Agriculture remains one of the major contributors to economic growth in India. The smallholder farmers in India face the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing market environment brought about by trade liberalization and globalization. Rising incomes, population growth, urbanization, change in tastes and preferences are driving growth in demand for high quality and safe food.

The capacity of smallholder producers in India to respond to these trends and to take advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization is of greatest concern. There is growing recognition within the agricultural research and development community for smallholder producers to shift traditional farming strategies to those of more innovative farming leading to better farm incomes. One such innovative approach relates to the establishment of linkages between farmers, producers and markets.

This approach, to be effective, calls for priority attention to issues on access to technology and information, institutional arrangements and support services, policies, capacity building of producers, identification and development of markets etc.

The effect of the lockdown has hit the agricultural sector in a big way. Lack of sufficient transport facilities, market shutdowns, labour shortages, restrictions and the stringent imposition of lockdown by local authorities have put enormous strain on the country’s food supply.

Millions of farmers across the country are now dumping their perishable produces. Even if farmers managed to take their produce to the markets, there are fewer wholesale buyers. Large quantities of food are now stuck at the production level of the supply chain in villages. As a result, supply chains have broken. Farmers are isolated from wholesale and retail buyers in the cities leading to huge financial losses. Smallholders now became a prey to the middlemen and there is a fear to be trapped with their farm produces at a considerably low price.

Considering this scenario, Caritas India through its implementing partner organisation Jabalpur Diocesan Social Service Societies (JDSSS) has helped smallholder under smallholder adaptive farming and biodiversity network (SAFBIN) program to collectivise their produces rather selling it individually.

Initially, it was quite difficult to convince our fellow farmers regarding this alternative plan to collectivise the produces at village level due to the influence of many middlemen. With the efforts of Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) program, the concept of small farm agri-food was introduced where smallholders primarily are the key players to take the decision on their produces to where and how they would market on what price? Ramcharan, one of the smallholders shared.

The concept of small-farm-agri-food was widely accepted by the smallholders and a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) was formed comprising more than 450 smallholders in Mandla. Smallholder with the help of this Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) took initiative and aggregated 41.4 quintals of their own farm produces inclusive of Cereals, Millets, Pulses and Oilseeds. This bulk produces were sold directly at the district level market by the smallholder and gained an average income of 13%.

Similarly, 43 smallholders in Vidisha district under the support of SAFBIN through its implementing partner Manav Vikas Seva Sangh (MVSS) have successfully established market linkages by selling their 794 quintals of surplus produces in government registered society. Smallholder awarded with 15% higher rate as compared to the rate provided by the middlemen.

A happy Jagdish says, “This season’s procurement has opened our eyes and we have greater hopes of selling other produces too in future in a more organised way through farmer producer organisation. Thanks to SAFBIN and the entire team for helping us in a great way.