Verdesian Partners with Bayer’s Better Life Farming Initiative in India
29 October 2021 Verdesian Life Sciences has announced that it has joined Bayer’s Better Life Farming initiative in India to provide sustainable agricultural products like AVAIL Phosphorus Fertilizer Enhancer, SEED100, and Nursery+ to smallholder farmers in India. These products will be offered across more than 750 Better Life Farming Centers supporting over 400,000 smallholder farmers throughout the region.
Bayer’s Better Life Farming (BLF) is a global, multi-stakeholder alliance, which works with partners across the agri-value chain to support smallholder farmers in developing economies to increase crop yields and farm incomes. Launched globally in April 2018, the BLF alliance has global partners that include: Bayer with its expertise in seeds, crop protection, and agronomy; IFC, the development finance institution for impact assessment; and Netafim for drip irrigation technologies.
In India, the BLF alliance works with additional local partners including: Yara Fertilizer for soil and nutrient management; DeHaat, AgriBazaar, and Big Basket as off-takers; and Tata Trusts for improving rural livelihoods and promoting self-reliant agri-entrepreneurship.
“We are a global company, but one with a mission and a heart for small farmers all over the world,” said Kenneth Avery, CEO, Verdesian. “This relationship will allow growers in South Asia access to our sustainable ag products that will allow them to enjoy healthy crops and strong yields through efficient technologies.”
D. Narain, Senior Bayer Representative, South Asia and CEO & MD, Bayer CropScience Limited said, “Empowering smallholder farmers is crucial for India’s food security. Better Life Farming aims at enabling smallholders to unlock their farming potential. Reinforcing Bayer’s commitment to ‘Health for All, Hunger for None,’ the partnership with Verdasian will provide farmers with access to sustainable products encouraging financial security and know-how, thereby aiming at doubling their incomes whilst also protecting the environment. Through such strategic partnerships across the agri-value chain, we aim to create a sustainable eco-system where traditional and digital marketplaces co-exist with the common aim of providing farmers with greater choice.”
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