National Agro Walmart Foundations to strengthen 10 FPOs and support AP farmers

National Agro Foundation (NAF) has received a grant from the Walmart Foundation to support over 12,500 smallholder farmers across the Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh, two of the state's key agricultural regions. The initiative will work with 10 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to improve farmers’ access to markets, promote climate-resilient practices, and create stronger livelihood opportunities, with a particular focus on women farmers.

Titled "Empowering 12,500 Farmers belonging to Selected 10 FPOs of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh for Sustainable Economic Development and Climate Resilience”, the project aims to help FPOs become more sustainable, community-led institutions. Through this effort, participating farmers will be better equipped to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, respond to climate-related challenges and pursue long-term economic growth.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr M R Ramasubramaniyan, [Chief Executive Officer], National Agro Foundation, said, “this is a landmark initiative with the generous support from the Walmart Foundation that aims to benefit over 12500 smallholder farmers with income enhancement through combined efforts of sustainable agriculture production and value chain, responsible production, better market access and price realization through collective action as well as placing the women at the heart of this initiative during the International Year of Women Farmers. NAF founded by the visionary Mr C Subramaniam, the architect of India’s Green Revolution with its 25+ years of standing has long been attempting to empower the small farm holders and the support of Walmart Foundation has only bolstered NAF’s commitment of serving the farming community in alignment with some of the SDGs. We are truly excited and looking forward to a successful implementation of the project.

Nishant Gupta, Social & Environmental Impact Advisor to Walmart.Org, said, "FPOs have the potential to be powerful engines of rural economic growth when they are equipped with the right capabilities, market connections, and tools. Through support from the Walmart Foundation, this initiative will help NAF to strengthen local institutions that can serve farmers for years to come, with a particular focus on advancing opportunities for women farmers across Andhra Pradesh."

NAF will work across three interconnected pillars - Sustainable Economic Empowerment, Strengthening FPOs for Long-Term Sustainability, Enhancing Women’s participation for Inclusive and sustainable rural livelihoods. It will aim to leverage information technology to improve the operational efficiency of the target FPOs including governance, financial management as well as business operations of the FPOs through its multi module KANCHI Digital platforms. Data-driven decision-making, real-time market intelligence based procurement are some of the hallmarks of IT integration NAF aims to bring on-board to the project.

The envisioned long-term outcome is a replicable model of FPO-led rural economic transformation — one that positions smallholder farmers not merely as primary producers, but as entrepreneurs, market participants, and drivers of an inclusive agricultural ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh. NAF and the Walmart Foundation share a conviction that durable rural prosperity is built not through dependency, but through complementarity among the institutions like FPOs & SHGs which are well-governed, market-integrated, and led by the very communities they serve.