Fortune magazine included Jain Irrigation Systems in its ranking of companies that “Change the World.” Fifty-one companies made the list for “doing well by doing good.”
Jain ranked seventh after Vodafone and Safaricom, Google, Toyota, Walmart, Enel Utilities and GSK. Companies following Jain on the list include Cisco, Facebook, Mastercard, Starbucks, Nike, Ford Motor, Unilever and IBM.
“Jain has built its business by improving the livelihoods of 5 million small farmers in India,” Fortune reports. “Based in the country’s western Maharashtra state, Jain began selling micro-irrigation systems in 1986, when it recognized that the technology, commonly used in industrial agriculture, could be adapted for local growers, whose tiny landholdings were traditionally watered by rain or blunt flooding techniques.”
Fortune’s “Change the World” list shines a spotlight on companies that have made significant progress in addressing major social problems as a part of their core business strategy. The companies chosen have an impact on major global social or environmental problems as part of their competitive strategy, the magazine says.
The list of companies was assembled from more than 200 recommendations by business and academic nonprofit experts around the world. According to Fortune, “The one thing all ‘Change the World’ companies have in common is that they recognize the business value in addressing societal needs. In their quest for profits, they are driving innovations that improve health outcomes, make progress on climate change, provide better access to education, and create new economic opportunities for those in poverty.”
