Linking Farmers to Business and enhancing livelihoods Specific Objectives
1.To further organize farmers into Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs)
2. To strengthen and expand marketing linkages including contract farming
3. To strengthen existing partnerships and alliances with both private and public institutions

The Strategic Goals, when further specified into Strategic Objectives for the year 2011 may be as follows: 

1.	Associate with state government and work for flood relief activity in terms of getting right price; marketing the discolored rice; achieving the input subsidy etc; 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. 

2.	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 the existing 14 operational districts in AP.

3.	To take up Dairy activity in a big way in three districts where the women project is in operation. (The details of dairy activity are enclosed in the latter coloumns)

4.	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 and will include the marketing intelligence, processing, value addition and procurement etc.
This will include:
-	This will involve the 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 this was thought of last year but could not be done.  
-	To promote value addition by linking farmers with processing industries and encourage contract farming 

Looking Ahead through Strategic Plan
Though the intention was that the activities for the years 2009-12 would be based on the
strategic plan devised earlier, the sudden stoppage in the funding has indeed put a sort of brakes in the continuation of activities as before. However, FFA with the help of not only Agriterra; but also from many other sympathizers has successfully run through the year. The EC has met more frequently than before to chalk out plans to run the activities.  

The strategic Plan opines that FFA, A.P. envisages empowering of farmers and farmwomen; securing an appropriate policy frame work and enhancement of productivity and competitiveness as a pre cursor to the stated vision. Since multiple organizational structures of farmers for translating the activities into a wide range of short and long-term programmes are needed; the same was thought to be continued in the next year also. 

The Governments in the state and center are to be consulted in the problems that are erupting in the agricultural sector; something like the floods that evolved in this year. It is but imperative to have a well organized and strong farmer’s community that can effectively bring matters to fore. As such, the lobby and advocacy activities will be continued for the activities that are needed. 

The women are an integral part of the FFA activities. The facilitation of livelihoods for women as a strategy along with efforts on agriculture has long been practiced in FFA.  FFA would like to see the women being organized into groups through which they can get access to all kinds of information. The activities of the Women project being done in the three districts will be taken up in the other districts with the help from the project from WRF – Spain. 

The direct linkage with industries to prevent the exploitation of farmers in market yards and also to avoid middlemen and commission agents will be continued. The efforts for establishing alternative market channels available for farmers; provide lee way for value addition through linking farmers with processing industries; interactions and partnerships with national and international organizations and industries would be facilitated; service provision and mediation to help farmers to enter into agreements with Government, Financial institutions, Industry and cooperative institutions will be facilitated. FFA has been doing this for the past four years and the same will be continued. 

 Farmer group formation and regular meetings will be continued to be taken up to form into village level farmer groups on a commodity basis which, FFA is already doing. These groups need to be federated into society at a bigger/next level. (The FFA presently is forming commodity level groups; however, the groups are not being federated at any level but are being affiliated at the state level and a district level Executive committee is looking after the affairs of the district. The federation at a higher level than the village level is a suggestion that emanated in the discussions. ) FFA had this objective in the last years proposal too and the same will be continued to be taken up in the present proposal too. 

Fight for MSP: The fight on the Minimum Support Price of various commodities and in particular paddy has been continued. In the last year the paddy farmers after a protracted struggle with the Government got the MSP of paddy to around Rs. 1030/- per tonne. However, as the cost of production ahs got increased enormously, the same needs to be increased if the farmers have to get the right and remunerative price for his produce. The fight for that will be continued by FFA.

The Flood relief activities:
The EC members went to different parts of the state where flood is in severe condition and have taken up a firsthand work of the activities with the local FFA cadre. However, the following works are proposed to be done in the first four months of the project period to tackle fold damage. 
    
1.	Creation of awareness among farmers on alternative Crops proposed to be grown.
2.	Providing of Seed at subsidies prices in consultations with government and private seed companies
3.	Re-schedule of production Credit Loans already existing and provide fresh loans;  consultation with government
4.	Providing Fertilizers for late sowing Crops; Talks with IFFCO and KRIBCO- the cooperative fertilizer companies.
5.	Ensuring uninterrupted quality electricity for Irrigated Crops; close interaction with TRANSCO of Andhra Pradesh.
6.	Inclusion of agricultural operations under NREGA Scheme- Discussions to be taken up with Finance Minister Pranab Mukharjee in Janaury when CIFA’s Secretary general will be meeting him as part of pre budget consultations. Even last year same demand was put forward but inspite of positive reaction no such action was taken up. 
7.	Providing work to farmers under NREGA Scheme.
8.	Coordinating with civil supplies department for the purchase of discolored paddy. 
9.	Creating confidence among farmers that FFA/ NGOs would persuade Government Agencies on implementation of relief programmes.

