Theme: Agriculture Finance

The case study provides a detailed account of the Government of India’s food security response to the COVID-19 pandemic through its Public Distribution System (PDS), the world’s largest food security program. It captures how the government reached its 810 million poor to provide food grains despite stringent lockdowns.

Leesa Shrader, the Director of the AgriFin Accelerate Program at Mercy Corps, speaks at The Helix Institute at MSC master class series.

With governments around the world rushing to mitigate the economic fallout of COVID-19, the idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) has gained prominence. This blog analyzes the suitability of UBI in the Indian context.

The report uncovers the findings of the third round of a dipstick research funded jointly by MSC and SCBF. It shares a detailed analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on farmers, even after the markets reopened and restrictions on movement were eased. The report further provides recommendations for the government, policymakers, and other private agencies to revive the agriculture sector.

The cost of procurement and distribution of wheat and rice alone understates the expenditure of the Government of India on PDS. This video calculates the total cost of PDS to the government, including various subsidies like fertilizer. It discusses the feasibility of transforming these subsidies and distributing them as universal income support for farmers.

The Government of India has introduced various reforms to enhance efficiency and transparency in the fertilizer distribution system. However, differential fertilizer policies in India have led to the overuse of urea among farmers, which creates an imbalance in soil health. This SI module highlights some reforms to encourage the judicious and efficient use of fertilizers by farmers.