ISAP

The year was 1993. A young man after completing his MBA from IIM
Ahmadabad returned to his small village in Nasik. Parents were thrilled
with the boy's success and shared their joy with the village folk.
Everybody congratulated the parents except the village cynic, who
actually asked, "So how does his high education affect us??!!"

This was the day when seed for ISAP was sown and the young man from
Nasik, Sunil Khairnar, decided to set up a social enterprise dedicated
to upliftment of poor and marginal farmers. ISAP was born in 2001 as a
section 25 Not for Profit Company. The initial years were difficult but
full of hope as good Samaritans kept pitching in with guidance and
support.

On February 22, 2011 ISAP completed a decade of service to small and
marginal farmers. The various programs initiated during these ten years
were funded by National and International donors, Government of India,
State governments and multinational corporations.

The organization that started as a flagelling hope has 15000
Agri-professionals as members, 5000 of whom are domain experts. ISAP has
worked with more than 2,00,000 farmers directly in 14 states. A robust
project implementation is made possible because of 150 dedicated
agri-extension professionals.

We at ISAP are proud of leveraging technology to reach out to farmers
through Kisan Call Centers, Community Radio Stations, IVRS and mobile
telephony, Successful running ICT models are in place and have impacted
more than 500,000 rural lives.

The recently launched Certified Crop Advisor Program in collaboration
with American Society of Agronomy is another feather in ISAP's cap
and addresses a long felt need for upgrading the knowledge level of
Agri-extension professionals.

The Agriclinics EDP implemented on behalf of MANAGE has already spread
to 8 states including the challenging areas of J&K and Nagaland and we
can rightfully boast of more than 600 Agriculture based enterprises
running successfully across 8 states.

Going forward I see an ISAP that has very strong on the ground delivery
mechanisms using the latest technologies to reach the Last Inch of the
Last Mile. The challenge is huge but I am sure, with our passion and
dedication and of course your support, we shall be successful.

I also take this opportunity to thank all ISAP staff, members, partner
NGOs and Donor Agencies who travelled this journey with us.

Rajeev Dar
Chairman, ISAP