Farmer Producer Organisation
A Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) is a legal entity formed by farmers. A FPO can be a producer company, a cooperative society or any other legal form which provides for sharing of profits/benefits among the members. The main aim of FPO is to ensure better income for the farmers through an organisation of their own. Small producers do not have the volume individually (both inputs and produce) to get the benefit of economies of scale. Additionally, in agricultural marketing, there is a long chain of intermediaries who very often work non-transparently leading to the situation where the producer receives only a small part of the value that the ultimate consumer pays. Through FPOs, the farmers can avail the benefit of economies of scale.
Planet-centric approach involved and importance
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Farmers with small land holdings face tremendous challenges during the agriculture production phase such as access to technology, quality seeds, finances, etc. and also in marketing their produce due to lack of economic strength. FPOs provide this collective strength to the farmers.
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Supporting and training farmers, enabling them to make collaborative decisions with regards to farmlands and natural resources.
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Revival of traditional farming practices to ensure food security and improved health of the living beings dependent on the land.
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Using organic fertilisers and pest repellents to maintain the health of the land, water, air and the micro-organisms surrounding the region.
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Conversations about communes to support the villagers reconnect to the shared land, water, and air.
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Autonomy and decision-making powers of everyone involved in the farming and value addition process from start to end.
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Self-reliance to unite the farmers towards building resilience and sustaining themselves and the rest of nature around them.
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Reconnecting with the traditional food system throughout the whole supply chain.
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Community-based organic farming and knowledge exchange to ensure the land is replenished.
Knowledge, Skillset, and Mindset to be developed to become a practitioner
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Knowledge of government schemes and support systems for farmer communities.
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Skill of listening and problem solving from a grounded perspective that is oriented in regaining self-reliance.
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Resilience in the face of market and policy changes.
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Collaboration with other farmers for profit and loss sharing.
Opportunities in such a pathway
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Nearly 86% of farmers in India are small and marginal with average land holdings in the country being less than 3 acres. FPOs help in the collectivisation of such small, marginal and landless farmers in order to give them the collective strength to deal with issues and challenges related to production, distribution, marketing, sale, etc.
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Build an interdependent collaborative community.
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Create value added products that offer better income.