The Mandate for Inclusive Growth

As India advances toward becoming a $5 trillion economy, the agriculture, food, and allied sectors remain the bedrock of rural prosperity contributing nearly 18% to national GDP and supporting around 45% of the workforce. Economic Survey 2025–26 highlighted that while agriculture has sustained a decadal growth rate of 4.45%, the composition of this growth is shifting as livestock (7.1%) and fisheries (8.8%) are significantly outpacing the crop sector (3.5%), signalling a move toward more diversified and high-value food systems. At the same time, with nearly 80% of farmers being small and marginal, and the share of women in agriculture rising from 57% (2017–18) to 64.4% (2023–24), the sector is becoming increasingly representative of India’s most vulnerable yet vital communities.

India is also building the world’s largest Digital Agriculture Infrastructure, with over 90 million farmers already onboarded with digital identities, helping bridge the ‘phygital’ divide. Coupled with a growing emphasis on natural farming, food processing, and allied sectors, along with strong export momentum, India’s food system is poised for a future that is decentralised, technology-enabled, and entrepreneur-driven.

Purpose of the Conference

The conference, co-hosted by Ecociate and IBEN, is designed to move the needle from participation to partnership. The key objectives of the Inclusive Growth Conference are :

  • To bring together leaders and practitioners from government, private sector, investors, civil society and community institutions to share their experiences and exchange ideas and thoughts for co-creating solutions for an inclusive growth of India’s agriculture and food systems.
  • Provide a platform for forging meaningful collaboration and partnerships among the stakeholders for combining their efforts and accelerating growth.
  • Develop an ecosystem of like-minded individual and organisations to foster an enabling environment for strengthening and supporting inclusive businesses in India.
  • Celebrate and showcase pioneering enterprises through the Inclusive Business Awards

Leveraging the Social Capital base

India has successfully fostered one of the world’s most robust networks of community-owned institutions, transitioning from individual subsistence to collective enterprise. Today, India boasts over 10,000 Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs), empowering millions of smallholders with greater bargaining power and market linkages. This is further bolstered by the monumental success of the Self-Help Group (SHG) movement, which now encompasses nearly 10 million groups and over 100 million women, effectively becoming the backbone of rural credit and entrepreneurship. The revitalisation of the Cooperative sector, supported by a dedicated Ministry, manages a vast network of over 8.5 lakh cooperatives—ranging from primary credit societies to world-class dairy and fertiliser federations. By leveraging these existing community assets, India is uniquely positioned to turn top-down economic momentum into a bottom-up revolution of shared prosperity. India’s unparalleled strength in Social Capital serves as the foundational architecture for inclusive growth.

This transformation brings a critical imperative: Growth must not only be measured by GDP, but also by its ability to be inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Ensuring that this progress meaningfully benefits smallholder farmers, women, rural entrepreneurs, and vulnerable communities, while safeguarding our already stressed ecological systems.

Achieving this requires:

  • Deeper dialogue across sectors
  • Stronger collaboration between public, private, and development actors
  • Aligned, action-oriented partnerships that translate intent into impact

In this context, we are pleased to announce the Inclusive Growth Conference 2026 – Impacting Agriculture and Food Systems for a Resilient Future, scheduled for 24th June 2026 at the India Habitat Centre (IHC), New Delhi. This conference is envisioned as a high-impact platform to bring together sector leaders, policymakers, businesses, FPOs, and development practitioners to co-create practical, scalable, and inclusive solutions for the future of India’s agriculture and food systems.

Join us to discuss, debate, deliberate, and design sustainable solutions for these issues. Let’s celebrate the success of legendary individuals and phenomenal organizations as we work together to shape a brighter future for Indian agriculture.

This Event will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders, including:

  • Government and Public sector representatives
  • Private sector leaders and businesses
  • Social sector stalwarts and organizations
  • Innovative start-ups
  • Investors 

Salient Features

Leveraging social capital for inclusive growth

This session will set the context of workshop along with key notes from sectoral leaders from Government and private sector. This session will focus on leveraging the India’s vast social capital for partnership with private sector players for an inclusive growth




Inclusive Food Systems

This session will focus on the different layers of food systems transformation from highlighting local food entrepreneurs who are bringing indigenous crops (like millets and local pulses) to urban markets, enterprises reducing food losses and wastage. We will discuss how processing food closer to the farm can create jobs, reduce waste, and preserve local food traditions while meeting modern safety standards.

Inclusive Markets

This theme focuses on making markets work for the smallholders. We will explore how to modernize rural haats (local markets) and use digital platforms to connect them directly to buyers and consumers. We would also be exploring different inclusive market mechanism for sourcing and distribution of the goods and services. The goal is to highlight the ‘market mechanisms which not only economically benefit the smallholders but also reduces ecological foot prints.

Inclusive Climate Technologies

Climate change hits small farms the hardest. This session is about "democratizing" technology, ensuring that tools like AI-driven weather alerts, solar-powered storage, and water-saving sensors are affordable for every farmer. We will focus on "frugal innovation" that helps smallholders stay resilient without high costs.








Inclusive Finance

Money is the "fuel" for all the above themes. This track explores new ways to provide credit and insurance to farmers who lack traditional collateral. We will look at "Digital Credit Scoring" (using satellite data instead of bank history) and blended finance models that make it easier for FPOs and small agri-businesses to grow. We will also be exploring the impact focused investments supporting inclusive enterprises to scale their solutions.





Nurturing Future Leaders for Inclusive Growth

The next generation of changemakers will play a vital role in advancing India’s inclusive growth journey. With the right skills, exposure, mentorship, and collaborative platforms, young professionals can drive innovative solutions for food systems, livelihoods, climate resilience, and rural development. This session will explore how academia, industry, development organisations, and impact enterprises can work together to nurture future leaders with practical knowledge, entrepreneurial thinking, and a strong commitment to social and environmental impact.

