For farmers growing baby corn, gherkins, and jalapenos on small-scale farms Karnataka, access to technical expertise that can directly improve crop quality, and income potential is not always within easy reach. On 22 April 2026, twenty-one Fairtrade certified farmers from three producer organisations spent a full day at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) in Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, working alongside scientists on the very crops they grow.

Organised by Fairtrade NAPP, the visit brought together farmers from Maradi Ranganatha Agro Producer Company Limited, Hemavathi Agro Producer Company Limited, and Purvik Farmers Producer Company Limited. The aim was to strengthen technical knowledge in areas that directly affect produce quality, market access, and livelihoods: from crop nutrition and pest management to post-harvest processing and climate-resilient farming.

A Day That Expanded What Was Possible

Working with IIHR scientists through morning sessions and afternoon hands-on visits across the institute's departments, participants gained knowledge across several areas central to their farming and longer-term prospects.

Farmers deepened their understanding of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) specific to baby corn, gherkins, and jalapenos. Sessions covered crop nutrition, soil health, shade management, and replanting techniques. Training on Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPM) introduced eco-friendly approaches that can reduce input costs while protecting soil and crop health over time.

Post-harvest handling was a particularly valuable area of learning. Participants visited IIHR's Post-Harvest Technology Lab and observed fruit and vegetable processing in practice: the production of juice, squash, vegetable powders, and fruit bars from crops including mango, jackfruit, and tomato. For farmers whose income is largely tied to fresh produce sales, this exposure broadened thinking about what value addition might mean for their cooperatives over the longer term.

A hands-on session in IIHR's vegetable packing section gave farmers direct practice packing baby corn using small-scale machinery, knowledge directly relevant to the quality standards buyers expect and to the prices farmers can negotiate.

Drip irrigation and fertigation management were covered in sessions on climate-resilient horticulture, giving farmers practical knowledge of micro irrigation systems that can improve water and nutrient efficiency. In a region where managing production costs under variable weather conditions is an ongoing challenge, this knowledge is directly applicable.

Mushroom cultivation was an unexpected area of interest. After visiting IIHR's mushroom production unit and seeing a range of mushroom-based products, several participants expressed genuine curiosity about whether mushroom farming could complement their vegetable production as an additional income source. Visits to fruit production plots and the fruit nursery also prompted several farmers to purchase seedlings, including avocado plants, to trial on their own land.

Five Things Farmers Can Put to Work

• Good Agricultural Practices for baby corn, gherkins, and jalapenos

IIHR scientists led crop-specific sessions covering pruning, shade management, pest control, and replanting techniques. Participants engaged directly with researchers on challenges specific to the crops they grow, moving beyond general guidelines to applied knowledge.

• Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPM)

Farmers were introduced to eco-friendly approaches to pest and disease control. IIHR's Arca Microbial Consortium, a biological input developed at the institute, drew particular interest, with several participants expressing intent to explore its use on their farms.

• Post-harvest processing and value addition

A visit to the Post-Harvest Technology Lab gave participants first-hand exposure to how fruits and vegetables are processed into juice, squash, powder, and other products. This introduced the concept of value addition in practical terms, alongside the technology that makes it possible at scale.

• Vegetable packing to export standards

Participants received hands-on practice packing baby corn using small machinery in IIHR's vegetable packing section. Understanding packing standards is directly relevant to produce quality and the market access available to their cooperatives.

• Drip irrigation and fertigation management

Sessions on micro irrigation and fertigation covered how to deliver water and nutrients more efficiently to crops, knowledge that can reduce input costs and improve crop performance, particularly during variable rainfall conditions.

• Farm diversification possibilities

Visits to IIHR's fruit production plots (mango, custard apple, dragon fruit, guava), flower and medicinal plant plots (Mucuna, marigold, tuberose), and the fruit nursery opened conversations about diversification beyond current vegetable crops. Several participants purchased avocado seedlings with plans to trial them on their farms.

Voices from the Activity

“The visit provided sustainable practices, pest and disease management and crop production quality techniques which will directly benefit our farmers in the SPOs and beyond.”

Kumaraswamy HN, Farmer, Hemavathi Agro Producer Company Limited

Turning Knowledge into Action

Fairtrade NAPP will monitor whether the practices introduced during the visit are being adopted by farmers in the coming months. Changes in cultivation practice take time, and the real measure of this visit's value will come through how farmers adapt and apply what they learned within their own farms and cooperative systems.

The interest in farm diversification, particularly in fruit cultivation and mushroom production, signals appetite for exploring income options beyond core vegetable crops. Turning that interest into practice will require access to inputs, technical guidance, and markets, areas where continued support from Fairtrade NAPP and the participating cooperatives will remain important.

It is also worth noting that of the twenty-one participants, twenty were men and one was a woman. Ensuring that women farmers have equal access to technical training and the knowledge it brings is an area for attention in planning future programme activities.