The Center for Fruitful India promotes the cultivation of fruit trees to provide healthful nutrition to low-income families, support environmental health and mitigate climate change.
It aims to achieve more widespread cultivation of fruit trees by facilitating collaboration among researchers, implementers, civil society and policymakers.
This work was initiated by the Fruitful India Fund, is facilitated by The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and operates in collaboration with national partners.
The challenge
In India, malnutrition affects 36% of women and 43% of children under five, with 48% of these children being stunted.
Strengthening the local food system with nutritious fruit species can enhance dietary diversity, improve food security, uplift the lives of 195 million undernourished people, and support biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
Agrobiodiversity has declined rapidly over the last 50 years in India, with limited cultivation of indigenous and underutilised fruit species.
It is imperative to actively promote the cultivation of local diverse indigenous fruit trees to enhance food security, support biodiversity conservation and strengthen the resilience of the agricultural ecosystem.
Climate change poses a significant threat to food security and sustainable fruit cultivation for small and marginal farmers, particularly on farms with low genetic diversity.
Adopting resilient, diverse fruit tree-based farming systems can improve food security and mitigate the impacts of climate change through carbon sequestration.
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