Many of these activities have been taken up already by FFA in the last year when the state was under severe drought. The only difference is similar set of activities with situational changes are being taken up / proposed for tackling flood situation.  
Operationalisation: The programmes are being decided in such a way that it will be a cooperation between FFA and Agriterra. The FFA will bring in required percentage of resources from the third party donors as it was doing for the past four to five years and Agriterra will be matching it. FFA on its part have contacted many of the donors including institutions; companies and other research based centers for involving them in many of the programmes that FAF is proposing to take up in the current year. The Paddy training programmes and other horticulture training programmes being done on the third party support of Krishi Vgnan Kendras and ATMA project of AP in Chittoor; Nellore; Kadapa; Ranga Reddy; Medak; and Nizamabad etc will be taken up this year. Since those are third party supported programmes they are also being included in the budget.

In effect the same efforts that made FFA to float all the activities on a reduced scale will be taken up this year too. 

Resource mobilization:
The Resource mobilization was one area which made the FFA to learn in a hard way in 2011. With the funding from Agriterra getting stopped for the year, FFA has taken various initiatives to run through its activities. One area was the flab at various levels was cut down and the staff was down sized at the head office level. Many a person were asked to work as consultants on case to case to basis. However, the field operations were continued since the coordinators were not removed and they were being paid with the funds available from KVK/ ATMA/Coca Coal / MORE / ITC / MCX meetings etc projects. The membership fee was also being collected. But since the state was deluged with folds , even that has become difficult after some time.  The exposure visits (margin amount borne by the farmers) were however made as part of various projects that are in vogue.  The market linkages (minimum amount based on the quantum of commodity lifted) has provided some of the funds in respect to Coca Cola; MORE and ITC.  The Rajiv Udyogasri  of GoAP has also helped FFA to continue with its women activities in Non passage – Agriterra  women wing programme districts. 

Third Party resources: While ICRISAT programme of Sorghum has been proposed another extension now;  The Krishi Vignana Kendras – FFA joint training programmes will also be continued in this year. The ATMA association is running into its fifth year of operation. In this initiative training programmes at the district level will be funded resource wise by ATMA while the actual conduct of the programme will be taken up by FFA. The department of Agriculture- Government of AP cooperation is being designed and some programmes in terms of trainings etc will be implemented in association with Agriculture
department – GoAP.

The Coca Cola Mango procurement linkage is being continued for the fifth year; and so will be
the FFA- GMED- USAID mango training initiative

The FFA- ILTD – ITC Tobacco procurement is entering into its third year of implementation.
The procurement has been going on well and the buyback facility has helped farmers in growing
this less water needing crop of Tobacco. The farmers have benefitted through this crop in the
wake of suffering heavy losses in the groundnut crop.

The partnership with the private sector companies is running into the fifth year. In the last year many companies approached FFA in order to have a linkage with its field based programmes. FFA has held programmes  in the field with Insecticides India Limited ; Coramondal; and Dhanuka and Tulasi of
seeds; John Dreeze of tractors; IFFCO of fertilizers; Nuziveedu seeds;  etc were okayed.
Apart from this, the service charges which were started from last year will be continued and the
donation from the FOs at the ground level continues to flow in.

Association with KVKs: FFA has entered into an association with the Krishi Vignan Kendras of the state being run under the Ministry of Agriculture, GOI last year. FFA farmers were imparted the trainings of all the programmes that are being conducted by the KVKs. The local coordinators will interact with KVK scientists and intimate the need of the farmers and devise the programmes accordingly. The FFA coordinators were paid hoanrarium by these programmes. 

 The payment of charges for the services provided was taken by FFA in all the activities that were taken up in the last year. The concept of charges collection was made clear to the participants that the services cannot be continued perpetually as the donors help was stopped

The Government of AP programme for rural livelihoods and programmes of Women and Child Welfare Department and Department of Rural Development has also helped FFA to an extent to run the programmes. 

All the above programmes are still in vogue and with the experiences of last year FFA has tightened its belt. With the support of Agriterra programme FFA can make itself obtain expertise in running without the funding ; may be after a couple of years.

If the proposal is okayed ; a budget based on the activities will be sent.
 

