Climate-Smart Dairying Platform for Women Dairy Farmers of Rural India with Long-Term Social, Economic, and Environmental Impact

Ani Varghese of ZeroEarth Private Limited in India will pilot test a climate-smart dairy farming platform supporting rural women farmers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Through partnerships with financial institutions, they will set up mechanisms facilitating farmers' access to credit to sustainably increase their farming income. They will launch a pilot business center, which will provide training in entrepreneurship and climate-smart farming practices; centralized access to veterinary services; and coordination between dairy, calf-rearing, and fodder farmers. Farming practices supported by the center will include those to improve the health of soil for growing fodder; to optimize feed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and enhance milk quality; and to efficiently manage manure, with the launch of a biogas plant to generate electricity.