Transcript Results one year: Drip Irrigation systems from Jain

WINGREENS
Herbs & Oxygenerators
A Sustainable Farm to Market Initiative
MISSION
 To marry the concepts of environment sustainability and
social good with high profitability in the field of
agriculture :
OBJECTIVES
 SUSTAINABILTY:
Conservation of fast depleting water resources and
improving soil quality by using drip irrigation in an area that
is threatening to turn into desert soon. Emphasis on
composting, water harvesting and other sustainable
agricultural practices.
 SOCIAL GOOD: Creation of adequate work for women
labour and opportunities for a better quality of life. Helping
farmers maximise their income from land by introducing
them to crops that fetch a higher revenue and ensure water
conservation
 MARKET ACCESS: By using innovative marketing and sales
strategies to provide market access through setting up ones
own brand nationally and opening up international markets
for exports for high-value, water conserving crops.
BACKGROUND
 Unfortunately conservation and sustainability particularly
in agriculture are concepts that are seen more as
curative rather than preventive in nature. This translates
into resistance to change. Resistance to change crops
that have been growing traditionally in an area for
generations on end. The cropping patterns are set, the
market is set, the methods and ease and convenience is
set. And this goes on year after year without thinking of
how much the world around is changing or the soil is
deteriorating or the ground water is depleting.
BACKGROUND
 A case in point is Village Dadu in Tauru District, Mewat
Haryana.
 The traditional crops were Wheat, Mustard, Bajra and
Jowar. They still are the major crops grown here. The
annual income has remained less than Rs 20000 per
acre per annum for years. The soil has turned sandy and
bereft of most nutrients. The water table has sunk
several hundred feet. The water development is 164%
over-exploited. At this rate in the next few years the
ground water table will become inadequate.
 The irony is Dadu is just 30kms from the shinning city of
Gurgaon. Around 45kms from Delhi’s International
Airport.
PILOT PROJECT
 It is here that WINGREENS decided to start its pilot
project.
 An innovation had to be discovered. The entire process
of how agriculture was being looked at had to change
and a buy in had to be got from the local populace.
Tradition had to be broken.
 Education would have been too slow a process, so
demonstration was chosen instead. Time was at a
premium and results had to be shown in maximum 1-2
years so that scale up could happen thereafter.
SOCIAL GOOD
 The First Innovation: (Social Good)
 The land was leased from the farmer at higher than his
produce income (not contracted). This took the risk
away from the farmer and won his co-operation.
 His family was employed at the farm and business front
at additional wages. (This skilled them and added to
their household income as well as ensured skilled man
power was available at the end of the demo for scale
up).
 Women Labour were hired and skilled for all the
additional work (this gave them income and ensured a
skilled workforce was available at the end of the
demonstration).
RESULTS
 Results one year: The farmer’s family and relatives
income grew from 20000 an acre to 300000 an
acre per annum including rental.
 Substantial livelihood generation for women
labour.
SUSTAINABILITY
 The Second Innovation: (Sustainabilty – Water Conservation)
 Crops that require less water traditionally had to be discovered
 and those which would grow in the existing soil and weather
conditions.
 Also those that had the potential for fetching a high price in the
market.
 And above all those which would grow discernibly better in drip
irrigation thus dissuade the use for water wasting techniques of
irrigation such as flood and traditional sprinkler.
 Surprisingly we discovered a number of such crops through
intensive study and experimentation. Crops that had never been
grown in the area before.
 Oregano, Thyme, Marjoram, Stevia, Basil, Lemon Grass, Mint,
Peppermint, Ajwain Leaf, Lettuce, Lolla Rossa, Aragula, Bok Choi,
Chinese Cabbage, Brahmi, Ashwagandha and Aloe Vera.
RESULTS
 Results one year: Drip Irrigation systems from Jain
Irrigation and priceless consultancy from them along
with the right choice of crops helped the crops grow
very successfully and of the best quality and virtually
disease free. Only organic fertilizer needed to be used
and almost no pesticide.
 But above all the drip irrigation helped save 2500000
litres of water in one acre
 We could save around 35 to 40% water required for
the farm with drip irrigation and 15 to 20% with
sprinkler irrigation, and as far as rare products are
concerned it could not have possible without drip
irrigation. Because there was no parallel example of
growing the folia and herbs in such harsh climate.
RESULTS
 Other salient features :
 Waste was converted in compost and used on the
same farm
 Less utilization of hazardous chemical
 Saving of around 25 Lakh litres of water per acre due
to drip irrigation
 This savings converts into 756 units/acre of
Electricity for pumping
 This is equivalent to 0.6 tCO2 saving per acre per
annum due to energy efficiency achieved due to drip
irrigation.
 The important aspect is that the production was very
high and thus the possibility of reduction of carbon
footprint cannot be ruled out.
MARKET ACCESS
 The Third Innovation (Marketing access )
 A market had to be created
 The highest possible price had to be realized
 Sustainability(Water Conservation) Social Good (upliftment of
women labour and farmers) positioned as a USP
 Taking advantage of the proximity to the city product is sold as
potted plants for the first time in India through strategically located
WINGREENS branded kiosks in supermarkets and malls to draw
attention and build a brand name. The face of the farm and its
sustainability and social advantages. An excellent showcase to gain
the interest of large institutional clients and exporters.
 Built relationships and gained the confidence of Retail Giants like
Spencers, Reliance Retail and Bharti-Walmart. Wingreens stores are
now present in all these chains.
RESULTS
 Results one year: A growth in revenue from Rs
20000 to Rs 1200000 an acre per annum.
 Sustainability and social good are increasingly
being accepted as value creating business
propositions and are providing solid reason for top
organisations to switch from their existing
suppliers to us.
 This usp is also providing exporters enough
motivation to be in serious dialogue with us for
exports.
FUTURE
 This would help us expand the business
substantially in the next 3 years.
 This would enable replication of this model over 50
acres which could result in a saving of over 1250
lakh litres of water per year in an area that needs
it most.
 It would also inspire farmers for hundreds of acres
across the same geography to do the same.
 It would help us provide 5600 woman days of
work to landless women labour
 And a paradigm shift in the fortunes of farmers
while saving their land from becoming desert.