Small Farmers Large Farm

An experiment in collective farming to promote sustainable intensification of

agriculture in Odisha

By: Sampriti Baruah

The International Rice Research Institute

The Small Farmers, Large Field (SFLF) model

• Backward and forward linkage

• Horizontal consolidation of small

rice farmers:

Smallholders are organized and

integrated in a group to increase

their bargaining power (in the input

and output markets, service

providers, mechanization, etc.)

• Vertical Integration

With input dealers (seed,

fertilizers, pesticide and custom

service providers) at one end and

output market (millers and

exporters) at the other end.

The Idea: “Large field model (LFMs)” at Mekong Delta

• Activity: Rice farming on large scale for exports.

• Scale: more than 6,400 farmer households from 12 out of 13 provinces

in Mekong River Delta; the project area reaches 8,000 ha.

• Successes:

- Production costs decreases by 30% compared with small and

separated producers.

- Average yields are high (7.5 - 8 tons/ha).

- Profit rises by 150% compared with small and non-integrated

producers.

3

Vietnam Government encouraged this collective production model,

where fields are with one or more owner, but have the same production

procedure and the same product selling plan.

The SFLF Pilot in Odisha Rabi 2016-17

For 2016 - 2017 rabi (dry) season

Farmers participated: 54

Area under SFLF: 90 acres

Variety grown: Bina11

The Odisha model

IRRI

MadhyamFoundation (NGO

partner)

Farmer’s representative

committee

All farmers joining the project

8 member farmer’s representative

committee

All farmers joining the project

Mat nursery raising in groups

Irrigation system owned by few farmers

Caste issues Political party

affiliations

Village middle men and service providers

Perception of Share Croppers

Challenges

Locating the village for the pilot

Convincing the farmers to try our idea

Cost and Time Savings

• Fertilizer & Pesticide (from IFFCO @ approx. 10% lower price anddelivered at door step; IFFCO also conducted free soil testing). Hugetime saving for farmers

• Seed nursery: Mat nursery grown as a group; ₹150 per acre savingand significant time saving

• Land preparation: Machine hired as a group; ₹200 per acre saving

• Crop establishment : ₹200 per acre saving

• Manual + Chemical weeding: ₹260 per acre saving and huge timesaving.

• Pesticide: ₹530 per acre saving and time saving

• Combine Harvest: Machine hired as a group; ₹500 per acre saving

Item Rabi 2015 -16 Rabi 2016 -17 Remarks

TOTAL COST 15,370 13,810

NET RETURN 12,130 24,830

Uniform grain quality

No varietal mix

Profit rose by an average of 105% for SFLF farmers in the year 2016 -17 Rabi compared to 2015-16

Production costs decreased by 10%

Average yield is high (6 quintals/acre ),

Successes:

SFLF plan for - Kharif 2017

40 Women Farmers

Land Area 46 Acres

Khanijpur

79 Framers

Land Area 178.8 Acres

Traboisasan

Thank You!