2020: Reinventing ways to engage smallholder dairy farmer
The past year was very busy for Sistema.bio. Ever since our inception in India, we have been growing in strength and spirit, hence we started the year with moving into a bigger office for our ever growing team. We initiated several new projects, which helped us to collaborate with institutions as well as government agencies that have the same clean energy goals as Sistema.bio. Our South India operations also began to pick up in January.
In March, a nationwide lockdown was declared in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As farmers are the core beneficiaries of the Sistema.bio technology, meeting them on field and understanding their challenges forms a big part of our work. We had to step up our learning efforts and find new ways to connect with our team and our field experts to understand the needs of our team as well as our customers.
We also expanded in Maharashtra, and appointed several agri & livestock dealers to make more famers aware about biogas. Now with a team of over 100, we are ready to embrace 2021 with all its challenges and success!
Growing closer to farmers amid a pandemic
While we came out of the lockdown as a stronger team, we actually came closer to our customers. While talking to our team, who were constantly in touch with the customers on call, we understood the needs of the farmers and waived off their loans for 2 months! Post that, there was no going back.
When the lockdown lifted, we received an order for the largest digester from Odisha. To provide convenience to farmers, we switched to digital payments so that farmers repaid their loans without getting out of their houses.
2020: The year of perseverance
We started the year with presence in 3 states. By December 31, we have expanded to 14 states, with our branch offices in Gujarat, Maharashtra Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Assam, and have successfully completed remote installations in 8 states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Even during COVID-19, our efforts did not fumble and we came out stronger than ever!
Now serving 8,000+ farmers in India
In 2018, we started our work in India with an aim to help as many farmers as possible with our technology. As of 2020, we have been able to impact 8,000+ farmers across the country. While the journey has not been easy for us, we have worked towards changing farmers’ mindset to switch to clean energy, educated them about the benefits of bioslurry, and helped them create energy in their farms. We have come a long way! In 2021, we aim to increase our total reach to 20,000+ farms.
Expanding in Asia
Sistema.bio India has partnered with organisations across Philippines, Cambodia, and Nepal to deliver biodigesters and train the partners on installation processes. With these partnerships, our global footprint has reached 25+ countries.
Gainful pilots with MFIs
In a bid to deliver our technology to the remotest corners of the country, we have completed successful pilots with few of South India’s Largest microfinance Institutions. We shall be rolling out full scale models in 2021.
2020: The year of diverse Partnerships
Our partnerships increased 10 times in 2020, thanks to all our partners. We are now associated with more than 20 partners across different industries like Private Dairy, Foundations, Rural Entrepreneurs, Livestock Consultants, State Governments, NGOs, Donor Organisations, Rural Retailers, CSR Consultants, Microfinance & E-Commerce partners to deliver our digesters smallholder dairy farmers across the country.
2020: The year of media recognition
This year brought in several accolades and recognition for us in terms of media. We were featured in publications such as The Better India, Sistema.bio, interviewed by Zee News, Recommended by Central Government Minister of Animal Husbandry Mr. Giriraj Singh, in an interview in The Gaon Conclave, among others.
Setting new records across the industry
In Oct /Dec 2020, our South India warehouse delivered 1500+ new biodigesters / month to our partner in India. It is a record in this Industry to assemble and deliver such high numbers. Kudos to our Warehouse Team !
2020 was challenging in many ways. The work conditions were unlike anything we had ever experienced. We had to work remotely yet our vision remained clear. We have to empower smallholder farmers with technology, training and financing that they require to pull themselves out of poverty.
With this vision in mind, we pulled out the best ways to get back to work safely, even amidst the pandemic. We had to continue working and visiting farmers, as farmers were still toiling on their fields. We truly believe that if everybody comes together as a team, success is guaranteed!
