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Learning Net work
Small Producers Agency in Globalised Markets
Revised work plan of
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Srikantha Shenoy TV,
Member of the Learning Network, Bangalore, India
Period
Nov 2010 to Dec 2011
Submitted to
Network Coordinator
Contents
Context ................................................................................................................................................ 2
Initiatives for Development Foundation ............................................................................................. 2
Theme 2: Public and Private Institutional Arrangements that Promote SPA ..................................... 2
Study Frame work ............................................................................................................................... 2
Sub themes ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Cooperative societies and Farmer organizations............................................................................ 3
Value chain analysis in the Co-operatives and Farmers Organisations .......................................... 4
Intermediaries ................................................................................................................................. 4
Learning questions .............................................................................................................................. 4
Study methodology ............................................................................................................................. 6
Outputs ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Budget ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Work Plan............................................................................................................................................ 7
Reference to old proposals ................................................................................................................. 7
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Public and Private Institutional
Arrangements that Promote SPA in
their Economic Organisations and Value
Chains
Context
The Learning Network on ‘Small Producers Agency (SPA) in Globalised Markets’ considered 3 themes
as primers for the Knowledge Programme on SPA after the Geneva meet. They are (1) Policies,
Regional Trade Agreements, and SPA (2) Institutional arrangements (3) Entrepreneurship,
Informality, Indigenous and other Economic Rationalities. Each theme has global implications and is
organically linked. The members of KP network based on their aptitude, expertise are working on
themes relevant to them in consultation with the coordinators of each theme and other members in
each of the group as well as members from the same country /continent. Hence, the work book has
undergone an evolutionary process after several iterations.
Initiatives for Development Foundation
IDF is a resource organization with hands on insights in grass roots works with Small Producers in
agriculture and other livelihoods in south India (www.idfdevelopment.org). IDF is promoting the SP
collectives in paddy and other farm produce value chains. It is a direct actor in the evolutionary
process of SPA interacting with the market forces. The insights of these actions, net works
established to help this processes and immediate practical utility of these learning’s to the network
partners hence find more resonance in the 2nd Theme of the KP study by IDF.
Theme 2: Public and Private Institutional Arrangements that Promote SPA
The theme considers study of Economic Organisations of SPA and positioning in Value Chains. Broad
objective of the theme is to ‘Understand and produce new insights on how public and/or private
policies and different institutional arrangements can promote agency in small-scale producers' social
enterprises/associations and/or in the value chains
where they participate’.
Study Frame work
Small Producers have several challenges on their
agency is an acknowledged fact. The challenges are
more complex in globalised markets. The SPA is
influenced by global trends. The framework will
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recognize the centrality of livelihood quality of SP and how other institutional stake holders support
or impede building SP Agency.
Considering the limited time and other resources, the study to generate quality knowledge will focus
in specific geographies and sectors among small producers as defined by following framework:
i.
SP focus:
Farmers (Small, Marginal, Tenant, Oral lessee farmers, farm women)
ii. SPA
constituents:
Individual small producers, informal and formal groups – legal bodies of small
producers
iii. External
Stakeholders:
Governments at various levels, Public sector institutions, Financial Institutions, Civil
Society Organisations, Academia,
SP Collectives – Cooperatives, Private
institutions (Indigenous, Multinational), Value chain and Market players from
public and private sectors, New Age Institutions (Public – Private – Community
SPVs), Media, Agro Industries, Industry Associations, Producers Associations,
Producers Federations, Consumers
Role of Stakeholders and Mechanism that support – impede the works of small
producers from seeds to markets to seeds (Production – business cycle).
