Arya.ag unites industry leaders at RITH-Climate Summit 2023 to advance sustainable farming practices

New Delhi: The RITH-Climate Summit 2023, organized by Arya.ag, India’s largest and only profitable integrated grain commerce platform, in partnership with Bayer Foundation India, brought together leaders from diverse sectors in its first edition.

The summit, organized in Delhi, was a landmark event that brought together representatives from 45 diverse farmer producer organizations (FPOs), including women-led FPOs from various Indian states such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana.

“The one-day RITH Climate Summit ’23 witnessed the culmination of ideas to improve the competitiveness of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) by emphasising climate-resilient and regenerative farming practices, addressing challenges encountered by small and marginal farmers, particularly in resource access and dealing with the effects of climate change,” said Franklin L. Khobung, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, graced the RITH-Climate Summit ’23 with his esteemed presence, elevating the event’s importance.

Prasanna Rao, CEO & CO-Founder of Arya.ag, stated, “The RITH-Climate Summit ’23, organized by Arya.ag, represents a pivotal stride in our commitment to empowering farmers. Recently, as part of a comprehensive study conducted by the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), we looked at our presence in climate-stressed regions across India and realized the crucial challenges being faced by our farmers. By uniting industry leaders, experts, and diverse farmer producer organizations from across India, we aim to catalyze a transformative dialogue on incentivizing sustainable farming practices by creating market-led ecosystems.”

Rith means ecological balance and the event was designed to feature a range of panelists and representatives from the industry, farm verticals, development sector and the government. The discussions centered around creating market-led ecosystems, strengthening relationships between FPOs, and leveraging technology for sustainable agricultural practices.

The panel discussions featured insights on “challenges in transitioning to climate-resilient production” with Aman Pannu (DCM Shriram Foundation), Arun Pandhi (Tata Trusts), Sugandhi Vishwakarma (Korku Farmer Producer Company), S.S Bhat (FWWB India), and Prof. V. Padmanand (Grant Thornton) moderated by Amit Kumar (UNDP).

The “Actionizing Climate Goals” panel explored corporate-grassroots connections, including perspectives from Manek Gupta (Viterra), Neelesh Rathod (White Gold Farmer Producer Company Limited), Rajiv Yadav (Agrocorp India Trade Services Pvt Limited), Rajvir Rathi, Director (Bayer Crop Science) and Uday Anand (Parijat Industries) moderated by Sarita Bahl (Bayer Foundation India). “Productive Convergences,” moderated by Dr. Sudheer K Goel (Agriculture and Marketing, Govt. of Maharashtra), discussed winning examples with Amrendra Mishra (ADM), Swapnil Pawar (ASQI), Shailesh Kumar (Britannia), Dr. Ratna Kumria (FSII) and Vinod Beniwal (Shakti Vardhak Farmer Producer Company Ltd), Vijaysekar Kalavakonda (IFC) moderated “Harmonising Stakeholder Roles,” involving Anupam Barik (Patanjali), Dheeraj Mutreja, (Rabo Foundation), Dr. KC Gummagolmath (MANAGE), Smriti Das (XLRI) and Sunil Kumar (Synergy Technofin Pvt Ltd.). These discussions aimed to address challenges and promote sustainable models for climate resilience.

“The synergistic partnership between forward-thinking corporations such as Bayer, Arya.ag and the dynamic Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) is pivotal in propelling the agenda of sustainable farming to new heights. Our shared initiatives not only exemplify our commitment but also serve as a resounding testament to the unwavering dedication we bring to the noble cause of fostering a sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape for the benefit of present and future generations,” said Sarita Bahl – Director – Bayer Foundation India

“Strengthening farmers’ awareness of the importance of embracing climate-resilient agriculture can be accomplished by reinforcing agricultural extension services. The existing lack of knowledge regarding climate-resilient practices emphasises the necessity for enhanced outreach and education in this field,” said Dr Sudheer K Goel – IAS, Former Addtl. Chief Secretary – Agriculture and Marketing, Govt. of Maharashtra.

“Encouraging farmers to adopt change could involve a government-driven policy initiative, providing working capital to Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). Additionally, private collaborators could play a role in developing green technologies, while aggregators could facilitate the convergence of market players and farmers on a unified platform,” said Amit Kumar – Head of Sustainable and Inclusive Growth at UNDP.