Mumbai: Commemorating Farmers’ Day and affirming its commitment to making a difference in the lives it touches, Marico Limited, one of India’s leading FMCG companies, completed the plantation of a comprehensive afforestation programme site in Jalgaon.
Underscoring its commitment to environmental sustainability and agrarian community development, the company planted over 12,000 saplings across five acres of land, in partnership with the local Zilla Panchayat of Dhanwad. The theme of Farmers’ Day 2023 is ‘Delivering smart solutions for sustainable food security and resilience’ and to promote it Marico recognised and awarded ten farmers for green practices, smart irrigations, encouraging other farmers towards improved agriculture practices in their respective villages. Along with Marico Members and Leadership team 600+ farmers from five villages attended the programme along with the SHGs women, village leaders, and youth committee.
The afforestation initiative was carried out in collaboration with local communities and Panchayats. The objective of the programme is to create livelihood opportunities through sustainable and organic farming practices primarily in Dhanwad village. The organic plantation site is expected to yield fruits, providing an additional income channel for locals through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and promoting micro-entrepreneurship initiatives. Furthermore, Marico aims to develop a Centre of Excellence for the Moringa farm site, as it is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree. This initiative will empower the local community with alternative income generation opportunities by selling the produce and creating an ideal farm which is climate resilient.
To improve the availability of surface water for the community, last year Marico launched its water stewardship programme ‘Jalashay’ in Jalgaon. The idea was to increase the possibility of water for irrigation purpose during dry seasons. The initiative also drove awareness of water-resilient cropping and improved farming techniques like drip irrigation, mulching, solar-powered pumps, vermicomposting, and water budgeting. In a year’s span, Marico created 13.50 Crore litres of water harvesting capacity through ‘Jalashay’, replenishing water for the drought-prone villages of Jalgoan.
Sharing his thoughts on Marico’s effort to uplift the community, Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer & Group General Counsel and Secretary, CSR Committee, Marico Limited, said, “At Marico, we believe that, as an organisation, we must create a positive impact for every life that we touch. We constantly strive to bring about sustainable transformation in society by nurturing and empowering communities. Understanding the challenges of the drought-prone villages of Jalgoan, we decided to initiate an afforestation and a water stewardship programme that will increase greener zones and ensure better rains in the region. Our vision is to drive a community-centric sustainable agriculture and livelihood improvement programme. We aim to increase the income of farmers through strategic water interventions and enable the local community to become climate resilient. By working collaboratively with local communities, we aim to not only address immediate challenges but also contribute to a sustainable and thriving future for all.”
