IDH India

Living income ensures that farmers can afford a decent standard of living, covering essentials like food, housing, education, and healthcare. At IDH, we are committed to improving incomes for smallholder farmers across various sectors and landscapes.   In Assam, the tea sector supports over 120,000 small tea growers (STGs), with 85% cultivating less than 1 hectare. This limited landholding makes it challenging to earn a sustainable income from tea alone. Many STGs, like Shyamal Moran and Alison Tuty, face declining production and incomes due to factors such as climate change.   To address these challenges, IDH and The Agri-Entrepreneur Growth Foundation (AEGF) launched the Small Tea Growers’ Sustainability Program (STGSP) in 2019. This initiative brings together stakeholders to promote sustainable practices, improve yields, and introduce alternative livelihoods, aiming to bridge the living income gap for STGs.   Read more about how we are working with the small tea growers in Assam: https://lnkd.in/g85e7Tqn   #LivingIncome #FarmerLivelihoods #SustainableTea #Smallteagrowers Thanks to our partners on ground Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation ,Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, CABI

Join Us at SUTRA 2024! Ready to revolutionize responsible sourcing? SUTRA 2024 will bring together leaders across sectors like Palm Oil, Apparel, Tea, Coffee, Spices and many more. This summit, launched by IDH, is your opportunity to collaborate on innovative solutions and drive sustainable trade practices. Gain insights, network with industry pioneers, and contribute to discussing and exploring responsible sourcing targets. Be part of the movement towards ethical and sustainable business practices. Secure your spot today! Register now at https://lnkd.in/grqdgUAB and visit our website for more details. #SUTRA2024 #SustainableTrade #ResponsibleSourcing #IDH #CrossSectorCollaboration

Last week, our colleague Kamlesh Pal represented IDH at the "Stitching Sustainability - Change with Every Thread" event organized by Saahas Zero Waste and GIZ India focused on building an inclusive and circular textile waste value chain in India. During a fireside chat on ‘Innovation, Technology, and Partnership in the Textile Waste Industry’ stakeholders discussed the critical role of collaboration in transforming the textile waste industry in India, opportunities in the sector, Impact of EPR in the textile industry and their experiences in the sector. A shared vision emerged to support the industry ecosystem and facilitate sourcing 1 million tons of recycled fiber from India by 2030. Kamlesh highlighted untapped opportunities in the upstream supply chain to better utilize resources by addressing bottlenecks in the supply chain. He shared how enhancing traceability and providing financial access for small traders and SMEs can improve efficiency in the supply chain. He noted that creating a socially compliant supply chain can position India as a sourcing hub for recycled fibers. This event brought together industry leaders, innovators, informal sector workers, and policymakers to advance the textile waste value chain in India. We thank our partners Fashion for Good, Canopy, and Laudes Foundation for their support in this journey towards sustainability. #TextileWaste #ResourceRecovery #TextileRecycling #IndustryLeadership #CollaborateForChange

Get ready for an impactful event in responsible sourcing! On October 17th and 18th, SUTRA Summit will return to discuss the challenges faced by businesses in integrating ethical and sustainable principles in their sourcing and procurement activities. The second edition of SUTRA will focus on strategic imperatives and systemic solutions, building on IDH’s diverse sectors including Alternate Materials, Landscape, Palm Oil, Tea, Gender, Coffee, Spices, Worker’s Safety, and the Environment. This year’s summit aims to be a forum for cross-sectoral collaboration, enabling stakeholders to set and achieve responsible sourcing targets throughout commodity harvest cycles. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the change. Register now at https://lnkd.in/grqdgUAB and join us in shaping a sustainable future! #SUTRA2024 #SustainableTrade #ResponsibleSourcing #IDH #Sustainability #CrossSectorCollaboration

Yesterday, we signed an MoU with UNDP in India to advance sustainable development, inclusive growth, and climate resilience in India. Our partnership is set to leverage blockchain for traceability in tea, coffee, and spice value chains, empower women, and promote climate-resilient farming practices. Together, we are committed to scaling our impact through knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiatives, fostering sustainable and inclusive growth nationwide. We look forward to working with UNDP India to achieve these shared goals! Read more about the partnership here: https://lnkd.in/gPQaYpey ##SustainableDevelopment #InclusiveGrowth #ClimateResilience #PartnershipForChange Jagjeet Singh Kandal, Isabelle Tschan, Dr. Ravi Chandra, Dilip Singh, Neha Singh, Mrinalini Prasad, Jasmer Dhingra (she/her), IDH

