Linking Farmers to Business and enhancing livelihoods  & Establishing of Women Wing 2011-2012:
2012 is the last year of financial support to FFA-AP. The partnership has continued since 2002 (10 years). FFA-AP is able to continue the programme without further support from Agriterra making use of facilities  of the government and linkages with private sector for its commodity programme. The women's wing will be managed independently from 2013 onwards. The support from Passage since 2007 has been detrimental in this. 

Activities in 2012 relate to 2 components: 
1. linking farmers to business and livelihood programme. This programme focuses on 5 commodities covering 7 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Farmers are trained in better agronomic practices and linked to the market/private sector through CIGs (commodity interest groups). 
2. A lobby component is included as well ensuring that the present food management system of the government will be overhauled. FFA-AP and CIFA (i.e. the national farmers organisation) work hand in hand on this aspect. Particular attention is given to paddy and sugarcane.

2. Strengthening the women's wing. This programme consists of two activities. 
1. The board of the women's wing will be strengthened. Existing federation structure will be strengthened from group to mandal to district to state level based on the three involved districts.
2. livelihood activities including a self managed micro finance scheme.

2011 Activity Framework
1.	To continue to form / convert around 4500 farmers into Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs) into the CIGs of paddy, sugarcane, vegetables, oil seeds, cotton, chillies, horticulture, pulses, livestock, and aquaculture in 7 operational districts in AP.

2.	With the CIGs of FFA ; the marketing activity will be continued not only with the existing crops but make attempts to take up some more new crops in new areas and make new partnerships with Industry.,

3.	The initiatives will include establishment of marketing intelligence network, linking FOs with processing industries through procurement and providing value addition. 

4.	The cooperation with ATMA and KVK are being continued and fresh MOUs were made in October 2010 for this financial year.  The pre and harvesting techniques will remain the focus of the dissemination. 

5. -	Paddy: Demand for the overhaul food management system and allow private trade to procure, store, distribute and introduce warehouse receipts system used by accredited warehouses to be taken as negotiable instruments and government to ensure minimum price for farmers; Sugarcane:  advocate for the release of working capital to Co-operative sugar factories in Andhra Pradesh, lobby with the state for justified State Advisory Prices.


Field Activities
The field activities in realizing the objectives as per the activity frame work include the following: 

Expanding market access
-	Strengthening of existing marketing linkages and scout for new partnerships to benefit farmers with both public and private institutions.
-	To continue with  facilitation of vegetable procurement with MORE and Reliance Fresh
-	To continue with the oriental tobacco buyback facility with ITC
-	To  continue Mango procurement along with Coca Cola
-	To take up Chilli and turmeric marketing through MCX & NCDEX trading platforms.  
-	To take up dairy buy back activity in association with Dairy industries 
-	To promote value addition by linking farmers with processing industries and encourage contract farming 

Commodity Groups strengthening
-	To strengthen the commodity associations
-	To form Cooperative MACS societies for specific commodities for market linkages.

Lobby and advocacy
- various meetings with farmers, government and ministries, private sector and other stakeholders, articles in news papers and TV/radio for sensitisation and positioning.

WOMEN WING PROJECT
The project will have three basic components: 
 
1.	Strengthening the existing and building Women self-managed institutions 
This component includes the strengthening of women groups formed in the first and second years. It also involves the strengthening higher federations formed in the first and second years at village, mandal (block)  and district levels in the 3 identified districts. 
 
2.	Capacity Building of women groups  and creation of Social Forum  
To strengthen the social forums formed at the village levels as Village Organisations in terms of creation in the operational centers and capacity building efforts to women groups and federations in terms of augmenting leadership capability; focus on empowerment; awareness on social and health issues etc.
 
3.	The Livelihood activities 
 The Income-generation and livelihood improvement activities will be taken up as provided. 

Taking the recommendations of last Mission visit of Passage into consideration, the proposal incorporates the livelihood recommendations as suggested. 

The livelihood activities will focus on increasing household income by improving existing activities and offering alternative opportunities.     
 
