRH The Prince of Wales, Founder and President of the British Asian Trust, hosted a high level meeting at Clarence House to discuss the outcomes of a new report commissioned by the charity, on rural livelihoods in India.
The British Asian Trust launched its new Rural Livelihoods Fund to address the issues faced by smallholder farmers in India, following the findings of its recent study.
Nearly 200 million people in rural India live in poverty and most of them are smallholder farmers. In fact, India has 25% of the world’s small farms - 118 million in all - and more than 50% of Indians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.
A majority of Indian smallholders’ farmers are trapped in poverty, earning less than $1.25 per day, with a significant proportion of them being women.
The Trust’s initiative will put farmers at the forefront of improving rural livelihoods in India. Each farmer supported by the British Asian Trust will be a powerful and valuable partner in the efforts to guarantee India’s future food security and reduce poverty across the country.
Through a combination of funding, expertise, partnerships and thought leadership from the private and not-for-profit sectors, the fund aims to:
- · Improve farmer incomes by enabling better access and links to market
- · Train farmers and agriculture workers in processing and packaging skills, to boost product value
- · Look at innovative solutions to scale up rural livelihoods work across India
The roundtable discussion at Clarence House brought together government, private sector, NGOs, agricultural thought-leaders as well as representatives from the Anthony Pratt Foundation, which has supported the launch of the fund with a $1 million donation.
