Araku Valley Farmers Collective

Araku Valley Farmers Collective

AUGUST 22, 2023

The Araku Valley Farmers Collective is run and implemented by the non-profit TechnoServe. Their Sustainable Livelihoods for Smallholder Farmers program in partnership with Walmart Foundation aims to improve the incomes of small-holder farming communities in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh by strengthening Farmer-Producer Organisations and transforming them into sustainable enterprises. In Andhra Pradesh, TechnoServe works with coffee farmers to provide agronomy training, post-harvest management support, and market linkages to help them realise the region’s potential and grow their incomes sustainably.

Since coffee is a non-native crop in the region, farmers mostly rely on traditional cultivation practices. The program seeks to train the farmers in good agricultural practices in coffee cultivation and avoid practices like premature picking, improper drying techniques and partial washing, which results in a degraded quality of coffee, ultimately lowering the price.

TechnoServe has conducted an extensive value chain study to identify the scope for boosting the competitiveness and incomes of tribal farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Through the study, they discovered that multiple interventions in different nodes of the value chain could help achieve a 170% jump in farmers’ incomes, of which 130% could be achieved through improved productivity and access to bigger markets. Additionally, to enable better price realisation, the team decided to develop a model that would provide regular price information to the farmers and facilitate lucrative market linkage opportunities.

Along with improving the quality of coffee, the program also aims to connect farmers to more remunerative and transparent markets.

This year marks their plunge into the world of specialty coffee processing. Click here to get our latest coffee from Araku Valley Farmers Collective.