Farmer Producer Organizations

In India, the majority of farming households cultivate small plots of land, which often yield low returns and limit their economic sustainability. Farmers’ collectives called Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) at the grassroots level can help in improving the economic situation of small producers through better price realization, enhancing their linkages with the market, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

The initial literature review by Anuvaad indicated that peer-reviewed evidence/literature on FPOs or Farmer Producer Companies is almost nonexistent Anuvaad undertook a pilot study to assess the potential impact of FPO membership on crop production diversity, household income, dietary diversity, and women’s empowerment

The study included a total of 800 households, almost evenly divided between FPO and non-FPO households. The findings from the study suggest that the promotion of FPO membership may help contribute to slightly greater crop production diversity, higher incomes from cultivation, higher expenditures on food, and greater dietary diversity, particularly for OBC and SC/ST households. Access the full report here.

Anuvaad aims to continue exploring various evidence-based strategies for promotion of FPOs engaged in the production of nutri-dense crops. Areas of research include- identification, promotion, and cultivation of nutrient-dense crops to address nutritional deficiencies relevant to the specific community; development of a criterion for identifying FPOs involved in the production of nutri-dense crops and conducting a scoping review of the literature on policy strategies to incentivize FPOs to grow nutrient-dense crops.