Farmers’ Forum

Background

• Historically, farmers in India had no platform available to share knowledge, experiences and solutions

• With the support of IFAD, in 2009 SEWA and a group of partners started working on the creation of a national Farmers' Forum under the Medium Term Cooperation Programme with Farmers’ Organizations in Asia and the Pacific (MTCP)

• SEWA operates as National Implementing Agency for the MTCP programme, and from the beginning has focused on strengthening the network of Farmers’ Organisations to increase their visibility, voice and representation, with a focus on small and marginal women farmers

Objectives• To create and strengthen the network of small and

marginal farmers’ organisations in India

• To increase their visibility, voice and representation with a focus on small and marginal women farmers

• To improve dialogue between them and the national policy making bodies

• Knowledge sharing platform

Who can join this network

• Grassroot organizations working with small and marginal farmers

• Should not be politically affiliated

Progress achieved in Phase I• Five states covered

– Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam and Meghalaya

• FOs linked: 2997

• Regular meetings of the National Programme Oversight Board

• Studies on status of marginal farmers and women

– Current status of farming and the role of women

– Ownership of land and demortgaging of land

– Mitigating measures taken by farmers to address climate change and its adverse effects

– Market integration of small and marginal farmers

Progress achieved• Constant advocacy efforts

• Capacity-building and workshops

• Trainings on land acquisition issues, management, agriculture techniques, among others

– Handbooks on relevant government schemes

– National workshop on sharing grassroot experiences in agriculture

– National roundtable on issues pertaining to land

– Exposure visits and knowledge sharing sessions

• Collaboration with IFAD India

• Web-based database

Plans for 2014• Expand number of states covered

• Expand to include fisherwomen, animal husbandry focussed partners

• Promote quarterly national meetings and monthly state-level meetings

• Promote bimonthly advocacy trips to Delhi

• Produce case studies on pre decided themes of all states covered

• Organize knowledge exchange trips

• Maintain and expand all activities already implemented over the last years

Emerging Challenges for farmers in India

• Foreign Direct Investment

• Environmental Degradation (Climate Change and Deforestation)

• Changes in the Economic Structure (Rise of Industries and Services)

Education and capacity-building efforts which go beyond traditional approaches and

help family farmers be prepared for these substantial changes in the scenario are

crucial to guarantee their livelihoods now and in the future.

Meetings and Consultations

• 2 NPOB meetings held– The first National Programme Oversight

Board meeting took place on January 9, 2014.• 12 participants from 6 farmer organisations

participated in this meeting

– The Second National Programme Oversight Board meeting was held on July 5, 2014 at Kolkatta.• 26 participants from 10 farmer organisations

participated in this meeting

Meetings and Consultations contd.

• A national level consultation was held on “Impacts of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Free Trade (FT) on small and marginal Family farmers”, on February 12, 2014

• 9 state representatives participated in this Consultation

Studies Conducted

• Impact of FDI FTA on family farmers in India

• The state of family farming in India• Status of Traditional Crop and

traditional technology

Capacity Building Initiatives

• 65 master trainers are running their field schools across India and are providing with information, knowledge and trainings to the small and marginal farmers.

• 5 tools and equipment libraries are owned and managed by farmer groups.

• SEWA has entered into an MOU with ICRISAT. ICRISAT will bring in the needed technological support and skills to help our small and marginal farmers move towards sustainability

Capacity Building Initiatives

• Setting up agro processing value chain in Bihar, North East and Rajasthan. 25 small and marginal farmers have been trained on agro and food processing and 4 groups have already started their micro enterprise in this regard.

• SEWA’s initiative on RUDI is being replicated in Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya and Rajasthan

• Identifying the needs of the villagers using GIS techniques and linking up with state government departments and local panchayats to prepare their village plans.

Capacity Building Initiatives

• Developing E-modules on animal husbandry with the support of Tata Consultancy Services.

• Cotton Connect, facilitating 1250 cotton farmers from four villages and providing them with trainings, exposure visits to improve productivity at reduced cost and also providing them with market linkage.

• Exposure visits to successful ventures for the small and marginal farmer groups of the network.

• Developed films on FDI and land acquisition and posters for training the agriculture and animal husbandry members

Financial Progress

No. Categories Total Budget Quarter 1 Expenses

A Review, workshop and training

28,188 7047 16960

B Research, studies and publication

5,544 1386

C Travel and representation

3,240 810

D Technical assistance

E M&E, knowledge management

F Salaries and allowances 6,955 1739 296

G Office utilities and logistic support

2,922 731 409

Total 46,849 11713 17665

Fund Status

• Funds Received : 10,000$

• Funds Spent: 17665$

• Payments Outstanding 7665$

Way Forward

• Initiated preparation of 10 case studies from various Indian states to report and analyze efforts by family farmers to deal with the impacts of foreign direct investment, environmental degradation, and the rise of industries and services

•  Low cost technology to increase access to water and irrigation systems and their operations & management

•  Technology to deal with the growing attacks by wild animals to cereals and vegetables plantations, related to deforestation and the destruction of their habitats.

Way Forward

• Education about traditional crop, seed production – multiplication

•  Organise national level consultation and state level meetings

•  Take up capacity buiding programmes with each participant.

Way Forward

• Fisheries sector– Take up a study on status of small

fisherwomen community– Translation of guidelines prepared by World

Fishers’ Forum in local languages– Awareness workshops to inform about this

handbook to the community and officials

Way Forward

• Handbook on Land rights of farmers and Handbook on relevant government schemes– Translate the handbooks in local language and develop it as

simple tool to transfer the information. SEWA will take this task forward as work has been initiated in the first phase and we have handbooks ready in English for 5 states. We could develop these for other states as well.

• Carry out action research in Assam and Uttarakhand by piloting technological developments in the area unique to the needs of the small and marginal farmers in the region

• Exchange Visits within the networks.

Way Forward

• Work on creating cadre of master trainers’ – the model SEWA created by linking up with technical institutes and running the farmer field schools

• Network shares with state and central government the proceedings of its meetings and also to provide mechanism for farmers to get proper prices for their products

• Expansion and restructuring of Board

• Circulating the minutes of the meeting to state and central governments

Thank You