Comparative – analytical study of different stakeholders affecting SPA, Intuitive
projections, based on facts and trends
Karnataka state, marginally covering neighboring States in India
iv. Span of study:
v. Approach:
vi. Geographical
area:
vii. Output focus:
viii. Coordination
and connection
with KP
partners:
ix. Validation:
Processes involving debates amongst different stakeholders in SP agency, based on
principle of mutual benefits to validate perspectives, create and apply knowledge
Study will be in tandem with interlinked components of study by Mr Sanjeev, to
weave an representative India perspective India perspectives Study is connected
with works of
 Mainza Mugoya in Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia
 Medius Bihunirwa, Mohammed Shariff in Uganda
 Ronnie Natawidjaja in Indonesia
 Falguni Guharay in Nicaragua
Peer consultation and review with activists amongst the stakeholders, from design
of study, progression of study and draft conclusion based on principles of quality
processes
Sub themes
Cooperative societies and Farmer organizations
The study will make a comparative study of co-operatives and Farmers organizations of different
genre. The key learning questions explores perspectives of SP and their representative organizations,
identifying the internal and external factors that have contributed to agency. Components would be
policies, regulations and laws that have incentivized their success or constrained to achieve
successes. The study would also explore the competitive advantage or disadvantage faced by virtue
of extent of involvement with Small Producers. The study also critically looks at the profile of the SPs
for/by whom the Cooperatives and Farmers Organisations are constituted, and future perspectives
of SPs and their agency.
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Value chain analysis in the Co-operatives and Farmers Organisations
The study will explore the value chain of the principal produce of the constituent SPs and extent to
which the Cooperative / Organisation covers the value chains. The key questions explores, the
mechanisms available and used by the Cooperatives and Organisations for overcoming information
constraints to improve product marketing, financing operations, positioning in the value chain and
markets, technical information flows for small producers and producer organizations.
Intermediaries
The study aims to bring to fore the role of intermediaries in building or limiting SP agency from seed
to market to seed or a production cum business cycle. Intermediaries would be between the SP and
SP Cooperatives, Farmers Organizations; and between these Cooperatives/Farmers Organisations
with market players.
The market players will be both from demand side (inputs, logistics, technology, financial services,
entitlements etc) and supply side (market intelligence, aggregation, value addition, storage, logistics,
financial services in the value chain etc). Given the asymmetry of access to timely information,
finance and technology by small producers, the study would specially focus on policies, programmes
and delivery of financial services by Private financiers, Suppliers Credit, Micro finance institutions,
Credit Cooperatives and Public Sector Banks in all the phases of production cum business cycle. The
study will also look at implications of the Government of India and Reserve Bank of India (Central
bank policy) regime on financial inclusion in conjunction with the National Rural Livelihood Mission
aimed at building SP agency.
Learning questions
The learning questions are open ended. They are inter-linked across the themes, attempt to amplify
clarity on agency concept, roles and cause – effect processes. They are indicative, and will be used in
individual interactions, Focused group discussions.
SP perspective
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What is the feedback on SP livelihood?
What are the changes affecting SP livelihood? Trends?
Who are the key stakeholders in SP Livelihoods’? (In production, Technology, Management,
Finance, Information, Market access, entitlements – rights, others)
How the stake holders can be prioritized?
o Who does the immediate impact?
o Who does the significant impact?
o What is the measure of impact?
o What contributed to the impact? How?
What would be the profile of SP in near and distant future?
o What is the rationale for this projection?
o What can contribute to this projection?
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o
o
Where SP would be positioned in this projection? What is SP equity in the projected
scenario?
What would be its impact on SP livelihood and food security? The larger Climate
change?
Perspectives of
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Governance and Management teams of SP Cooperatives and Organisations
External stake holders
What is the perception on SP agency? How it is described?
How the organization is representative of SP? What is the role of SP in governance?
What is the profile of the SP constituents? Is there a change? Trends and causes? Future
perspectives?
How sense of ‘agency’ is built among SP constituents? What is the mode? Consequences?
What organizational factors are contributing in building agency amongst SP?
Cause of the origin of the Cooperatives and Farmers organisation
o Legacy of founders – leaders – vision – mission – core values of the organisation
o Form of organisation?
o Organizational structure?
o Quality of governance and management?
o Organizational systems – coping ability – flexibility to adapt to changes? Strategic
alliance with Public and Private sector – modernization and diversification?
o Engagement system with constituent SPs
Who are the external stake holders? What are the external factors?
o What are their roles in building agency – enabling or impeding?
o What are the impact creators - policies, regulations, laws?
o Programmes, Implementation, partnerships?
o Planned or un planned opportunities
o Is there a mechanism to influence? What is the impact?