The Project Implementation
The activities will be implemented broadly through a State level Women’s wing which will be provided with key functional staff at the State Project Management Unit.

The livelihood enhancement through entrepreneurial activity is proposed through the following activities. 
-	Undertake a market study to identify 5 - 7 commercial activities apart from the activities taken up by the project Women.
-	The activities will include the product that have significant levels of local market demand for processed goods, including a disaggregation of market demand according to quality and quantity requirements.
-	Identify Self Help Groups (SHGs) – in addition to already involved SHGs- with the interest and capacity to work in the Women Wing Livelihood programme. 
-	Provide training and technical assistance to the SHGs federations (VOs/ MSs) to take up commercial activities. The training will focus on issues of access to finance, technology, market information etc. 
-	Identify and establish partnerships with FOs, cooperatives and other trading establishments for collaborating with WV 
-	 FFA will help the WV groups to create business plans for accessing financing and identifying technical weaknesses, for entrepreneurs interested in working in the commercial activities. 
-	FFA will facilitate access to finance through microfinance institutions, banks and others 
-	Develop linkages with equipment vendors necessary to manufacture identified products 
-	Facilitate access to domestic market outlets

2012 activity framework:
Objectives of component 1: Linking Farmers to Business and enhancing livelihoods
1. Farmer Outreach: through CIGs: To further organize farmers into Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs)for enhanced income and accessing market
2: Business Linkages: To strengthen and expand marketing linkages including contract farming to strengthen existing and further develop efficient and profitable marketing models using a variety of distribution channels.
3: Continue to network along with the other farmers associations and fight for the favourable policies for the farmers (this is new for 2012)

Main activities of component 1:
1. Farmers outreach through CIG's:
Continue strengthening already formed Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs) of Paddy, sugarcane, vegetables, oil seeds, cotton, chillies, horticulture, and pulses in 7 operational districts in AP through conducting marketing initiative trainings.

2. Business linkages: 
The Coca Cola activity of Mango procurement will be continued. Presently Mango procurement has spread to neighboring states of Tamilnadu and Karnataka.  
Partnership with ITC/ ILTD on the Tobacco direct procurement will be continued. 
The MORE vegetable cooperation is being strengthened. 
The MOUs with ATMA and KVKs have been renewed. This includes training programs on Paddy, Horticulture with KVK and ATMA programs in Chittoor; Nellore; Kadapa; Ranga Reddy; Medak; and Nizamabad districts.

3. favourable policies for the farmers:
  - the overhaul the food management system and allow private trade to procure, store and distribute foodgrains and sugar pricing system. 

FFA-AP plans to make some restructuring in the organisation due to funding restrictions. A position of Vice President – Livelihoods is planned who will be the anchor for FFA livelihood activities which will be including Women livelihood activities. Similar a vice president will be appointed looking after marketing of several commodities and after the projects, proposals , budgeting etc. Consultants will be hired for communication, pme etc. 

Resource mobilisation: private sector and government will become even more essential partners in the future after Agriterra withdraws.
 
Objectives of component 2: strengthening of women's wing
4: Financial Assistance: Providing access to financial and technical resources to the women who are already into social mobilization fold in order to expand their asset base through livelihood opportunities
5: Women Empowerment: To Strengthen the Women Wing through developing and strengthening self-managed grassroots organizations from the village to the State level and resulting in the formation of Women Wing. 

Main activities of component 2:
4. The Livelihood activities 
Entrepreneurial activities will be continued both in on-farm and off-farm activities.
micro finance: revolving loans to groups will be provided for purchase of poultry, nursery, floriculture and dairy. Rotation funds will be managed at district level and nominal interest wil be raised to create a corpus fund.
5. Women empowerment:
- Strengthening Women groups formed in the last three years along with their federations in 3 identified districts. No new women's groups will be taken on board. rather the present ones will be further strengthened.
 - WOMEN WING is able to take up the mantle from the next year from the present FFA set up and run it independently.

towards a self managed women's wing, favourable policies to overhaul government's food management system and private sector linkages with farmers produce.