Being a densely populated country in the world, poverty in India is widespread. Many communities are facing poverty problems because they do not have enough resources to survive. Discussing these communities, the farmer community cannot be neglected. In India, Tobacco farmers living in urban areas and smaller societies are at the core of poverty and face unsustainable livelihood problems. As we know that Tobacco grows in dryland areas, Tobacco farmers must wait for the monsoon season to earn money. However, lack of monsoon rains and the resulting drought delays the time for plantation of Tobacco, resulting in low quality and yield of the crop per year, leading to lesser incomes, increasing debts, and decreased labour prices. Furthermore, judicial policies to reduce tobacco use are being taken out, making it harder to maintain tobacco farming.

There is nothing that cannot be solved in this world. Every problem comes with a solution, and Godfrey Phillips India gets into the picture to solve this problem. A strategic CSR program by this company called "Burley Tobacco Farmers' Community Program" is launched, providing to the needs and setting up a social welfare safety net for the banished community of burley tobacco farmers in Vinukonda, Andhra Pradesh.

The project of CSR helped to reduce poverty from the stem. For 2019-20, CSR projects have impacted nearly 40 urban areas covering across Vinukonda area. This program's important objectives include empowering vulnerable farmers through education, health, life skills and income assistance, exposure to better agricultural practices, eliminating child labor, promoting education, providing potable water, and raising awareness about sanitary practices and water soil conservation.

To solve the problem, there was a need for a developed society where farmers can be trained. This CSR project is gathering farmers and grooming them into Farmers Development Societies. GPI has established eight such organizations that conduct workshops on the latest farm equipment for improved efficiency, acceptable agricultural and labor practices, and financial stability. FDS also helps farmers by allowing small-cost credit and economic savings and helps achieve the managerial skills required to develop and regulate a full-fledged co-operative. A fund of Rs 2,00,000 provided by GPI for the program and a nominal membership fee from each farmer serves to raise the seed capital for the society, buy farming equipment and give loans to the farmers.

It is a well-known fact that healthy soil means healthy crops. Another initiative of this project was to conserve water and mud through the process of distillation. The dry region makes it hard to maintain soil health. GPI helps farmers obtain silt since adding desilted soil to the cultivable land boosts soil health for longer durations than manure and chemical fertilizers. The process is carried out by distilling in 6 large tanks and ponds that help farmers procure slit. A study revealed that the farmers using silt in their fields had saved an average of Rs.6944 in a year. This demonstrates an increase in both the yield and the quality of the crop.

Water access has the basic need for tobacco farming requirements and the overall lives of the community. It has become a priority for GPI. GPI has developed ten check dams across Vinukonda. Check dams are small barriers constructed across the direction of water for water harvesting. They store excess water during monsoon rains in a small catchment area. The pressure created in the catchment area helps force the water into the ground, resulting in the replenishment of nearby groundwater reserves. The water entrapped is primarily used in irrigation during the dry season and can also be used for livestock and community needs.

The Vinukonda water contains a high fluoride concentration. Consuming such water for an extended period can lead to fluorosis, a disease that causes teeth discolouration, dysentery, and joint pains. The need for awareness and ensuring the availability of clean potable water is thus one of this program's focus areas. GPI has set up nine community water plants for the filtration of contaminated water. 

To ensure suitable groundwater level and water flow for bore-wells, GPI works on setting up 11 bore-well recharge pits, a widely used artificial method for recharging groundwater. Since the bore-wells supplying the water to RO plants that undergo filtration are drying out due to drought.

Vinukonda has little to no accessibility to a credible medical facility. Godfrey Phillips held 47 health camps with an awareness of sanitation and hygiene. One mega camp provided specialized tests for diagnosing heart, kidney, and liver diseases, and then consultations with experts for advice were also provided. But the farmers were not able to afford medical care. Thus, Specialist doctors in General Medicine, ENT and Dental, and others have visited these camps, examined the people in 25 villages, and issued free medicines to 25412 patients. Seventy-four chronic patients have been referred to speciality hospitals for further examinations and treatment. Hygiene education camps have also been simultaneously conducted. The campaign on open defecation has brought behavioural changes among the population in these 25 villages. 

They were setting up an "After School Program" by GPI, which ensures the advancement of school infrastructure, like repair and improvement of school buildings, playgrounds & toilets, good study material, and potable water for all students. In Vinukonda, children are most susceptible to farm labor during harvesting time; this program ensures that the children are kept back in school, provided help with studies, taught yoga, sports, encouraged to participate in cultural and extracurricular activities, and offered nourishing food in the evening. GPI has extended the After School Program (ASP) to 35 schools during 2019-20 affecting 3362 children directly and impacting another estimated 2850 children in other schools around. One hundred twelve (112) students from 30 schools have secured admission to Model Schools on a merit basis with a free boarding facility and scholarship. So far, GPI has developed 78 schools in collaboration with Philip Morris International (PMI). During 2019-20, 10 schools have been developed with toilets for boys and girls.

GPI has also developed 2 biodiversity parks for biodiversity conservation.

Every small activity has made an impact on the direct beneficiaries. The primary stakeholders, the direct beneficiaries of this program are employees, the Burley Tobacco Farmers, the implementing non-profit agency (ASSIST), and the buyers (clients). While Non-tobacco farmers, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and media are identified as secondary stakeholders. Farmers of today are contributing to the project and are looking at the bigger picture. They've started to take initiatives to come together as a community to endorse activities, raise awareness about their successful practices, and push government agencies to perform actions that had been overlooked in the past.

The increased employment ratio can see the impact of the CSR project of farmers. Within the company, willingness to associate and work with the company, low conflict, high yield and better quality of crops, better earning for sustainable livelihood, elimination of child labor, and better health through hygiene practices The CSR program has been integrated into the more extensive Sustainable Tobacco Production program within the GPI company. 

There have been zero cases reported for child labor in the past two years because potable water has improved health, resulting in lower health expenditure after School Program has decreased drop-outs and increased government schools admissions. Distillation helped improve earnings in Vinukonda and other better agricultural practices and higher savings through access to rented agricultural equipment via FDS.

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Impact-Story is a series on development and CSR interventions leading to some impacts on the ground. If you have a project, innovation or intervention that has changed the lives of a few people or a community, please share a brief note at shilpi@csrbox.org. Our Team will get back to you after validating the information for a detailed coverage.