In India, Farmer Producer Organizations hold enormous opportunity to alleviate poverty and improve gender equity in smallholder farming communities. Although the Government of Odisha had established agricultural policies that created opportunities for FPOs to achieve profitability and sustainability, at the time of project startup in 2020, FPOs were nascent in the state and lacked the capacity to operate effectively in the FPO ecosystem.
Market Solution
Through the 3-year Promotion & Stabilization of Farmer Producer Organizations (PSFPO) project, Tanager worked to increase the profitability and sustainability of FPOs in Odisha. Working in close collaboration with the government to leverage government resources and expertise, Tanager supported eight lighthouse FPOs and built an inclusive, collaborative ecosystem.
Tanager achieved impact through the application of integrated strategies that targeted both the enabling environment and FPOs directly. The project strengthened both backward and forward linkages, bridged the gap between FPOs and their members, and further assisted FPOs in establishing input shops, collections centers, and nurseries to diversity their income streams.
The approach served as a replicable model to scale up the effectiveness of FPOs as viable economic actors in that ecosystem.
Market Impact
- Engaged 4,366 FPO members (62% female)
- Increased FPO membership by 662%
- Increased overall revenue of 8 lighthouse FPOs from INR 3.8 million before project start to INR 78 million by 2023x
- Collective aggregation enabled turnover of 3,870 metric tons of produce (527% increase in overall turnovers across products)
- Facilitated INR 9.4 million in financing for 8 lighthouse FPOs
- Leveraged INR 3.57 million in government schemes, benefiting approximately 900 farmers
- Provided training to 565 women in different value-addition activities