Tanager’s team in India quickly pivoted to provide additional support through their existing programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help India’s smallholder farmers mitigate threats and improve their agricultural productivity.
Tanager partners with smallholder farmers in India to help increase on-farm income by providing access to expertise, R&D, and support for gender-equality — critical services for agricultural productivity growth, especially in times of crisis.
However, crises like the COVID-19 pandemic directly threaten farmers’ access to extension services and research and development. Countrywide measures implemented to control the spread of the virus forced Tanager to find creative ways to continue to provide these critical services.
India went into lockdown on March 25, 2020. As the country grappled with the evolving situation, smallholder farmers were hit particularly hard. With a lack of labor due to movement restrictions and other supply chain threats, India’s smallholder farmers were facing (and continue to face) an extraordinary risk to their livelihoods.