Ambuja Foundation and HDFC Bank partner for sustainable floriculture livelihoods in rural Varanasi

Broadening the Holistic Rural Development Program (HRDP), Ambuja Foundation and HDFC Bank introduced floriculture as a sustainable model in 15 villages of Varanasi, UP. This partnership focuses on transforming the socio-economic landscape for farmers in rural Varanasi by encouraging them to adopt sustainable and environmental friendly farming practices.

Farmers in these 15 villages own relatively small landholdings, making it essential to adopt high-value agricultural practices that can generate greater income from limited space. Therefore, Ambuja Foundation and HDFC decided to promote floriculture as a sustainable livelihood opportunity, particularly due to the consistent demand for flowers in Varanasi, a prominent spiritual and religious destination where flowers are widely used for worship and rituals.

Under the project, 32 farmers (both males and females) were engaged and provided with training on preparing organic farming and crop protection solutions. The key initiatives to promote floriculture include providing nursery plants of flowering varieties like Marigold, Rose and Jasmine to encourage cultivation and enhance livelihoods. To support sustainable farming practices, vermi bed units have been introduced for producing organic manure, helping improve soil health and fertility. The initiative is further strengthened through onsite expert guidance and continuous case follow-up support, enabling beneficiary farmers to adopt effective and environmentally responsible floriculture practices.

The floriculture initiative has delivered encouraging outcomes for farmers, with flower cultivation undertaken across a total area of 6.4 acres in 15 villages. With an overall input cost of approximately ₹1,60,000, the initiative generated a total income of nearly ₹5,90,000, highlighting the strong profitability of floriculture as a livelihood option. Farmers benefited from cultivating a high-value cash crop that offered significantly better returns compared to traditional crops. The adoption of chemical- and pesticide-free farming practices also promoted sustainable agriculture while improving soil health through the use of organic manure. Additionally, floriculture provided farmers with an alternative source of income, early harvest opportunities, and access to better market prices, thereby enhancing their overall economic stability.

Talking about the floriculture adoption, Ms Pearl Tiwari, CEO, Ambuja Foundation said, “Ambuja Foundation and HDFC Bank are committed to bringing a positive change in the lives of rural communities and that is why we have successfully implemented the HRDP project together in various states. With this new initiative of adopting floriculture as a sustainable model, we aim to focus on the efficient farming practices and organic farming to support the rural communities in achieving economic growth.”

About Ambuja Foundation

Ambuja Foundation is an independent, pan-India development organization, committed to generating prosperous rural communities. We believe in the vast, untapped potential of rural communities and the unstoppable power of the people that live there. With investments in water, agriculture, skills, women, health and education, we enable ‘livelihoods’ as a pathway to unleashing that potential. Partnering with like-minded corporates, governments and others, we work collaboratively with communities to solve pressing community problems – empowering local people to be the catalysts and drivers of change. And over almost 3 decades of work, we have seen a complete transformation in the remote geographies in which we work. We are committed to expanding our footprint and impact of our work even further, through partnerships – building many more sustainable, prosperous rural communities, and revitalizing rural India as the backbone of this country.