Commemorating Farmers’ Day and affirming its commitment to making a difference to the lives it touches, Marico Limited, one of India’s leading FMCG companies, completed plantation of a comprehensive afforestation program site in Jalgaon.
Underscoring its commitment to environmental sustainability and agrarian community development, the company planted over 12,000 saplings across 5 acres of land, in partnership with 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 10 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 5 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 program 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 Moringa farm site, as it is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree , This initiative will empower the local community with alternative income generation opportunity, by selling the produce and creating an ideal farm which is climate resilient.
With aim to improve the availability of surface water for the community, last year Marico launched its water stewardship program ‘Jalashay’ in Jalgaon. The idea was to increase the possibility of water for irrigation purpose during dry seasons. The initiative also drove awareness on water-resilient cropping and improved farming techniques like drip irrigation, mulching, solar powered pump, 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, it is our duty to 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 program that will increase greener zone and ensure better rains in the region.
Our vision is to drive a community-centric sustainable agriculture and livelihood improvement program. 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.”
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