The Kerala Horticulture Development Programme  (KHDP) - a project of Government of Kerala funded by European Union - is one of the most successful agriculture development projects in India. Started in November 1993, KHDP assists vegetable and banana farmers in seven districts of Kerala through providing support services and without giving subsidies or grants. Many of these are small and marginal farmers cultivating between 50 cents and 2 acres of mainly leased land.

The key element of KHDP's work is a network of small groups of participating farmers who regularly meet together to plan and carry out activities. The groups, known as Self Help Groups (SHG), are also the main communication channel between the programme's 220 field staff and the participating farmers.

We      

• Encourage environment friendly  horticultural practices.   

• Facilitate credit to lease land farmers and ensure prompt repayment.      

• Strengthen the collective bargaining power of farmers.                   

• Integrate farmer wisdom with scientific knowledge. 

• Promote self-reliance among farmers