Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF)

Owned by Ashu Sikri (Unlicensed)
Last updated: May 19, 2022
2 min read

Notes from May 19 call w Anirban and Anish

DG attendees: @Krishnan Pallassana (Unlicensed) @Kunal Tiwari (Unlicensed) @rikin (Unlicensed)

Next steps:

  • Agreed to start with approach (1) below. Identify ~5 blocks in Jharkhand where we can pilot funding platform / DFN in collaboration with TRIF

  • Create collateral that describes our approach / goals so TRIF has a better sense and we can start socializing with stakeholders like NRLM and NAFPO. @Shalu Umapathy (Unlicensed) and @Eric Firnhaber (Unlicensed)

Notes

  • Discussed three potential paths for collaboration

  • 1) As part of its 25mn livelihoods initiative (see here), TRIF is working in MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and UP. TRI does training through SHG cluster level federation (CLFs) to create cadre of community resources. Helps to setup village level aggregation centers and link farmer groups w Agtech startups like Impactagro and Mother dairy. Focus of this work is linking all SHG members w livelihoods. 

    • Potential role for DG would be to provide training for data officers within the farmer org, figure out what data the local data consumers need to engage with the farmer orgs and help them capture and share it  

  • 2) Position digitization tools and training as a joint TRIF / DG product and market it through NAFPO

    • My sense is that we to leverage NAFPO as a marketing channel til we have an offering that is a bit more solid but it does make sense to engage them soon

    • Note, we are already NAFPO members but not engaging with them very regularly

  • 3) There are hundreds of thousands of producer groups that have been mobilized by NRLM. These are not a formal legal entity and there is scope to give them a bit more structure. The theory is that aggregating at the level of a couple villages to create marketable lots reduces transaction costs (makes sense!) but need a bit more formality around which commodities, how do groups members coordinate among themselves and tap into collective physical assets and link w input suppliers and buyers. While this is active at scale today the reality is quite messy

    • DG role: need to learn more but this sort of organization feels like the type that we would hope could leverage some of the digital tools and training we develop once they are a bit more developed

    • Good area for potential collaboration w NRLM

  • Other points:

    • To move beyond subsistence, farmers need to engage w processing and retailing. Things like oil extraction, daal and rice milling, etc.

    • Natural farming and agroecology are a focus for NRLM; TRIF describes their approach as high income natural farming 

    • Lots of players offering their own digital platforms and systems (incl Samunnati). Need to better understand what is out there and clarify how what we are doing is different (open source, farmers own data, usability, etc.)

    • Video extension will continue to be critical esp for capacity building of the members and data officers within these various groups

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