U.S.-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative Links Farmers With New Markets

March 12, 2007

NEW DELHI – International businesses, public agencies, universities and non-government organizations gathered in Delhi today at the opening of the 3rd International Conference on Linking Markets and Farmers sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). An important goal of the conference is to seek ways to increase productivity in Indian agriculture.

Speaking at the inaugural, USAID Mission Director George Deikun said: “Improving productivity in agriculture is a critical area for focusing Indian and U.S. technical collaboration. The U.S.-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative is helping Indian farmers improve marketing for their products, linking them with new technologies and extension and research facilities and helping them meet international standards for export.”

Global experts will discuss innovations in food processing and models for linking consumer markets with rural entrepreneurs and communities at the March 11-15 conference, which is organized by the University of Illinois, U.S.A. The conference covers a range of agricultural marketing and supply chain issues as well as policy reforms with examples from India and around the world.

Agricultural retail markets in India and elsewhere are rapidly changing and the conference will review successful innovations that have been used to link small farmers with domestic and international markets.

Mani Shankar Aiyer, Minister of Panchayati Raj, and Sharad Joshi, founder-leader of the Shetkari Sanghatana and Member of Parliament, also spoke at the inaugural.

Related Link: Read full text of the speech