In India, Jain Irrigation Systems, the largest manufacturer of irrigation systems and a leading fruit and vegetable processing business, developed a micro-irrigation system based on the principle of drip irrigation that was appropriate for smallholder farmers and that reduced water usage by 30 percent compared with commonly used flood irrigation systems (Borgonovi et al., 2011). Targeting small farmers with less than 1 hectare of land, the company has developed a significant new market and claims to have grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 41 percent from 2005 to 2010 (Borgonovi et al., 2011).

Another example from the subcontinent is a public-private partnership (PPP) that seeks to address farmers’ vulnerability to volatile commodities markets. Gramin Suvidha Kendra (GSK) has established partnerships with a variety of private companies, non-governmental organisations and government institutions, such as the state postal departments, to provide farmers with agricultural inputs and expert advice as well as information on storage, financing and futures prices; the latter via the Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX), a founding partner of GSK. First surveys of participating farmers indicate real success, with 57 percent of farmers reporting the successful use of MCX futures prices for their cropping decisions and 66 percent claiming productivity increases owing to access to improved seeds and fertilisers.