G.V. Krishnagopal
Group Director
ALC India and Creyo
GV Krishnagopal is a graduate in Dairy Technology and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management. He is the co-founder of Access Livelihoods Group (ALG) and is currently managing its affairs as Group Chief Executive Officer.
His predominant interest has been
- to support emergence of self reliant and self governed enterprises owned by women producers (farmers, weavers, tribals and livestock rearing farmers),
- using blended finance models combining grant, equity and debt resources, develop innovative and viable enterprise solutions mitigating livelihood stress for marginalised communities
- to re-imagine higher education options for school dropouts.
Enterprise solutions which are sustainable and inclusive have been the key focus and towards that develops social and physical infrastructure.
As Project Manager of Cooperative Development Foundation, he was heading the unique project to develop India’s first all women cooperative dairy union with more than Rs.50 million investments into 25,000 litres per day processing unit. Today, Mulkanoor Women's Cooperative Dairy Union is a Rs 100 Crore enterprise owned and managed by 21,000 women.
Subsequently, at the Government Program – District Poverty Initiative Program funded by World Bank and Implemented by Government of (undivided) Andhra Pradesh as District Head for Livelihoods, he spearheaded a unique food security program where principal commodities of consumption at the household level was extended in kind as credit to marginalised families through the self help groups and their federations and repayment collected. Nearly, Rs 10 Cr worth commodities were lent with 97% repayment and more than 10,000 households benefited from the process.
At AL Group, 17 Producer Companies supporting 18,200 women producers across 5 states have been incubated. They have successfully mobilised more than Rs 56 Cr for extending investment and working capital assistance to the Women Owned Producer Companies. They have also been supported in marketing Rs 65 Cr worth of commodities and products in agriculture and handlooms. AL Group also runs a unique Social Enterprise Start Up and Incubation program called Transforming India Initiative. Under the initiative, 2 year coaching is extended to Fellows who start up their own social enterprises at the end of the period.
For this unique work, Access Livelihoods has been awarded the Best Incubator by the Ministry of Industries and Commerce, GoI in the year 2021. Access Livelihoods is also recognised by five other Ministries - Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog: Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Rural Development and Panchayati Raj: Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and External Affairs. Co founder of Access Livelihoods Ms Vijaya Switha has also been recognised as 75 Women Transforming India by Niti Aayog. Access Livelihoods is one of the 9 Established Incubation Centres as recognised by NITI Aayog.
He is actively involved in evolving policy frameworks for Producer Companies including the Guidelines for FPOs as published by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation and Family Welfare. More recently he has drafted the Chhattisgarh State Self Help Associations Bill, 2017 for their state.
He has actively been involved in research around Self Reliant Cooperatives and Producer Companies. He has taught some courses uniquely conceptualised by himself in institutes like National Institute of Rural Development. Has spoken in various institutes and seminars in Institute of Rural Management, Anand; Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar; MANAGE, Hyderabad; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode; Christ University, Bangalore; Shobhit University, Meerut, RBI Institute - National Institute of Bank Management, Pune; Regional Conference of International Cooperative Alliance, Asia Pacific; United Nation Food Systems Summit 2021; 3rd Conference on One Planet Sustainable Food Systems Conference 2021; and many other institutes.
He is a Distinguished Alumni of Institute of Rural Management, Anand and is one of the seven people called to speak on the occasion of 40th year celebrations of the institute.