Achieving a living income is crucial today, ensuring households can afford basic needs like food, housing, education, and healthcare. This is vital for small tea growers (STGs) who face price volatility, climate change, and limited resources. The Small Tea Grower Sustainability Program (STGSP), in collaboration with the Jalpaiguri District Small Tea Growers’ Association (JDSTGA), held its third multi-stakeholder meeting to discuss strategies for ensuring a sustainable living income for North Bengal's tea growers. North Bengal's economy heavily relies on agriculture, with tea as the principal crop, contributing 30% of India’s tea production. Despite having 35,000 STGs producing 60% of the state’s tea, they face significant challenges. The dialogue focused on 'living income'—the net annual income required for a household to afford a decent standard of living. North Bengal teas lack the branding of Assam and Darjeeling, affecting prices for Bought Leaf Factories (BLFs) and STGs. With lower production costs, North Bengal can shift from low to high-value tea. Promoting STGs as producers of ‘safe’ tea could enhance their market brand. Collaboration between BLFs and STGs is crucial, with STGSP facilitating this partnership. Participants highlighted the need for diversification, as tea alone cannot sustain incomes, especially for STGs with small landholdings. Diversification should complement tea production. STGSP's initiatives, such as dragon fruit trials and successful ventures in poultry and potato value chains, were discussed. The roles of financial institutions and government agencies in supporting alternative value chains were also explored. Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, Secretary of JDSTGA, emphasized the importance of supporting STGs in alternative livelihoods. The event saw participation from various stakeholders, including the Tea Board Of India, Jai Jalpesh SHG, Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation ,NABARD - National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, WBADMIP, and Action For Food Production (AFPRO), and The Agri-Entrepreneur Growth Foundation (AEGF) for reinforcing the importance of multi-stakeholder action for a vibrant and resilient tea sector in North Bengal. #SustainabilityinTea #LivingIncome #ClimateChangeToday

Our colleague, Manvendra Singh represented IDH and the Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative at two significant events. Firstly, at a UNDP in India workshop on "Enhancing Gender Equality in Millet Food & Marketing Systems for Just Transition in Jharkhand," organized in partnership with Arya.ag and FICSI - Food SSC. Manvendra shared insights on public-private partnerships and the role of institutions, emphasizing the complementary strengths of government and businesses in building confidence and stability in the landscape. He also highlighted the importance of market approach and landscape governance. He also participated in a workshop organized by The Nature Conservancy on "Promoting Crop Residue Management and Regenerative Agriculture in Madhya Pradesh." He discussed the use of AI-based advisory and soil health initiatives, the importance of context-specific technological solutions, and the crucial role of technology in landscape planning and governance. Manvendra’s contributions reflect our commitment to fostering and scaling regenerative and restorative agricultural practices through our Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative and its innovative approaches towards agriculture. IDH #GenderEquality #RegenerativeAgriculture #Innovation #Collaboration

Our dear colleague Anjali Krishnan shared her insights on behalf of IDH's Alternate Material Accelerator Programme (AMAP) for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's report “Pushing the Boundaries of EPR Policy for Textiles”. In the latest The Circular Economy Show Podcast, she, along with Tomas Seig, Head of the Circular Economy Office in the Ministry of the Environment for Chile, and Matteo Magnani, co-author of the Foundation's report, discuss challenges and opportunities in creating a circular economy in the textiles industry! Listen to the full podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gz6Ur7t3 #AlternateMaterials #CircularEconomy #GlobalTextile #Waste

"There is a huge demand for Indian coffee in the global market; hence it is important to improve the quality of our produce," stated Mr. MJ Dinesh, Chairperson of the Coffee Board of India. Climate change poses significant risks to coffee farmers in South India, with extreme weather patterns becoming more prevalent. By 2050, climate change could reduce the global area suitable for coffee production by 50%. To combat this, we believe transitioning to low-carbon coffee production systems through regenerative agricultural practices is crucial. JDE Peet's, a leading global coffee brand, and ECOM Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd., a top coffee trader, in collaboration with IDH India, have launched a project to develop low-carbon coffee production systems focused on smallholder farmers in Karnataka and Kerala. Recently, ECOM conducted a training session in Mudigere, Chikmagaluru, for over 150 smallholder coffee farmers, promoting sustainable coffee production and marketing. The project named 'Developing a climate-resilient coffee production landscape utilizing a low/net-zero carbon model for sustained livelihoods' has been initiated with the aim to benefit approximately 4,500 coffee farms by 2025-26, enhancing soil nutrient balance, carbon sequestration, and ensuring fair prices through dedicated buying centers. Along with Mr. M J Dinesh, Mr. B R Balakrishna, President of the Mudigere Coffee Growers Association, Mr. Jayaram B S, Ex-President of the Karnataka Coffee Growers Federation, Mr. Changal Rayappa from ECOM, and Mr. Keerthiraj Siddapura M from IDH India were present at the event. Sy Do Ngoc, Jagjeet Singh Kandal, Jasmer Dhingra (she/her), Saurabh Sinha, Pritam Kumar Nanda, Coffee Board Of India     #CoffeeSustainability #RegenerativeAgriculture #IndianCoffee #LowCarbon

Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative joined forces with Gold Standard and the Laudes Foundation to highlight the importance of building a business case for sustainability. The workshop emphasized the need for a holistic approach that benefits producers, brands, retailers, investors, and companies and farmers alike. By exploring production systems, we can aim to implement sustainable practices that support farmers' incomes while driving impactful change. #ProductionSystem #UNSDGs #BusinessCase #Collaboration