Centre for Sustainable Agriculture

What Centre for Sustainable Agriculture does

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is a Secunderabad-based non-profit founded in 2004 that supports small and marginal farmers in transitioning to organic and natural farming across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Karnataka. Its core technology stack consists of FPOhub (an ERP system for Farmer Producer Organization management, traceability, and supply chain), Pestoscope (a mobile app for pest and disease diagnostics and surveillance), eKrishi (a digital tools platform for farmer advisory including weather, soil moisture, and organic carbon monitoring), and Grameen Academy (a multilingual online learning portal for agroecology, FPO management, and agricultural public policy, with a physical campus planned in Kallem village, Telangana).

CSA's revenue is generated through four streams: organic produce sales via its retail subsidiary Sahaja Aharam Producer Company Limited (a federation of 23 organic FPOs with 9,000+ farmers across 180 villages, operating four retail stores in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam alongside mobile vans and B2B bulk aggregator channels that deliver 55% of sales), professional services including PGS India organic certification across five states and training/capacity-building programs, and grant/managed services funding from government natural farming programs and partners including Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, CGIAR/IRRI India, and MANAGE. Sahaja Aharam turnover grew 189% from Rs 90.3 lakh in 2018-19 to Rs 2.61 crore in 2021-22, with produce priced 15-20% above conventional produce and farmers earning over half of retail prices.

The organization serves five distinct customer segments — small and marginal farmers, women farmers in Andhra Pradesh, FPO collectives, urban consumers in three Telugu-speaking cities, and government agriculture departments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — through a hybrid segmentation strategy that combines community-led FPO distribution (the primary GTM), direct-to-consumer retail, and B2B sales-led institutional channels. CSA has pioneered demonstration projects at village scale, including India's first pesticide-free village (Punukula, 2005) and first organic village (Enabavi, 2006, 52 families, 110 hectares), and reports a 60% reduction in cultivation costs (from Rs 10,000 to Rs 3,000 per acre) and 10-15% price premiums for transitioning farmers.

Name

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture

Legal name

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture

Website

https://csa-india.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is a Secunderabad-based non-profit founded in 2004 that supports small and marginal farmers in India transition to organic and natural farming through 66 FPOs across five states, operating an FPOhub ERP, Pestoscope advisory app, PGS India regional council certification, and the Sahaja Aharam organic-produce retail federation serving urban consumers in three cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture services
• Organic farming certification
• Farmer producer organizations
• Agroecology extension
• Natural farming advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Secunderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Organic Product Sales: Sahaja Aharam Producer Company sells certified organic produce through retail stores, online platform, mobile vans, and bulk to aggregators. Products include cereals, millets, pulses, vegetables, fruits, spices, and processed food items. Turnover increased from Rs 90.3 lakh in 2018-19 to Rs 2.61 crore in 2021-22.
2. Certification Services: PGS India Organic Certification services for crops, orchards, and livestock across Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Telangana
3. Training and Capacity Building: Training programs for staff, community resource persons, extension workers, and FPOs on agroecological approaches, organic farming, and business development
4. Grant Funding: Funding from government programs including National Mission on Natural Farming, and partnerships with organizations like Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives for APCNF program implementation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is a non-profit organization that supports small and marginal farmers in transitioning to organic and natural farming through extension services, PGS organic certification, training, and Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) development. It operates the Sahaja Aharam retail arm that aggregates and sells certified organic produce directly to urban consumers through physical stores, mobile vans, and an online platform. The organization also develops proprietary digital tools (Pestoscope, FPOhub, eKrishi) and the Grameen Academy learning portal to support agroecology education and FPO management.

Product overview

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture operates a multi-product platform for sustainable agriculture transition in India. The core offerings include FPOhub (ERP system for farmer organization management with traceability), Pestoscope (mobile app for pest diagnostics and surveillance), Sahaja Aharam (organic farmer retail collective), Grameen Academy (e-learning portal and physical campus for agroecology education), Kisan Mitra (farmer service centre), eKrishi (digital support services platform), and Krishi TV (video education channel). Supporting services include PGS India Organic Certification, Extension and Advisory Services, Business Development Services for FPOs, and Training and Capacity Building programs. The organization has reached 50,000 farmers across 480 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra through 66 directly promoted FPOs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sahaja Aharam: Organic farmers collective and retail arm of CSA, operating as a federation of organic FPOs with retail stores and online sales
• Grameen Academy
• FPOhub
• Kisan Mitra
• eKrishi
• Pestoscope

