Most Indian farmers lead very hard lives. They work under difficult conditions, are exploited by middlemen and earn a meager income, not enough to meet even their basic needs.

Though the opening of India's markets has created a lot of opportunities in agribusiness, the extreme poverty of Indian farmers hinders them from accessing these new markets. Since most farmers are trapped in conventional modes of farming, with little knowledge of global cultivation practices, their produce does not yield a fair price. Absence of accurate market information makes them rely on exploitative agents, who buy their produce at non-competitive prices.

In an effort to create linkages between farmers and the market and also bring their cultivation practices on par with global standards, Himalaya provides intensive training to its contract farmers. Farmers are trained through field trials and demonstrations by our team of expert scientists. Regular on-site visits are undertaken to monitor cultivation and ensure that it is being carried out according to global practices. Frequent quality checks of soil and yield are also undertaken.

The hands-on training given to farmers familiarizes them with scientific methods of cultivation, enabling them grow good quality crops using organic farming techniques.

Himalaya's cultivation of Ashvagandha, an herb used in stress related disorders. Himalaya's scientists have provided extensive training to the contract farmer on Good Cultivation Practices.

For instance, Himalaya trained farmers do not use harmful chemical fertilizers. Instead they are taught the use of prophylactic sprays (organic sprays usually containing neem oil) to prevent pesticide attack. A package of good cultivation practices including timely irrigation, fertilization through well-decomposed organic farmyard manure and harvesting of crops at exact maturity indices gives farmers high quality and healthy yield of crops.

Apart from training farmers in cultivation practices, Himalaya also ensures that they receive a fair price for their produce by entering into buy-back agreements with them.

For Himalaya, this is a symbiotic association- while the farmers are now able to compete in the global market and enjoy a better quality of life, the company in turn has benefited from the farmer's traditional knowledge of herbs, valuable insights on balancing the fragile eco-system and sustainable farming.