In-line with its commitment to enhance sustainable agriculture, FMC India celebrated World Water Day on 22 March 2021 by organising more than 400 farmer meetings across 18 states, reaching more than 14,000 in the farming community throughout the country.
According to India Water Portal, agriculture in India accounts for more than 80 percent of the surface water used in India, contributing to increasing water scarcity exacerbated by rising global temperatures. To help promote water stewardship in agriculture, FMC technical field experts talked with farmers about Good Agriculture Practices for enhancing farm sustainability and shared different methods to optimise water use, enhance efficiency and conserve water.
The FMC team also highlighted the importance of safe drinking water to increase public awareness of the dangers of poor water quality. Poor quality water consumption has led to serious water-borne diseases in the country, and this is more profound in rural areas, which can have serious implications for farmer families.
Pramod Thota, President of FMC India said, “This World Water Day, our focus is on educating farmers on best practices to enhance sustainable management of freshwater resources. We have been collaborating with Indian farmers across crop chains and geographies to drive sustainability and improve productivity for over three decades in India. We have about 4,000 technical field experts who engage with over two million farmers annually to promote sustainable agricultural practices for a better future. Our goal is to empower the farming community and raise their living standards through various initiatives and community outreach programs like Project Samarth and UGAM.”
FMC India runs an ongoing signature project that seeks to provide access to safe and potable drinking water to 200,000 farmer families within the next three years in India. To date, Project Samarth has commissioned 44 community water purification plants in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, benefiting nearly 120,000 farming families. The company is now expanding the reach to cover five more states starting this year.
FMC UGAM was a three-month campaign that started on World Soil Day 2020 on 5 December, to empower farmers with the awareness, knowledge, and tools to manage their soil in a more sustainable manner. The campaign reached more than 40,000 farmers, in addition to 100,000 more through digital channels like Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.
“FMC is committed to deliver products that maintain a safe and secure food supply while protecting the environment for future generations,” added Thota. “At the same time, FMC recognises some of the issues pertaining to the optimisation of water usage in the country, including safeguarding from water-borne diseases and conserving underground water systems. Our work is very much focused on supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Zero Hunger and Clean Water and Sanitation.”