Products and services

• FPOhub ERP system for Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) management, providing traceability and supply chain management capabilities for agricultural collectives.
• Pestoscope Mobile application for pest and disease diagnostics, surveillance and advisory services enabling real-time crop health monitoring for farmers.
• Sahaja Aharam Organic Produce Retail Organic farmers collective and retail enterprise that aggregates certified organic produce from member FPOs and sells through physical stores and mobile vans in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
• Grameen Academy Online learning portal and emerging physical campus (Kallem village, Telangana) offering courses on agroecology, natural farming, FPO management, and public policy in agriculture.
• Kisan Mitra (Farmer Service Centre) Farmer Service Centre initiative providing extension services and advisory support to farming communities.
• PGS India Organic Certification Participatory Guarantee System organic certification for crops, orchards, and livestock, operational across Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Telangana, with CSA serving as PGS India Regional Council.
• Business Development Services for FPOs Support services for FPOs including institutional designing, business planning, opportunity mapping, finance linking, market connections, and legal compliance assistance.
• Training and Capacity Building Programs Capacity building programs for staff, community resource persons, extension workers, and FPOs on agroecological approaches, organic farming transition, and business development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% cost reduction in cultivation when transitioning from chemical to natural farming (from Rs 10,000 to Rs 3,000 per acre)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MANAGE (National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2023CSA and MANAGE signed an MoU to work together in promotion of Natural Farming, FPOs and Extension Systems. The partnership involves jointly developing courses and offering training programs at MANAGE and Krishna Sudha Academy for Agroecology.
• Deccan Development SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeccan Development Society partners with CSA for organizing trainings locally. The partnership leverages DDS's experience in community-managed sustainable agriculture in Telangana region.
• IRRI India (International Rice Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA collaborated with IRRI India on promotion of new rice varieties in Telangana through farmer-led popularization and dissemination approaches. Joint work on gender-responsive seed information pathways under CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative.
• CGIAR Seed Equal InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative study 'Participatory Approaches to Identify and Test Gender-Responsive Seed Information Pathways' conducted with CSA's involvement. Part of broader efforts to improve seed systems accessibility for women farmers.
• Azim Premji UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly offering a five-day certificate course on 'Sustainable Agriculture: Perspectives and Principles' starting February 2026. Course to be held at APU Bengaluru with 20 sessions over 5 days in Hindi and English.
• DIAGEO IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for promoting regenerative rice cultivation through the 'Bunds of Beauty - Bundles of Income' initiative. DIAGEO India provided support alongside KVK Rudrur and SWRDS.
• Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) RudrurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural science center partnership for regenerative rice cultivation promotion in Nizamabad district, Telangana.
• SWRDSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for regenerative rice cultivation and bund maintenance practices under the Bunds of Beauty initiative.
• TV9minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual seed ball campaign collaboration with TV9 to promote seed conservation and biodiversity awareness. Multiple campaign editions conducted since 2023.
• NCNF (National Coalition for Natural Farming)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint webinar series on soil health, agroecology, and natural farming practices. Monthly webinar coordination for collective learning on natural farming across India.
• PGS IndiacoreOthersCSA serves as PGS India Regional Council, providing organic certification services across Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Telangana. Facilitates Large Area Certification for village-level organic transitions.
• Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, University of EdinburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint documentary screening and panel discussion on Natural Farming as a Path Forward, organized at CESS Hyderabad.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Organic India: Large Indian organic food and wellness brand with farmer partnerships across multiple states. Comparable to CSA/Sahaja Aharam in organic certification and farmer supply chain, with established national retail presence and a private-equity-backed commercial operating model.
• Sresta Natural Foods (24 Mantra Organic): India's leading branded organic food company with national retail distribution. Comparable to Sahaja Aharam (CSA's retail arm) in product category and organic positioning, but operating at significantly larger scale with conventional FMCG-style distribution rather than a non-profit federation model.

Emerging players

• CropIn Technology: India-based agri-tech SaaS company offering farm management, traceability, and predictive analytics solutions to agribusinesses and FPOs. Comparable to CSA's FPOhub ERP and Pestoscope digital tools in technology and target user base (FPOs and farmers), operating as a venture-backed commercial SaaS business.
• Digital Green: Technology-focused non-profit that uses video and digital tools to disseminate agricultural best practices to smallholder farmers in India and Africa. Comparable to CSA in its use of digital extension (Krishi TV, Pestoscope, eKrishi) and target farmer base, with stronger technology emphasis and global reach.

Direct peers

• Deccan Development Society: An Andhra Pradesh/Telangana-based non-profit that promotes community-managed sustainable agriculture, biodiverse farming, and women's self-help groups in dryland regions. Highly comparable to CSA in mission, target farmer segment, and geographic focus, and an existing CSA training partner.
• Morarka Organic: Indian organic agriculture company specializing in contract farming, organic certification, and organic food marketing. Comparable to CSA in its PGS-style organic certification services and farm-to-consumer organic supply chain work, though operating on a commercial rather than non-profit basis.
• BAIF Development Research Foundation: Large Indian rural development non-profit working on sustainable agriculture, livestock development, and watershed management across multiple states. Comparable to CSA in its integrated approach to smallholder farmer livelihoods and natural resource management, with greater geographic scale.
• Green Foundation: India-based non-profit working on sustainable agriculture, seed conservation, and agroecology with smallholder farmers, primarily in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Closely comparable to CSA in mission (organic/natural farming, farmer capacity building) and operating model (community-based extension, FPO development).
• Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR): Pune-based non-profit focused on watershed development, climate-resilient agriculture, and sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers. Comparable to CSA in mission (sustainable agriculture transition for rural communities) and in operating model (community-led, training-heavy approach).

Others

• Access Development Services: Indian non-profit focused on livelihoods promotion, financial inclusion, and enterprise development for low-income rural communities, including FPO capacity building. Comparable to CSA in its FPO incubation, business development services, and smallholder farmer focus, with a broader rural development mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/csaindia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/krishitv
• Facebookfacebook.com/csa.india
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csa.india

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre for Sustainable Agriculture