Rural Development Organisation

Circular economy model turning wastewater to resource for farmers in India

Employee Gender Breakdown

65% women

Innovation Type

Water-Energy-Food

Financing Goals

​Seeking equity (angel investor, venture capital or private equity), Seeking combination of debt and equity

Seeking investment?

Yes, $300,000 USD

Country of Incorporation

India

Country(ies) of Implementation

India

Contact Name

N.K.Perumal

Contact Email

rdotrust1980@gmail.com

Product Segment

Water - Re-use / Efficiency

Website Address

http://www.rdotrust.org

Challenge

The Indian agricultural sector is facing many challenges, overuse of chemical fertilizers, declining water resources, and the unpredictable impacts of climate change – to name a few. One method of combatting these challenges, waste recycling, faces its own hurtles as organizations move towards adoption by farmers.

The main existing challenge is the lack of understanding that waste recycling is a business opportunity where products can be converted into high-demand items. Agriculture is the largest user of water and the demand in this sector is very high. So, recycling wastewater could positively contribute to an increase food production while reducing water usage.

Solution

Rural Development Organization (RDO)’s innovation is a circular economy model that processes two waste streams, faecal sludge and organic solid waste to produce nitrogen-rich co-compost for vegetables and tea cultivation as an effective means for integrated soil fertility management and climate smart agriculture. The use of this co-compost in agriculture improves the soil, enhancing the nutrient value and enabling the soil to retain moisture during dry spells or a reduction in irrigation water use.

The entire production process of the co-compost is undertaken by the Women Green Workers. The innovation helps women workers by promoting the production process as a women-led green social enterprise, which is solely owned by them as a business entity. Similarly, the business link of this enterprise is with farmers’ institutions, which also has a large women agri-entrepreneurs presence.

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