Where the Cooperative, organisation is positioned in the value chain?
What contributed to this positioning?
o Market opportunity or crisis?
o Planned positioning?
o Competitive / comparative advantage?
o Incentives – capital grants, revolving funds, guaranteed line of credit, tax holidays?
o Strategic alliances – partnerships with public and private sectors – bundling of services
on both demand and supply side?
What is the role provided to SP in the value chain? How it is provided?
o Incubation services? Capacity development to meet market bench marks?
What and how challenges are faced? Anticipated? (Information, Tech know how, Man power,
Finance, Aggregation, Logistics, Supply volumes, seasonality, infrastructure, capital investments,
working capital, supply chain management, Forward linkages, Market positioning?)
Who are the intermediaries? On supply and Demand side? What is their role?
Whether fair trade practices are in play? How they are brought in?
Any disintermediation has happened? How and what has been the impact? Implications in
building SP agency
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Impact of policies and programmes of the State, Public and Private sector on financial inclusion,
CSR imperatives, programmes for achievement of Millennium goals
Study methodology
Secondary Research by
Review of publications
Sources:
 Print media & Journals
 Visual documentaries
 Cyber publications
Primary research by
 Semi structured interactions
with individuals and Groups
 Focused group discussions
 E questionnaire – written
interviews
 E discussion forums –
communities
 Field/site visits and
observations
 Group analysis and intuitive
projections
Respondents
 Small Producers
 Governance and
Management team of
Cooperatives and Farmers
Organisations
 Farming net works
 Civil society organizations
 Media activists
 Retailers – input suppliers
 Whole sellers
 Processors - Industrialists
 Brokers and other
intermediaries

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Organizational reports
Case studies
Policy and statute
critique/analysis reports

Bankers, Micro finance
Institutions
Insurers
Government functionaries
at various levels
Key decision makers in
Public and Private sectors
Technologist and
Academia
Consultants
Consumers
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Outputs
A wide perspective report on Institutional mechanism of building SP agency, analytically comparing
diverse Cooperatives, Farmers Organisations and Producers collectives. The report will consist of
multiple case lets across the sub themes and an inter-linking narrative, capturing facts and
perspectives, intuitive projections.
The study research is process oriented and hence, expected to spur debates, throw challenges
resulting into a robust extended knowledge net work contributing to a body of knowledge by diverse
stake holders who also will be the users of the knowledge for building SP agency.
Budget
USD 12000 including travel, diem, professional, meeting and communication costs. This is as per
indication in the review of last proposal. However, looking at the sweep and scope of the study, the
proposed it is proposed that the budget be enhanced to USD 15000 to meet the costs of intense
work needed in the sub themes, within a narrow time span.
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Work Plan
# Activities
1 Sensitizing our supporting team and developing plan of action
2 Sensitizing the network and expanding it to involve more
interested, committed stakeholders
3 Collection of research papers, secondary data and building on
them in the context of the objectives of the Group 2 study
4 Scanning and short listing of different constituents in small
producers agencies to develop case studies
5 Organizing a round table for scheduling field studies
6 Field studies
7 Draft report preparation & Peer review meets
8 Final report
Q4
2010
x
Q1
2011
Q2
2011
Q3
2011
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Reference to old proposals - reviews
1. Insights on how Small Producers Agency is built and strengthened through producers
organisation dated June 21, 2010
2. Integration in revised workbook by Srikantha 24-10-10, with study areas across the three
themes, with a cumulative budget of USD 24000
3. Srikantha final proposal review 23rd November 10 (Reviewed by Diego & Ethel), limited to Theme
2, with a budget of USD 12000
4. Review meeting dated 17th Dec 2010 with Bishwadeep Ghose, Hivos, Bangalore
5. India perspective review meet dated 31st Jan – 2nd Feb, 2011 with Theme Coordinators at Hivos,
RO, Bangalore
6. Final proposal by Mr Sanjeev (work plan 3.doc) dated 19th Feb. 2011
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