Inclusive Business Award

We will recognize and honor businesses that have successfully balanced "profit with purpose." These awards celebrate companies and entrepreneurs who have made a real difference in the lives of farmers while building strong, successful businesses.










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Our Speakers

Mr Rohit Kansal

Mr. Rohit Kansal

IAS Secretary, MoRD

Ms Rupa Chanda

Ms Rupa Chanda

Director Trade, Investment and Innovation Division United Nations-ESCAP

Kirti Mishra

Co-Founder & Director

Mr. Kirti Prsanna Mishra

Co-Founder & Director Ecociate

Mr Gerald Guskowski

Mr. Gerald Guskowski

Programme Director & Cluster Coordinator, GIZ India

Mr Rajeev Ahal

Mr Rajeev Ahal

HITA

Ms Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian

Ms Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian

Contry Director GAIN

Dr. Neeraj Kumar

Prof Neeraj Kumar

(Moderator) Professor, XIMB

Ms Syamala Gowri

Ms Syamala Gowri

Sustainability Manager Jayanti Herbs

Mr Vivek Saraf

Mr Vivek Saraf

Founder, SunSeed APV

Prof Serish Venkata Gandikota

Prof Serish Venkata Gandikota

Advisor on Frugal AI, Frugal AI Hub (Cambridge Judge Business School)

Ms Pallavi Kak

Ms Pallavi Kak

(Moderator) Co-Founder Think Ag

Mr Abhimanyu Behera

Mr Abhimanyu Behera

Mr Tarun Katoch

Mr Tarun Katoch

Co- founder, Dvara E-Registrty

Mr Santosh Gupta

Mr Santosh Gupta

(Moderator) Director Ecociate

Mr Alok Verma

Mr Alok Verma

Director HCL Foundation

Mr Niranjan Yadav

Mr Niranjan Yadav

Program Manager, DMKS

Mr Krishnan Pallassana

Mr Krishnan Pallassana

Sr. Specialist, Strategy and Partnerships at the FAO Country Office]

Ms Neha Khare

Ms Neha Khare

Project Director at GIZ India GIZ

Ms Smita Sirohi

Ms Smita Sirohi

ICAR National Professor, MS Swaminathan Chair ICAR

Ms Nandita Sharma

Ms Nandita Sharma

Social.Government.Impact (SGI) Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

Mr Shubhendu Dash

Mr Shubhendu Dash

Sr. Vice President  Ayekart

Mr Rajat Vardhan

Mr Rajat Vardhan

Founder Scanext

Mr Giriraj Ratan Chandak

Mr Giriraj Ratan Chandak

Founder Manasthya Foundation

Dr. Akriti Sharma

Dr. Akriti Sharma

CEO PUSA Krishi

Mr Piyush Kanal

Mr Piyush Kanal

Program Policy Officer IFAD

Mr Dheeraj Mutreja

Mr Dheeraj Mutreja

Robo Foundation

Ms Sapna Narula

Ms Sapna Narula

Director CCS-NIAM

Mr. Hemendra Mathur

Dr K.K. Updhayay

Mr Rangu Rao

Mr Rangu Rao

CEO Safe Harvest

Mr Anjani singh

Mr Anjani singh

Gates Foundation

Mr Raman Wadhwa

Director,DAY-NRLM

Mr Raman Wadhwa

Director,DAY-NRLM

Ms Tannya Garg

Ms Tannya Garg

Head of Sustainability FARMART

Mr Nirmalendu Jyotishi

Mr Ranjit Mohanty

General Manager FES

Mr Puran Singh

Mr Puran Singh

Co-Founder EF Polymer

Mr Ashwini Chandak

Mr Ashwini Chandak

Co-founder Ecociate

Dr. Jagadish Gupta

Dr. Jagadish Gupta

Kapuganti Advisor Fruvetech

Mr Ganesh Neelam

Mr Ganesh Neelam

Director Sustain Plus

Mr Sanjiv Rangrass

Mr Sanjiv Rangrass

Co-Founder Agri Collaboratory

Mr Subhadeep Sanyal

Mr Subhadeep Sanyal

Partner, 100X100

Mr Saroj Mahapatra

Mr Saroj Mahapatra

Executive Director PRADAN

Mr Rahul Arun Tidake

Mr Rahul Arun Tidake

Consultant, Global Agri-Entrepreneurship Academy, IFC

Mr Kirti Prasanna Mishra

Mr Kirti Prasanna Mishra

Director Ecociate

Mr Subrat Singh

Mr Subrat Singh

Executive Director FES

Tracks, themes, sessions

The conference centres on four interconnected pillars: Inclusive Marketing, Inclusive Tech, Inclusive Investment, and Inclusive Food Systems. Together, these drivers reshape the agricultural landscape, with Social Inclusion serving as the critical benchmark for success. Inclusive Marketing generates the demand necessary to reward both producers and consumers, while Inclusive Food Systems ensure these market links promote local nutrition and boost rural food-entrepreneurship. This transition is strengthened by Inclusive Tech, utilising climate-smart innovations to bolster productivity and resilience. To fuel this at scale, Inclusive Investment provides the resources required for long-term sustainability. Ultimately, the above themes are ensured by two vital outcomes – Social Inclusion, which ensures that marginalized groups are the primary architects of innovation, and Inclusivity
Measurement, which provides the rigorous data needed to track, validate, and continuously improve our impact.

Special Session

Venue

Wednesday, 24th June 2026

India Habitat Centre (IHC), New Delhi

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India Habitat Centre (IHC), New Delhi

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Inclusive Growth : Impacting the Agriculture and Food Systems

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Email : admin@ecociate.com