Federation of Farmers' Clubs
>> Friday, April 29, 2011
A NABARD-KVK Partnership programme
Upscaling the Farmers Club concept and sustaining the activities of the Clubs is identified as a thrust area for intervention by NABARD. Towards achieving this goal, a pilot programme for federating eighty Farmers Clubs at the district level is being implemented in Kannur district. The Federation will act as agents for diffusion of technological innovations with the help of a team of KVK led Expert Emeritus Faculty (KEEF), one for each taluk. The project which is an innovative farmer led extension approach conceived by KVK for accelerating diffusion of innovations is being implemented in partnership with NABARD with grant assistance from its Farmers Technology Transfer Fund (FTTF).
Separate Directorates (headed by farmer directors) for farmers' science, farmer to farmer extension, farmer to farmer training and processing & marketing are created under the Federation. The Federation will undertake a host of activities under the expert guidance of KEEF including preparation of Action Plans by each Club to solve their prioratised problems, dissemination of information, technology transfer, experience sharing, processing and value addition, formation of producer groups, common marketing interventions etc. Besides, capacity building of the Farmers Clubs and their members through a variety of farm specific technological interventions and training, adoption of good agricultural practices leading to optimisation of returns etc will be the other priorities. The project also aims at showcasing at least one replicable model of farm enterprise under each of the Farmers Clubs. Thus around one hundred model farm enterprises are expected to be set up during project period.
The most important outcome of this innovative intervention would be creation of a new model for two way technology transfer through the Federation of Farmers Clubs and KEEF. The project is a blend of both product and process innovation and is expected to result in a replicable model for technology diffusion through the intervention of farmers' collectives (Farmers Clubs), research institution (KVK) and promotional agency (NABARD).
NABARD has sanctioned a grant assistance of Rs. 5.95 lakh for the project. KVK will bear the cost of critical inputs, front line demonstrations, training, and extension activities etc. By the end of the project period, the Federation is expected to attain financial sustainability through collection of subscriptions and collective interventions in input supply, marketing etc.
Kakkengad Farmers Club is one among the eighty Clubs from the district affiliated to the Federation and by virtue of its vast experience in extension activities and dissemination of technology, rightly, the President of Club, Shri A.M.Mathew was nominated to the coveted post of Chief Manager of the Federation, a yet another feather in the cap of Kakkengad Farmers Club.
Besides providing technology support, KVK has taken the initiative to aggregate and market value added products manufactured by members of the farmers clubs affiliated to it and also has extended marketing support through branding of the products. The first value added branded product of virgin coconut oil named "Coco Dew", produced by members of a Joint Liability Group under the fold of Kakkengad Farmers Club was formally launched on 22 Feb 2011 by Dr. P.V. Balachandran, Director of Extension, Kerala Agricultural University.
KVK has developed a software which will enable the farmers clubs to prepare their action plans and projects in association with various developmental agencies. It is a new initiative taken under NABARD- KVK Federation of Farmers Clubs. Some newspaper reports on the subject can be seen here and here
Upscaling the Farmers Club concept and sustaining the activities of the Clubs is identified as a thrust area for intervention by NABARD. Towards achieving this goal, a pilot programme for federating eighty Farmers Clubs at the district level is being implemented in Kannur district. The Federation will act as agents for diffusion of technological innovations with the help of a team of KVK led Expert Emeritus Faculty (KEEF), one for each taluk. The project which is an innovative farmer led extension approach conceived by KVK for accelerating diffusion of innovations is being implemented in partnership with NABARD with grant assistance from its Farmers Technology Transfer Fund (FTTF).
Separate Directorates (headed by farmer directors) for farmers' science, farmer to farmer extension, farmer to farmer training and processing & marketing are created under the Federation. The Federation will undertake a host of activities under the expert guidance of KEEF including preparation of Action Plans by each Club to solve their prioratised problems, dissemination of information, technology transfer, experience sharing, processing and value addition, formation of producer groups, common marketing interventions etc. Besides, capacity building of the Farmers Clubs and their members through a variety of farm specific technological interventions and training, adoption of good agricultural practices leading to optimisation of returns etc will be the other priorities. The project also aims at showcasing at least one replicable model of farm enterprise under each of the Farmers Clubs. Thus around one hundred model farm enterprises are expected to be set up during project period.
The most important outcome of this innovative intervention would be creation of a new model for two way technology transfer through the Federation of Farmers Clubs and KEEF. The project is a blend of both product and process innovation and is expected to result in a replicable model for technology diffusion through the intervention of farmers' collectives (Farmers Clubs), research institution (KVK) and promotional agency (NABARD).
NABARD has sanctioned a grant assistance of Rs. 5.95 lakh for the project. KVK will bear the cost of critical inputs, front line demonstrations, training, and extension activities etc. By the end of the project period, the Federation is expected to attain financial sustainability through collection of subscriptions and collective interventions in input supply, marketing etc.
Kakkengad Farmers Club is one among the eighty Clubs from the district affiliated to the Federation and by virtue of its vast experience in extension activities and dissemination of technology, rightly, the President of Club, Shri A.M.Mathew was nominated to the coveted post of Chief Manager of the Federation, a yet another feather in the cap of Kakkengad Farmers Club.
Besides providing technology support, KVK has taken the initiative to aggregate and market value added products manufactured by members of the farmers clubs affiliated to it and also has extended marketing support through branding of the products. The first value added branded product of virgin coconut oil named "Coco Dew", produced by members of a Joint Liability Group under the fold of Kakkengad Farmers Club was formally launched on 22 Feb 2011 by Dr. P.V. Balachandran, Director of Extension, Kerala Agricultural University.
KVK has developed a software which will enable the farmers clubs to prepare their action plans and projects in association with various developmental agencies. It is a new initiative taken under NABARD- KVK Federation of Farmers Clubs. Some newspaper reports on the subject can be seen here and here
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