MANDI (Market Access eNabled by Digital Innovation) Overview

Through grant funding from Walmart Foundation, Grameen Foundation USA (GFUSA) and its Indian subsidiary, Grameen Foundation for Social Impact, India (GFSI) (together, Grameen) are strengthening the inclusive growth of 47 farmer producer organizations (FPOs) in two Indian geographies - Eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) and West Bengal through the “Market Access eNabled by Digital Innovation” (MANDI) initiative.

The MANDI model aims to build the capacities of FPOs by supporting them to generate gender-sensitive business plans - envisaging their short and long-term growth by incorporating an integrated shareholdership - enabling women smallholder farmers to become active members, and leaders of the FPOs themselves. The model also emphasizes market and financial access and specifically through hub-and-spoke or vertical-integration approaches, to connect smallholder farmer shareholders with the broader ecosystem, improving their incomes and resilience.

The two main objectives of the MANDI initiative are to:

1. Grow incomes of smallholder farmer households through improved technology-led market access.
2. Increase the resilience of smallholder farmer households by managing climate, enterprise and business risks

Agricultural Livelihoods Diaries Briefs

As part of MANDI, a series of monthly surveys (“diaries”) were completed with 30 FPO member households with one man and one woman from two FPOs in UP—AKPCL and Bankelal Bio Energy—resulting in a target of 60 individuals in total to be interviewed. These diaries highlight the experiences of smallholder farmer families over a 12-month period.

Farmer Demographics

Income Generation

Drudgery and Harmful Tradeoffs

Health and Food Security

Decision Making Power (Coming soon!)