People’s Collectives

Establishing a strong foundation for any project involves the active involvement of the local community in all its endeavors. To realize this objective, the farmers from various villages have come together under a unified entity known as Farmer Clubs. These clubs provide members with regular training sessions. The overarching aim of Farmer Clubs is to ensure that, upon project implementation, subsequent maintenance and growth are entrusted to the collaborative efforts of the community, fostering self-sufficiency and sustainable development.

Active Farmer Clubs have been established across Adilabad, Nirmal, Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, and Vikarabad districts in Telangana, as well as in Kadapa and Visakhapatnam districts in Andhra Pradesh. Members of these clubs convene on a designated date each month, engaging in discussions concerning various agricultural matters and taking part in ‘Shramadana’ to implement Government initiatives. Moreover, they receive comprehensive training on financial savings and collective management mechanisms.

As part of a structured savings scheme, these members contribute a predetermined sum, which is then cyclically redistributed among them in the form of loans whenever the need arises. This strategic approach not only breaks the cycle of indebtedness to moneylenders but also fosters financial independence within the farming community.

3472 farmers organized through 178 Farmer Clubs till March, 2021.

To encourage women’s ownership and active participation in developmental initiatives, Women’s Clubs (WC) have been established. Operating in a manner akin to Farmer Clubs (FC), these Women’s Clubs collaborate closely with the Farmer Clubs to facilitate village development. With a monthly meeting schedule, Women’s Clubs convene to address matters concerning both women and the village at large, working collectively to identify solutions for various challenges.

The Gram Vikas Samiti (GVS) is a volunteer-based initiative implemented in each project village. Comprising 4 members (2 males and 2 females), its purpose is to ensure the continuity of developmental projects after the conclusion of external support for the program. These dedicated volunteers undergo comprehensive training, equipping them with skills in watershed maintenance, organic farming, bookkeeping, establishing connections with government agencies for village development schemes, managing animal husbandry, responding to emergency calls, and more. This training empowers them to seamlessly transition into leadership roles and continue driving the development initiatives forward

The Gram Vikas Samiti (GVS) plays a pivotal role in the developmental framework:

• Site Visits and Assessment: GVS members conduct regular visits to locations where projects are successfully underway, assessing their progress and effectiveness.
• Monthly Village Interaction: Dedicated to their assigned village, GVS members spend some days per month engaging with the community. They actively discuss various challenges and collaborate on finding effective solutions.
• Integral Project Involvement: As frontline participants, GVS members actively contribute to project planning, execution, and monitoring. They play a vital role in every phase of the project lifecycle.

The GVS’s significance extends to post-project phases:

• Sustained Operations: GVS’s involvement ensures the continuation of project operations even after Ekalavya Foundation has handed over the reins to the village communities.
• Engagement Impact: During the 2022-23 period, a total of 586 volunteers across 251 villages were instrumental in sustaining and progressing the development programs within their respective villages.

In summary, GVS members act as dynamic bridge builders between project implementation, community engagement, and the long-term sustainability of developmental endeavors

Research has convincingly demonstrated that the productivity of small farms can experience significant enhancement through the strategic incorporation of technology, mechanization, and improved support systems. This can be achieved through the establishment of Farmer Producer Organizations, enabling the creation of robust value chains and facilitating essential market connections.

In particular, the existing frameworks of farmers’ institutions, such as farmer clubs and federations of farmers’ clubs, hold the potential to be harnessed for the purpose of establishing producer organizations on a noticeable scale.

Although farmers’ clubs have been in existence for the past four decades, their impact on significant economic activities has remained limited. However, there is a substantial opportunity to bolster farmers’ associations through the concept of federation. By uniting individual farmers’ clubs under one umbrella, these federations can collectively engage in economic endeavors, capitalizing on the advantages of economies of scale.

Furthermore, forging partnerships between these federations and various government departments holds the potential to enhance access to a wide array of government services, thereby benefiting the farmer-members. These partnerships can be facilitated by entities such as District Development Managers (DDM) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Notably, numerous development initiatives supported by NABARD could be channeled through these federations, amplifying their potential impact.

Currently, one FPO vizThukaram Madavi Producer Company limited with 959 shareholders from 33 villages.