Jain Irrigation Systems

TULARE, CA - FEBRUARY 11, 2014:  Edwin T. McFadden III, left, and wife Viki McFadden, right, who far
TULARE, CA - FEBRUARY 11, 2014: Edwin T. McFadden III, left, and wife Viki McFadden, right, who farm 500 acres of citrus and avocados in Fillmore, Ventura County talk with Mark Clifton, center, of Jain Irrigation Inc looking for a better drip watering system as they attend the 2014 World Ag Expo in Tulare CA, the largest annual agricultural exhibition in the world, on opening Tuesday February 11, 2014. More than 1,400 exhibitors demonstrate their latest products and equipment for the agricultural business. The show will continue through Thursday of this week. (Photo by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Photograph by Al Seib — LA Times via Getty Images

    Jain has built its business by improving the livelihoods of 5 million small farmers in India. Based in the country’s western Maharashtra state, Jain began selling micro-irrigation systems in 1986, when it recognized that the technology, commonly used in industrial agriculture, could be adapted for local growers, whose tiny landholdings were traditionally watered by rain or blunt flooding techniques. As Jain’s “More crop per drop” slogan promised, yields increased dramatically—50% to 300%, depending on the plant—as did farmers’ incomes. And Jain continues to boost both in other ways as well: It has introduced more-viable crop varieties and trained farmers on more productive growing techniques, such as high-density planting for mangoes. The company also branched into solar water pumps (electricity is often scarce on the farm), financing, and food processing—for the likes of Coca-Cola and Unilever—so that there is a ready market for these farmers’ wares. The company, the world’s second-largest seller of drip-irrigation systems, now does business in 116 countries.

    Company Info

    SectorIndustrials
    IndustryMachinery
    CountryIndia
    Revenues ($ millions)990
    Company typePublic
    CEOAnil Bhavarlal Jain
    Websitewww.jains.com
    Impact SegmentEconomic Opportunity/Financial Inclusion

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