1. FARMER ORGANISATIONS:
Formation And Management
Dr. R P Singh
Associate Director Extension Education

2. New Roles
for Extension
• Empowerment Role
• Community – Organizing Role
• Human Resource Development Role
• Problem solving and Education Role

3. Involve of the target people in planning, implementation,
and maintenance as well as management of
infrastructure and development programs

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Role of
Farmer organizations
• Representational role
• Technology role
• Service role

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

11. 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

12. 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 FO’s management through
education and action learning
8. Gearing up for action
9. Implementing selected projects
10. Monitoring and Evaluating the FO’s progress

13. Participatory Action Management Planning Cycle
Understanding the situation
Identify the problems / opportunities
Developing solutions
Developing a plan
Implementation
Review and Reflect

14. Farmers may be organized at
Four levels
• Farmers Interest Groups ( FIGs )
• Sectoral Farmers Association ( SFA )
• District Farmers Forum ( DFF )
• State Farmers Federation ( SFF )

15. 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

16. 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

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

18. 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

19. 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 300-400 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

20. • 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

21. • 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

22. • 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

23. VEGETABLE GROUP FARMERS’ FEDERATION
State : Himachal
Pradesh
District: Shimla
District Veg. Production &
Marketing Federation District
(working committees of all blocks)
Block
Working
committee Vegetable Production and
Marketing Block Association Services:
(10-15
members) (25 FIGs in one block) • Technical
Trainings
3N •Credit linkage
s os
3 No • Marketing
3 Nos
Veg. FGs Veg. FGs Veg. FGs Village/
Panchyat
Production and Marketing groups

24. 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

25. FEDERATION OF WOMEN SHGs
State: Andhra
Pradesh
Mandal Level Federation Services:
• Savings
• Group loans
3-4 VOs
Cluster • IG activities
•Implementation
Executive of govt. programs
body VOs 1 VOs 2 VOs 3..
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

26. • 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

27. CASHEW RATNA
State :Maharashtra
District :Ratnagiri
•Further grading District Level Cp
•Packing & Farmer Orgn.
•Marketing
Common
Godown Block Level Processors
•Grading Group
•Packing
1 2 3 4
Processors
Group
Commodity Based Groups

28. FARMERS’ FEDERATION
State : Orissa
District : Khurda
District level District
federation
Community / Commodity Based Block
Farmers Organization
Services:
Dairy Li
nk • Technical
Link Worker
First-aid, AI
r
W Trainings
ke
or
or
Poultry ke
W
r • Supply of
Vaccination
nk
inputs
Li
Horti
• Marketing
Grafting
FIGS FIGS FIGS Village
Diversified Groups

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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