FARMER ORGANISATIONS:

Formation And Management

Dr. R P Singh
Associate Director Extension Education

New Roles
for Extension

Empowerment Role
Community Organizing Role
Human Resource Development Role
Problem solving and Education Role

Involve of the target people in planning, implementation,

and maintenance as well as management of
infrastructure and development programs

When the farmers unite

They can clearly articulate their needs, organize different
services like inputs, credit, implements and transport,
access different service providers and if necessary, act as
pressure groups and demand services

What is Farmer Organization ?

Farmer organization is a group of
farmers with special interests and
concerns with developed structure,
formal membership, status and
functions for its members and with a
set of byelaws and rules

Farmer organizations : Features

Common interest
Dynamic and flexible, norms and operating
procedures
Both long and short term objectives and plan of
action
Enrolment through membership fee
Democracy through regular elections
Clear and transparent transactions
Capacity of the organization should be strong to
ensure its long term stability and sustainability
Linkages and network with other farmer
organizations
Committed leadership

Why Farmers
Organizations?

Farmers organizations influence policies and

demand for required services.
Farmers can participate in the decision making
process of the developmental activities.
Service system becomes more effective and
accountable
They get better access to latest markets and
technology
FOs can involve in Farmer and market led
extension activities

Why Farmers organizations ?

Build interactions between research,
extension and farming systems
Enable farmers to organize themselves for
action or to share resources
Analyze farmers problems with extension
support
More services can be made available to
farmers through a single point
Provide more effective learning environment

Role of
Farmer organizations
Representational role
Technology role
Service role

Types of
Farmer Organizations
Community based, resource oriented
farmer organizations
Commodity based, market oriented
farmer organizations

Activities of FOs

Management of activities
Management of environment
Management of machinery
Management of fields ( Collective production )
Management of communal granaries / food
banks
Bulk purchase of inputs
Collective requests for credit
Management for selling of produce
Advice to producers
Training to farmers

Steps in Establishing Farmer Organizations

1. Understanding the village community
2. Identifying potential leaders in the community
3. Talking to the identified leaders and seeking
cooperation from other agencies
4. Helping local leaders to call community meetings
5. Nominating core group leaders to develop the FO
6. Developing an organizational structure for the FO
7. Developing the FOs management through
education and action learning
8. Gearing up for action
9. Implementing selected projects
10. Monitoring and Evaluating the FOs progress

Participatory Action Management Planning Cycle

Understanding the situation
Identify the problems / opportunities
Developing solutions
Developing a plan
Implementation
Review and Reflect

Farmers may be organized at

Four levels

Farmers Interest Groups ( FIGs )

Sectoral Farmers Association ( SFA )
District Farmers Forum ( DFF )
State Farmers Federation ( SFF )

Success of Farmer Organizations

Recognition it gets from various bodies
Policies of Government
Focus on income generating activities
Abilities of members
Visible benefits to its members
Extension officials attitude and support
Participatory approaches
Linkages with people and organizations
Tie up with other development programmes
Inter group linkages
Capacity building of farmers

How to Strengthen existing FOs

1. Understanding the village community and gaining
their trust
2. Talking to leaders about why FOs are less active
3. Seeking ideas on strengthening and revitalizing
community FOs
4. Encouraging local leaders to call community
meetings
5. Establishing a core group of leaders to draft a
proposal
6. Getting comments on and community
endorsement of the strategy

Role of
Extension Professionals
Mobilization and organization role
Capacity building role
Problem solving and educating role
Business support provider role

Examples
KERALA initiated group approach
to extension for RICE farming in
1989 and subsequently extended to
other crops
Formation of community groups to
improve productivity and reduce
cost of cultivation

Kerala - Group Approach

In Kerala there are around 60 farmers organizations of
varying sizes and mandate, operating in Calicut district
providing extension services. These organizations are formed
by the sole initiative of local village leaders without any direct
involvement of formal or political leaders. All the groups are
registered as per the cooperative societies act and function
within the framework of by-laws. Some groups are smaller in
size serving a single village while some are bigger with 300400 members serving a cluster of villages. The bigger
organizations are having a federated administrative structure
with committees at district, panchayat and ward levels. The
decision making power is vested with the central or executive
committees which are answerable to the General body. The
periodicity of core committee meetings varies from 1-2
months while that of GB is a year

