In May 2009, farmers in the state of Karnataka were facing declining crop yields and stagnating agricultural production. It was at this time that ICRISAT, working with the Government of Karnataka, conceived, developed and implemented a project called Bhoochetana (Revival of the Soil). Starting with six districts and 200,000 farmers, the project reached over 26,000 villages and 4.2 million farmers over the next nine years. With the use of science-backed innovations, millions of farmers experienced 20-66% higher crop yields and obtained a net benefit of US$ 453 million.
Bhoochetana was a mission to increase crop productivity, enhance farmers’ incomes and improve nutrition and livelihoods in the target regions. It was extraordinary in that it was successfully scaled up to include all the districts in Karnataka and also to other states in the country.
