MoU exchanged in presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to boost digital tools, AI advisory platform and capacity building for women-led FPOs and SHGs

Digital Green Trust and the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Government of Andhra Pradesh, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the digital capacity of women-led farmer institutions across the state. The MoU was exchanged during the State Level International Women’s Day celebrations held at Parade Grounds in Amaravati, in the presence of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who attended the event as the Chief Guest.

The collaboration aims to enhance the digital capabilities of women-led Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) promoted by SERP. Through the partnership, Digital Green will support the adoption of digital technologies to improve business management, strengthen market access and enable data-driven decision-making within farmer institutions.

A key component of the initiative is the deployment of FarmerChat, a multilingual, multimodal AI-powered platform designed to provide farmers with timely and hyperlocal crop advisories, weather updates, product information and climate-smart agricultural practices. The platform is expected to enhance engagement between farmers and FPOs while improving access to real-time knowledge and services.

Commenting on the partnership, Nidhi Bhasin, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Green Trust, said women farmers represent a significant portion of the agricultural workforce in rural India and strengthening their access to knowledge and institutional support is critical. She noted that AI-driven platforms such as FarmerChat can scale advisory services at a fraction of the cost of traditional extension systems, enabling greater outreach to smallholder farmers.

Digital Green and SERP have previously collaborated between 2011 and 2014 across the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh to support smallholder farmers through technology-enabled extension services. The newly signed MoU marks a renewed commitment to empowering farmers—particularly women—with digital innovations that can strengthen community-led agricultural extension and improve rural livelihoods.

Under the initiative, 33 FPOs across 11 districts will be equipped with digital tools, while more than 460 field cadres will be trained on FarmerChat and related platforms. Over 50,000 farmers are expected to access climate-smart advisories through the application, and more than 250 functionaries will be trained to manage data-driven business models for farmer institutions.

In addition, Digital Green’s enterprise platforms will support FPOs in managing shareholder data, tracking operations and maintaining institutional records. The partnership will also establish a network of state-level Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) to build the capacity of FPO functionaries and promote data-based decision-making within farmer organisations.

The MoU exchange took place during the State Level International Women’s Day Celebrations 2026, which focused on women’s entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and welfare initiatives. The event also featured announcements aimed at strengthening SHG enterprises and expanding market opportunities for women-led businesses across the state.

Key dignitaries present at the event included Gummadi Sandhya Rani, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, and Vangalapudi Anitha, Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Senior officials from SERP and the Chief Minister’s Office also attended the MoU exchange, including Vakati Karuna, Chief Executive Officer of SERP, along with officials from the Farm Livelihoods division and state development departments.

By combining SERP’s extensive grassroots network with Digital Green’s farmer-centric digital technologies, the initiative aims to strengthen the institutional and digital capabilities of women-led farmer organisations while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural women across Andhra Pradesh.