 Kerala Horticultural Development

Programme (KHDP) formed SHGs of
vegetable and fruit growers to promote
new technology and PTD skills, access
to credit and strengthen their negotiation
power through collective marketing
Emerged as Vegetable and Fruit
Promotion Council, Kerala

 RAJASTHAN adopted the group

approach to extension in 1992 and
currently VEO visits village and
impart training to kisan mandal
farmers once in a fortnight

 HIMACHAL PRADESH is forming

Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs) to
implement many schemes
The Central Sector Scheme on
Women in Agriculture (CSSWA) is
being implemented through women
SHGs promoted through this
programme

VEGETABLE GROUP FARMERS FEDERATION

State

: Himachal
Pradesh
District: Shimla

District Veg. Production &

Marketing Federation

District

(working committees of all blocks)

Vegetable Production and

Marketing Block Association
(25 FIGs in one block)

os
N
3

Veg. FGs

3 Nos

Working
committee
(10-15
members)

Veg. FGs

3N
os

Veg. FGs

Production and Marketing groups

Block
Services:
Technical
Trainings
Credit linkage
Marketing
Village/
Panchyat

Abhyudaya Karshak Parishat,

Mukkamala, EG, A.P

Estd in 1989
Trainings on Paddy and Coconut
Emphasis on IPM and INM
Farmer to farmer extension
Productivity
Field visits

FEDERATION OF WOMEN SHGs

State: Andhra
Pradesh

Services:

Mandal Level Federation

Savings
Group loans

Cluster
Executive
body

IG activities
Implementation
of govt. programs

VOs 3..

VOs 2

VOs 1

3-4 VOs

2 nos.from
each SHG
for VO
SHGs

SHGs

SHGs

SHGs SHGs
SHGs

SHGs

SHGs SHGs

SHGs
SHGs

SHGs SHGs
SHGs

SHGs

SHGs SHGs

SHGs
SHGs

SHGs SHGs
SHGs

SHGs

SHGs SHGs

 Cashew Ratna in MAHARASHTRA :

Cashew growers in Ratnagiri formed
into groups and marketed cashew under
the name of Cashew Ratna and reaped
benefits
Commodity Based Groups Block
Level Processors Group District level
Grading, Packing, Marketing

CASHEW RATNA
State
:Maharashtra
District :Ratnagiri

Further grading
Packing
Marketing

Common
Godown
Grading
Packing

Processors
Group

District Level Cp
& Farmer Orgn.

Block Level Processors

Group

Commodity Based Groups

FARMERS FEDERATION
State : Orissa
District : Khurda
District level
federation

District

Community / Commodity
Based Farmers Organization

Block

Li
nk

FIGS

Link Worker

Dairy
First-aid, AI
Poultry
Vaccination
Horti
Grafting

W
or
ke
r

Services:

Li
nk

W
or
ke
r

FIGS

Diversified Groups

Technical
Trainings
Supply of
inputs
Marketing

FIGS

Villag
e

Raitha Mitra Yojane:

Karnataka
is the new demand driven agricultural extension
system of the Karnataka state. It has replaced
the earlier T & V system of agricultural
extension. The agricultural extension centers
opened under this new programme at hobli
level are called raitha samparka kendras (rsk)
with the multidisciplinary approach taking the
help of input agencies and NGOs

Punjab Farmers Association

for Extension Services
In Punjab the farmers associations are formed with
an objective of providing seed production,
multiplication and demonstration, extension
education to farming communities.
These associations act as a forum for highlighting
the problems of farming community by imparting
them new technology and assistance in production.
They also create awareness of new high yielding
varieties of horticulture crops.
It also provides for reclamation of land and
organizing seminars and training camps

Conclusions
Sustainable organizations are must for over all
development
Extension strategies should involve FOs
Public, Private extension agencies and NGOs
should involve FOs
Govt departments should play a supporting role
in formation and management of FOs
Extension functionaries should have skills of
facilitation