THE PROBLEM :
Three in four farmers in India operate marginal landholdings – less than one hectare of land. With limited storage capacity for produce from their small plots of land, they are susceptible to distress sales and poor price for their produce. This has made them extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in demand and supply, particularly those associated with natural calamities. COVID-19 was no different. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to farmers engaging in distress-sale of their produce in different parts of the country.
This problem is also severe in Maharashtra.
THE SOLUTION: THE SUBJEE COOLER ( VEG/FRUIT COOLER)
However, thanks to innovation by a Startup founded by alumni of IIT Bombay – Rukart Technologies, farmers now have something called the Subjee cooler. This device does not use electricity and allows the farmers to keep their produce fresh for a longer time. This allows them to reduce the cost of production and increase the sale price. Recently for example in Odisha farmers were able to secure a 30% higher price than other farmers who do not have Subjee Cooler.
IT COSTS JUST INR 15000 TO PROVIDE A SUBJEE COOLER TO A FARMER.
THE MRP IS INR 28000 AND THE BALANCE IS FUNDED BY THE FARMER. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT THEY TAKE CARE OF IT.
Fund this campaign and you can transform the life of a farmer and his family in Maharashtra. This will help them generate more income, improve their quality of life in terms of meals and health, allows them to send kids to school, and gives them more peace of mind. The installation process will provide employment to women, local masons, etc.
BENEFITS OF THE SUBJEE COOLER
This also creates employment for women in villages as they are trained to install this. There is also a need for masons etc. So while it helps farmers, it also generates employment of revenue to local people.
CASE STUDY
ABOUT ME
My name is Pratham Mehra . I am 15 years old and in Grade 10 at the Bombay Scottish School( BSS) at Mahim, Mumbai.
I am running a crowdfunding campaign to help small farmers across Maharashtra who grow vegetables and fruits. Most of these farmers end up selling their produce at a low price as they do not have any way to store it as these products are perishable. Through this campaign, I want to help provide a Subjee Cooler to these farmers across Maharashtra. This will help them store their produce, reduce wastage, and improve the price sell they sell it at. This dramatically improves their income and will impact the well being of their entire family.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further reduced the opportunity for many of these farmers to sell their produce at markets as the markets are closed often. Let’s come together and help the farmers stay away from engaging in distress-sale of their produce & together improve the quality of their lives.
LOCATION OF THE AREAS WHERE THIS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED :
SUBJEE COOLER INSTALLATION PICS (WOMEN ARE TRAINED TO INSTALL THIS)
IN THE NEWS
OUR PARTNERS
RuKart is a start-up founded by three IIT Bombay alumni: Gunvant Nehete, Sharayu Kulkarni and Vikash Jha. The start-up received the initial support from their alma-mater, CTARA – IIT Bombay. Professors from departments like CTARA (Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas), CSE (Computer Science & Engineering), SJMSOM (Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management) are actively guiding the start-up. The objective of RuKart is to make smallholder agriculture economically and environmentally sustainable. RuKart designs, develops and disseminates affordable, recurring cost-free, robust and scalable products to reduce the input cost and mitigate the risk in cultivation. Currently, the year-old start-up is working in states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and North East India.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog aims to promote inclusive, sustainable community development by empowering women in low-income climate threatened communities/regions. Swayam Shikshan Prayog repositions women’s collectives by training them as farmers and entrepreneurs and thereby increasing their economic and social resilience.
TAX BENEFITS
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as Swayam Shikshan Prayog is a registered NGO & you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Foreign funding is accepted too.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to Swayam Shikshan Prayog. We will update you on the details of the beneficiaries as soon as possible. Once we get this information we shall upload a report on the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert & can read details about the beneficiaries.
When do I get the receipts?
The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept & is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations & ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding. When you fund a charity it’s more like a donation & you get small innovative rewards like a shout-out on an FB page or a thank you email from the beneficiaries.
