Villgro Innovation Marketing

Sustainable agriculture IP company

Opportunity
Most small farmers in rural India lack access to innovative agricultural and dairy inputs leading to lower and unsustainable livelihoods. Poor reach of distribution channels in rural India and their inability to engage with customers makes selling innovative products and services unviable for producers as well as for the channel. As stated by the NCAE ! only "#$"%& of farmers have access to some kind of information about new agricultural technology and products. Access to products and services is even lower. Income of rural poor 'farm and dairy sector( can be increased by )#&$%#& and sustained over current levels if available new technology! product and services are made accessible to them. *n the other hand! marketing cost of new products can be reduced significantly if adoption time is shortened to make these products and services more affordable 'adoption time is )$% years on an average for agricultural+ dairy inputs.( At the same time! spurious products and incorrect information through unreliable channel make small and marginal farmers risk averse and slow adopters! trapping them in the vicious cycle of poverty.

Solution
,illgro Innovation Marketing ',IM( has created a uni-ue! low$cost rural distribution model which reaches villages through local! knowledgeable sales agents called ,.Es ',illage .evel Entrepreneurs.( /he ,.E model has created a viable business even in smaller villages. /he process of participative product testing and evaluation by end users in actual field conditions makes adoption -uick and cost effective. 0ocusing on rural households as a unit and building a product portfolio to meet the multiple needs of a family and enterprise has created a viable business proposition for small village$based entrepreneurs.

Impact
1ithin % years! ,IM plans to reach to over a million rural households in 2%!### Indian villages improving their income by at least 3#&$)#&. ,IM will also train and hire )!### village$based ,.Es earning an additional )#&$%#& increase in income.

About Villgro Innovation Marketing

,IM is creating the fastest and the deepest rural distribution channel for access and advisory for sustainable products in agriculture! dairy! water and energy to improve rural livelihood. ,IM

believes that empowering rural population to improve its return on investment by creating access to location specific innovations will create a sustainable growth ecosystem. ,IM was founded in 4uly 3##5 after a 3 year model development and piloting by ,illgro Innovation 0oundation under pro6ect name 7ammruddhi. ,IM was founded by people involved in innovative rural business models and believe that it is possible to serve poor profitably. As of March 3#23! ,IMP. has served 8!### customers with 9# innovative products in more than )## villages and is able to operate at break$even on a unit level. ,IM is based in Chennai! India