Bhoomi Ka, a network of smallholder farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and ecopreneurs, aims to drive positive change in our food system by promoting sustainable agricultural techniques and consumption practices that prioritise ecological balance and social equity.
Bhoomi Ka—which means ‘of the earth’ in Hindi—helps smallholder farmers by strengthening their capacities in improved ecological farming practices, building linkages to advance their market access, advocating for supportive government policies and programmes, as well as assisting farmer groups and FPOs. They address both production and consumer demand simultaneously, with a focus on advancing ecological food systems and educating consumers about their importance.
In 2016, Bhoomi Ka started out as a short-term project supported by Welthungerhilfe or WHH, a private aid agency in Germany addressing food insecurity at a global level along with its partners Centre for World Solidarity (CWS), Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC), and VAAGDHARA. WHH recognised the need, particularly in India, for a sustainable structure that would oversee long-term capacity-building and consumer linkages for smallholder farmers, leading to the establishment of Bhoomi Ka as an independent entity in 2021. Today, Bhoomi Ka also creates market linkages by connecting farmers to ecopreneurs and consumers across the country directly in a fair and transparent manner.
Key Areas of Work
Why We Love Bhoomi Ka
• Documenting food traditions and farmer stories: In order to tell the stories of farmers with honesty and nuance, Bhoomi Ka collaborates with them to meticulously document recipes, ingredients, and experiences. For instance, in 2022, they published ‘Spreading Roots,’ a collection of stories on smallholder farmers across India who practise natural/ecological farming, partnering with National Coalition for Natural Farming. In 2020, they published ‘Treasures from the East,’ a book on forgotten recipes featuring indigenous ingredients from the tribal regions of Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
• Capacity-building for FPOs: Bhoomi Ka regularly organises workshops such as compliance training for FPO management, which are open to all FPOs they partner with. They also conduct field visits and assessments to tailor specific training programmes once the FPOs are integrated through a nomination process. For instance, in 2023, through their Leadership & Sustainable Growth Program, Bhoomi Ka helped a Farmer Producer Organization in Bhagbanpur, West Bengal, establish clear leadership roles, improve financial transparency, and design capacity-driven annual plans. In addition to training and resource support, Bhoomi Ka organises networking events that aid FPOs as well as small and medium enterprises to explore business opportunities.
• Online community for like-minded people: The Bhoomi Ka Platform—a networking platform that encourages farmers, FPOs, ecopreneurs, researchers, consumers, and agroecology enthusiasts—was established in 2024 as an online community. The idea here is for people to collaborate, exchange sustainable practices, build business linkages, and access market opportunities.
How They Work
What does it take Bhoomi Ka's growing network for a sustainable food system?
Number of Farmer Producer Organisations: 117
Number of Ecopreneurs: 64
Number of States Covered: 8, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand
Total Farmers Certified Organic: 5,000
Total Consumers Reached: 70,000
Advocating for Sustainable Farming Models
Commercial farming in India is largely market-driven, where only a few types of crops are grown on a large area of land. This lack of biodiversity often makes the production system unstable and vulnerable to pests and diseases. In order to diversify plant species, keep pests away, and preserve indigenous food traditions, Bhoomi Ka encourages farmers to adopt organic farming or Sustainable Integrated Farming Systems (SIFS).
This model seeks inspiration from the symbiotic relationships present in our natural ecosystem, taking a holistic approach toward farming. Under SIFS, in order to improve soil health and conserve water, farmers practise mixed cropping. Here, a combination of herbs, cereals, fruits, and legumes are grown together on the same patch of land. They’re also mindful of replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy like biogas, and avoiding pesticides and biocides.
This transition to adopting sustainable agricultural practices comes with challenges of its own, a significant one being facilitating behavioural change among farming communities. For instance, many farmers refrain from growing and consuming millets due to the belief that they are inferior crops, despite their traditional significance and nutritional value. Bhoomi Ka has made a considerable impact on communities by training over 10,000 farmers in ecological farming practices.
