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Sustainable agriculture: a pathway out of poverty for India’s rural poor

Can sustainable agriculture help lift Indian farmers out of poverty?

Authors: ; Sustainable Agriculture Information Network - Sustainet
Publisher: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, 2008

Full text of document

Millions of farmers in remote rural areas of India struggle to feed themselves and their families, while the resources on which they depend are deteriorating daily. This book shows how sustainable agriculture can help India's farmers - especially those in poor, remote areas - pull themselves out of poverty.

The book details 14 examples of how development initiatives have helped farmers in some of the remotest parts of the country break out of the cycle of poverty, debt and environmental degradation, and improve their lives and livelihoods through agriculture that is economically, ecologically and socially sustainable.

The examples fall into three areas:

  • organic agriculture
  • land and water management
  • improving market access for small-scale farmers.
These examples were selected not only due to their success, but also because they have the potential to be replicated on a large scale. The analysis and lessons are intended to be applied to a wide variety of situations, not just in India, but also throughout the world. The authors argue that such large-scale application is vital if the Millennium Development Goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and ensuring environmental sustainability are to be met.