Why India Needs Group Farming

Agriculture in India is not an organized sector. On top of this climate change and unpredictable monsoon has created a lot of problems for small farmers. The ultimate solution to address these challenges is to make farmer aware and persuade them to opt for available options and advanced farming technologies. Due to ignorance of technical knowledge, low income, unfavorable climatic condition and deprived facilities, farmers have started turning to labor work and oftentimes even moving to some other location to find work for their livelihood.

Small and marginal farmers, even in good productivity years, undergo marketing hassles and unable to earn good profits. Due to their low scale of production, these farmers are unable to compete and fulfil market requirements. To compete with the rising globalization and be a part of it, farmers need to overcome the challenge of efficiency. Efficiency in resource utilization, adoption of new and latest technologies, cultivating a quality produce etc. To achieve this efficiency, farmers need to come together to address the above mentioned challenges.

In the form of groups, small farmers can come together to adopt modern technology and produce higher quality agri-produce. Through groups, farmers can adopt latest technologies at a faster rate, produce high quality products and ultimately capture the emerging domestic and international markets.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Farmers must come together to help each other.

2. Identify the common goals, opportunities and potential.

3. Bringing together small farmers in clusters & developing the groups.

4. Adoption of suitable common cropping pattern on large scale by these groups &

federation of these groups in cluster of villages.

5. Adoption of latest technologies by the group farmers, and using a common

technology for production of high quality produce.

6. Adoption of advance irrigation systems like drip & sprinkler in cluster, &

increasing the efficiency of water usage.

7. Conservation of land & water resource on community basis & thereafter judicious

use of these resources in a sustainable manner.

8. Bringing all crops including cereals under Drip Irrigation, no drop of water will

be given to the field without Drip or Micro Irrigation.

At our farming hub at Rahua , Dist Saharsa , Bihar we have got together farmers on shared concept . The team has got together 200 + farmers managing 500+ acreswho share this concept & belief.

Steps Taken:

Shared machinery to reduce costs : This helps in bring the costs of tilling , spraying & harvesting down by 20 % . Machines used like harvester, seeder , sprayers.

Bulk purchase of Inputs : Optimum pricing of all inputs & timely availability

Irrigation : Through Farmonaut's satellite images the team manages the irrigation needs of the entire area in a precise manner

Sales : This helps to get the best rates & saves on logistics