India is an agricultural country with agriculture as the predominant occupation of about two-thirds of the working population living in rural areas. Agriculture is not only an important occupation of our people, but also a way of life, culture and custom. But, agriculture in India is basically a seasonal affair, and is in crisis. Farmers of various states, and of Karnataka in particular, are in distress due to loans, repeated failure of crops, increasing cost of production, poor quality of seeds etc. Impact of globalization and exploitation by money lenders and middlemen are the other main causes for distress, leading to increased suicide rates.

For the benefit of the farming community, Vanadurgi Foundation is introducing new crops which are being grown in similar geographical climatic zones of other countries. All these crops are introduced in the inter-cropping system so that farmers never feel the financial burden in any way. Innovative agricultural technologies are brought in to our doorsteps. Vanadurgi Foundation strives to implement various contracting farming projects on behalf of companies of the Vanadurgi Group, which are the backbone of these agro projects which provide buy-back arrangements, free inputs and technical guidelines for the cultivation of crops. New crops like agarwood, rare herbs and plants that are the source of essential oils have already been cultivated in various locations. Several projects have already been introduced, including the essential oils project, botanical projects, vanilla project, agarwood project, cocoa project etc., and many other crops such as stevia, marigold, chillies etc., are in the pipeline. A fair-trade project has also been launched to avail fair prices for farmers as per international standards.

Vanadurgi Foundation works hand in hand with farmers by rendering several services to enhance their economic growth. Free distribution of agricultural handbooks, power point presentations, field visits etc., are a part of our activities. We have created self-help groups in order to facilitate interaction between farmers so that they can exchange their agricultural knowledge and purchase the farm inputs from the right suppliers. We also organise trips for farmers to progressive farmers’ plots to educate them about different cultivational practices that are being adopted. The Foundation also offers call centre services to provide the best agricultural practices and immediate remedies for diseases and any other related issues.