Tata-Cornell Institute Launches Hub for FPOs

The Tata-Cornell Institute (TCI) for Agriculture and Nutrition has launched a hub for Farmer Producer Organizations in its Center of Excellence in New Delhi on Wednesday. 

The Hub, which has been created with grant support from the Walmart Foundation, will act as a repository of learnings, information, and expertise for the growth of FPOs in India, according to a TCI statement. 

Since the early 2000s, farmers have been creating FPOs. Though there is a lot of interest in selling FPOs among charitable actors, businesses, and the authorities, there are still significant barriers to entry for many, such as limited financing options and the time it takes to become self-sufficient. In 2014, the Indian government relaunched a campaign to promote FPOs. 

“Farmer producer organizations are critical for improving smallholder farmers' livelihoods as well as boosting the availability of diverse, nutritious foods that are increasingly in demand across India,” said Prabhu Pingali, Director of TCI and professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, with joint appointments in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). 

“TCI hopes to create a foundation of data-based knowledge on which strong, successful FPOs may be established and sustained through the FPO Hub,” he added. 

TCI's Database for Indian FPOs, a new platform that pulls together information on thousands of FPOs to allow study on small-farm aggregation patterns, is an important part of the Hub.  

Pingali stated, "Bringing together data on India's approximately 4,400 FPOs would assist research targeted at creating robust, successful FPO models." 

The Walmart Foundation has given a $1 million grant to the newly formed FPO Hub. The Hub will use an analytical, data-driven approach to aid in the understanding, development, and promotion of effective farm-aggregation models, as well as serve as a dissemination platform for stakeholders to access information, technical assistance, and guidance. 

Finally, the data will help the hub's researchers to develop models to increase smallholder farmer income and welfare.