Inclusive Growth Conference New Delhi, June 2026
The Inclusive Business (IB) Award will recognize and celebrate companies that demonstrate innovative business models capable of generating profits while creating measurable social impact for low-income and marginalized communities in an environmentally sustainable manner. The Awardee gain recognition, enhanced visibility, and valuable networking opportunities with partners and stakeholders.
Application & Eligibility Details
Purpose of the Inclusive Business Award
- India’s agriculture feeds the nation, yet millions of smallholder farmers remain excluded from fair markets, affordable finance, and appropriate technologies and growth opportunities.
- Women, who take care of most agricultural operations, continue to lack access to land, credit, information, technology and decision-making within value chains.
- Meanwhile, soil degradation, water depletion, climate stress, and food losses threaten both the livelihoods and nutritional security of the nation.
- An inclusive growth in India’s Agriculture and food systems cannot be achieved unless the private sector joins hands with the communities and development sector partners through their inclusive solutions.
- The Inclusive Business Award spotlights scalable, commercially viable, and environmentally sustainable business models that integrate smallholders and women as core economic partners because India’s future growth must be inclusive, resilient, and regenerative.
Who should apply
If you are a social enterprise or private sector organization working in agriculture and food systems, and inclusion is embedded in your sourcing, production, technology, employment, or distribution model and drives both social impact and commercial sustainability along with environmental safeguards you are an ideal candidate to apply.
Application Process
- Step 1: Submit Application – Complete and submit the official application form with business and impact details.
- Step 2: Eligibility Screening – Applications will be reviewed to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Step 3: Documentation Review – Applicants may be requested to provide supporting documents and evidence.
- Step 4: Evaluation by Expert Jury – Applications will be evaluated by an independent panel of experts.
- Step 5: Final Selection and Announcement – Winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony
Benefits for shortlisted companies and award winners
- Recognition at the National level event to be organised by Ecociate in June 2026.
- Mentoring and coaching support from the Mentors and experts from Ecociate, and other National and international experts on inclusive business, impact investing, sustainable sourcing, among others.
- Showcasing of the case study in the compendium of Inclusive Business cases to be published by Ecociate.
- Opportunity to present and explore collaboration opportunities with IB Award partners in both India and beyond.
- Enhanced trust among stakeholders, investors, and partners
- Positioning as a preferred partner in inclusive and development-focused initiatives
Submit your application and be recognized among India’s leading inclusive businesses
Jury Members
Economic Affairs Officer, United Nation, ESCAP
Director, DAY-NRLM
Executive Director, HITA
Director, CCS NIAM
CEO, Safe Harvest
Executive Director,Platform Impact, Cambodia
India Lead, Wavemaker Impact
Glimpse of Previous Award
The previous edition of the Inclusive Business Award recognised two leading Inclusive businesses for their commendable work with marginalised communities as part of their business operations. These business were awarded during the Inclusive Growth Conference jointly organised by Ecociate with the support of our partners, including UN-ESCAP, GIZ, IDH, among others.
Safe Harvest
The previous edition of the Inclusive Business Award recognised two leading Inclusive businesses for their commendable work with marginalised communities as part of their business operations. These business were awarded during the Inclusive Growth Conference jointly organised by Ecociate with the support of our partners, including UN-ESCAP, GIZ, IDH, among others. Safe Harvest works directly with women farmers and their FPOs as part of the sourcing and processing of non-pesticide-based food products. Moreover, Safe Harvest has direct ownership of FPOs in its business as they are the shareholders of the company. Such an engagement with women farmers not only provides a better economic opportunity for smallholder women farmers but also ensures a steady supply of non-pesticides-based commodities to Safe Harvest and offers a win-win proposition for all.
Jayanti Herbs and Spices
Established in 1940, Jayanti is a leading manufacturer and exporter of herbs, spices, and agricultural commodities, with operations spanning India, Turkey, and Vietnam. As part of its sustainable sourcing strategy, Jayanti works directly with smallholder farmers across multiple states in India, integrating them into structured and responsible supply chains. Through various initiatives,company promotes sustainable agricultural practices that enhance productivity, improve farmer incomes, and strengthen climate resilience. Beyond farm-level interventions, Jayanti places biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability at the core of its business philosophy.
IBFL
The Inclusive Business Ecosystem Network (IBEN) is a multistakeholder collaborative platform to foster an enabling environment for inclusive and impact-focused organizations and businesses within the agriculture and food sectors. This network brings together a diverse array of stakeholders, including private sector companies, social sector organizations, government agencies, multilateral organizations, and impact focused investors among others.
ECOCIATE
Ecociate is a knowledge-driven organisation dedicated to creating impact and fostering positive change through community collaboration and innovative approaches. Ecociate work with both social and private sector organisations, including emerging businesses with impact potential to address critical challenges like inequalities, food insecurity, malnutrition and environmental degradation.
Contact us
Ecociate Consultant Pvt.Ltd
A-226, Sector 69, UP, 201301
120-4296016
admin@ecociate.com
www.ecociateconsultants.com
For partnerships, reach out to: santosh@ecociate.com
Application Deadline 20 April 2026
