Many lockdown challenges are less visible

In India, as elsewhere, the pandemic has had huge economic impact. Agriculture and related activities are among those most affected. And in India, these sectors employ half the workforce. 

Fortunately, the AEGF Agri-Entrepreneurship program has been able to mitigate some of the effects. Farmers trained as village-level agri-entrepreneurs (AEs) are well placed to respond quickly and assist other smallholders in the community*. 

AEGF decided to investigate further. To understand the lockdown’s early impact on the rural economy, our AEGF partners organized a study. This ran in May, during the 12th week of lockdown. The participants were agri-entrepreneurs. They answered questions both about themselves and their communities’ farmers. Behind the headline news, the survey addressed aspects such as use of savings and the extra burden on women. This short version of the report presents key findings and recommendations. 

The full report is available on the new AEGF website. 

*Here's more on how Indian agri-entrepreneurs have been helping farmers. 

Photo: Hindustan Times / PTI