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The inclusive convergence model for linking agriculture, nutrition, and entrepreneurship

Solution Overview

Submitter: (ICRISAT)

The convergence model for Inclusive Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship focuses on empowering, strengthening, and transforming underprivileged communities through convergence agriculture, nutrition, value chain, and agri-business models. The aim is to address key issues, including malnutrition, unemployment, and the need for disaggregated value chains.

What We Do

Key Features & Benefits

  • Promotes the L4 framework—local production, processing, consumption, and ownership—to enhance self-reliance and circular local economies. 
  • Supports end-to-end value chain development, focusing on dryland, climate-resilient crops (e.g., millets, rice, cereals, and pulses) through ecological farming and demand-driven production models. 
  • Strengthens market and institutional linkages by integrating public procurement schemes and community-level processing units to ensure profitability and scalability. 
  • Facilitates nutrition-sensitive agribusiness models by integrating biofortified crops into school feeding and social protection programs. 
  • Enables technology transfer and enterprise incubation, supporting rural youth and women through skill development, product innovation, and branding. 
  • Drives systemic transformation by bridging agriculture, nutrition, and livelihood outcomes through integrated and participatory approaches. 

Where It Works and Where It Can Work

  • Implemented and piloted in tribal and vulnerable agro-ecologies across Telangana and Odisha, India, demonstrating context-specific viability in semi-arid and resource-constrained regions. 
  • Applicable across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, particularly in rainfed, dryland zones with high climate risk, degraded agroecosystems, and nutrition-insecure populations. 
  • Suitable for regions with marginalized communities, especially where women and children face intersecting challenges of malnutrition, unemployment, and exclusion from formal markets and services. 
  • The model aligns well with farming systems that require nutrition-sensitive, inclusive, and climate-resilient transformations, particularly through localized food systems and entrepreneurship. 
  • Variety of value-added products that enhance their nutritional profile, marketability, and profitability, aligning with growing consumer demand for health and convenience. Products like flakes, popped cereals, semolina, and whole-grain millet, rice, and wheat cookies offer quick, nutritious options rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These innovations not only contribute to improved nutrition but also create new income opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs by diversifying food products. 

Evidence & Impact

·        Telangana (India): 

o       Giri Poshana initiative improved dietary diversity and anthropometric outcomes   among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) preschoolers 

o       Recognized by NITI Aayog under “Inclusion of Millets in ICDS” (2023) (Source: FAO, 2022; NITI Aayog, 2023) 

·        Odisha (India): 

o       Community-led millet food processing unit under “local-to-local” model 

o       3.5 tons of products processed in Year 1 

o       USD 8,448 revenue generated 

o       Reached 55 schools, 3,600+ children under mid-day meal/nutrition schemes 

·        Impact Highlights: 

o       15–20% reduction in malnutrition (India pilot sites) 

o       20–30% income gains from integrated CSA-nutrition interventions 

o       150+ women/youth trained; 30% launched agri-nutrition enterprises 

·        Institutional & Media Acknowledgement: 

o       Featured by Dutch National Broadcast (NOS, 2023) 

o       Highlighted in FAO’s 2023 Millets Report ( Source: FAO, 2023; NOS article)

Book Chapter: A Better World Vol. 9 (2023) – Datta Mazumdar et al. 

Scalability & Adoption Support

The L4 Convergence Model offers substantial potential for scalability due to its low-cost, modular structure and adaptability to various agro-ecological and institutional contexts. Aligning with existing government schemes, such as ICDS, MGNREGA, NRLM, and school nutrition programs, enables efficient resource utilization without requiring new infrastructure. Its focus on climate-resilient, nutrition-sensitive crops such as millets and pulses ensures relevance across geographies. Community-led implementation through SHGs, FPOs, and local federations promotes ownership and long-term sustainability. Adoption is supported by operational toolkits, capacity-building modules, and templates developed by ICRISAT, minimizing the need for external technical support. With demonstrated success and growing interest from governments and donors, the model is ready for wider replication through cross-sectoral partnerships. 

Contact Information & Partners

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Dr Dinesh Kumar Chauhan: dineshkumar.chauhan@icrisat.org / +91 9810186462

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