Farmers and Their Benefit: A Way Forward

Achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of food (SDG 2 – Zero hunger) and nutrition security (SDG 3 – good health and wellbeing) along with improved income security (SDG 1 – poverty reduction) with growing water scarcity, land degradation and impacts of climate change are the greatest challenge for the mankind during the twenty-first century. Yield gaps between the farmers’ and the potential yields are largely due to weak science of delivery resulting in Death Valley of impacts. In this chapter, innovative consortium approach (4ISECs) to provide holistic and demand driven solutions are described for the farmers. These are scalable, economically remunerative. Several scaling-up projects implemented by CGIAR institutions in Asia and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in India are described to support this chapter. Technologies for reduced water requirement through direct seeded rice, higher potato yields through establishing effective seed supply chains, and use of climate resilient, drought-tolerant, high yielding crops and cultivars as well as conservation tillage are used in scaling-up initiatives. Finally, efficient monitoring, evaluation and learning system with examples are described for successful scaling-up through building partnerships, technologies and convergence to benefit millions of farmers. Lessons learnt from large scaling-up projects benefitting more than 10 million people are documented. Based on these lessons a way forward is suggested for successful scaling-up solutions for farmers through partnerships, convergence and technologies.