“Farmers are increasingly recognising the value of sustainable, ecological practices. They now take pride in growing diverse, organic crops and safeguarding traditional farming methods. The shift from intensive farming to ecological practices has not only improved their income and nutrition, but also strengthened their connection to the land.”
Currently, Bhoomi Ka focuses on 30 indigenous products—especially local varieties—including roselle, turmeric, millets, vegetables, and pulses like pigeon pea and black gram, as well as traditional rice varieties. This helps improve food and nutrition security, diversifies income opportunities for farmers, and strengthens the local economy—all while focusing on ecological sustainability.
Bhoomi Ka also actively helps farmers organise Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to improve their access to larger markets and receive higher margins for their produce.
Participatory Guarantee System Certification
To support smallholder farmers in marketing their produce and achieving better prices, Bhoomi Ka encourages the adoption and development of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification. PGS-India is a quality assurance initiative that emphasises the participation of stakeholders, including producers and consumers. It operates outside the frame of third-party certification. PGS follows the process of peer review, where individuals in similar situations—such as smallholder producers—assess and validate each other’s production practices to ensure they meet the ecological and organic standards that are agreed upon. The certification is regulated by National Council for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF), a government nodal agency.
Bhoomi Ka has helped more than 5,000 farmers across India achieve PGS certification by offering them targeted training, led by PGS service providers and experts. They connect farmers to regional councils and trainers through their network platform. The certification helps farmers achieve equitable access to organic markets, and receive fair wages. It also improves soil health, promotes biodiversity, and strengthens consumers’ trust in organic produce.
Community-driven Initiatives
With the help of its Farmer Producer Organisations, Bhoomi Ka has set up six Common Facility Centers (CFCs) in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. These are cottage-level processing units that help farmers process, add value, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve the marketability of their products. For instance, Bhoomi Ka supported Bhoomi Ka Ajivika in Jharkhand, one of the first FPOs under this project, with a dal–mill that assists smallholder farmers process pigeon pea, a dal grown naturally in the region.
“We work closely with around 200 farmers from the region [Rajnagar in Jharkhand], and buy products [rice and six types of dal] from them. At the FPO, we do our own grading, packaging, and labelling of the products, before selling it to the markets. This helps us and our farmer partners achieve better prices for their produce.”
Currently, Bhoomi Ka supports a growing network of 117 FPOs—governed by smallholder farmers—through capacity-building workshops and business engagement. These FPOs provide marginal farmers with collective bargaining power, better price realisation, and access to affordable natural inputs for their farms, as well as ensure fair trade.
Despite challenges with land ownership—which usually lies with men—Bhoomi Ka makes a conscious effort to include women, especially when it comes to leadership positions within the FPOs. Around 50 percent of board members in many of the FPOs are women. This also has a broader impact on their households, where they educate their families about nutrition and importance of sustainable farming practices.
Engagement with consumers through retailers and ecopreneurs has resulted in increased awareness of the importance of locally grown, organic food and its connection to sustainability. There is a growing appreciation for the nutritional value and taste of homegrown produce, which is seen as healthier and more environmentally friendly.
Past Collaborations with The Locavore
Online Workshops with Ecopreneurs: In March 2024, The Locavore—in partnership with Bhoomi Ka—facilitated a series of four online workshops for ecopreneurs on the importance of storytelling and leveraging communication tools like social media and WhatsApp to build a brand. The workshops were attended by 25 ecopreneurs.
How You Can Help
Bhoomi Ka is always looking for collaborators to support their mission of building sustainable food systems. They also seek partners in communication, social media, capacity-building, and technology to strengthen FPOs and ecopreneurs.
If you’re interested in interning with Bhoomi Ka, or collaborating in other meaningful ways, write to them at info@bhoomika.com or reach out to them on Instagram at @bhoomika.eco.
This story is part of our Organisation Partnership Program. At The Locavore, we strive to keep the practices of an organisation transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships.