The issues taken up in 2010 at a glance

Though the trainings to the farmers were a bit less when compared to the previous year due to the paucity of funds, FFA nevertheless has taken up the issues of farmers at every level. The organizing of commodity groups has continued. The period was used to remove much of the flab and a follow up of the activity was taken up. All the groups were met by the coordinators and an analysis of who are there in the group was taken up. Some of the members who have migrated and were not active were removed from the groups list. The activity is still going on in the villages and by February or March FFA can have a up to date list of number of groups including the number of women. Until now FFA can with certainty say only about the Women wing project groups in case of women. But in the general project , the women though were taken as members , the census taking was never done perfectly. 

The marketing concepts and partnerships is being continued. The Coca Cola activity which includes the procurement of Mangoes has been continued for the successive fourth year. It has almost come to a sustainable stage with MACS societies taking up the activity. This time FFA has included some areas of Karnataka state and Tamilnadu state also so the number of farmers will be more and also the produce in the Andhra Pradesh state area was less due to the less crop in the area. Apart from Mango, the partnership with ITC/ ILTD on the Tobacco direct procurement has gone well and has entered into the third year of operation. The MORE vegetable cooperation is also continuing, though on a lower scale due to the extreme rise in the prices of vegetables. 

In the extension front, the ATMA activity with the GoAP was being continued and the GoAP has provided funds to that respect. The activity was being taken up in the three districts of Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool. The activity with KVK of GoI has also been progressing well. In fact these activities covering six to seven districts were helpful in making the FFA float in the difficult times with respect to activities at the field level.    
 
The Lobbying and Advocacy The floods in the state have made FFA once again to take up the activity of lobbying and advocacy in a big way. The marketing of rice which got discolored due to the water seeping, has become one of the biggest problems for the farmers. If it was drought last year that crippled the farmers; it is floods this year that has destroyed the farmers. FFA has been taking up parleys with FCI and the government to take up the discolored rice. The FCI (Food Corporation of India) rules until now permits to accept discoursed rice until 7 % of the total rice. But FFA has been making several meetings not only with the policy making bureaucrats in the governments; but also with different political parties to engage them in pressurizing the government both at central and state levels. After various parleys, the government at the state level has agreed to come out with a policy of accepting discolored   to the extent of 20 % of the rice. However, even this is not sufficient. 

The input subsidy: The input subsidy for the fields that got inundated in the repeated floods tnhat shook the fields is one another contentious issue. The government is willing to give only Rs. 600/- As the input subsidy for an acre; where as the capital that the farmer has put is almost 15000/- per acre. FFA has taken up this issue in a very aggressive way and has indeed organized dharnas (Protests) and went on Padayatras ( walk in to the government secretariat.) The government has finally come to the extent of Rs, 2000/- which was rejected by the farmers bodies and the struggle is still on. 

The strategic alliance with ATMA (Agriculture Technology Management Agency) and KVKs have given fillip to the activities of FFA in the bygone year.  The FAF working under the aegis of ATMA and KVKs and the Agriculture Department was succefful in utilizing the funds allocated to it for various activities assigned to it. This has helped FFA in two ways. First, FFA was able to continue its activities , if not in the same scale as before, but in a reduced scale; the second, the coordinators were paid salaries from the funds of these two projects so that FAF’s field activities and personnel were continued even without the funds  from Agriterra. However, it has to be agreed that the pedigree of the activity has indeed come down in this year due to the shortage in funding. The association with ATMA and KVK in three districts of Chittoor; Kadapa and Nellore; Medak; Ranga Reddy and Mahabub nagar in case of KVK has helped the FFA to float in the field with activities under its belt.  Since these project also comprises of supply of some small agri machinery; supply of Borax; Zinc and Magnesium etc to identified farmers of the demo plots as part of the package of trainings; has helped FFA to be in relation with the farmers. Though FFA never had any capital expenditure made as part of its expenses of the project ; nevertheless the expenses provided for the coordinators has helped the project to have the services of the coordinators to continue. 

Though FFA did not get any additional financial assistance for administrative purpose; but the assistance for the conduct of activities in 6 districts has helped the project a lot in the bygone year. 

The partnership with the private sector companies is running into the fifth year. In the last year many companies approached FFA in order to have a linkage with its field based programmes. FFA has held programmes  in the field with Insecticides India Limited ; Coramondal; and Dhanuka and Tulasi of seeds; John Dreeze of tractors; IFFC

Dairy activities:

FFA has taken up dairy activity in a very big and is in the process of forging a tripartite relationship between the farmers; Dairy companies and the Banks. Three districts have been identified and some 1000 beneficiaries have also been identified. The  trainings , efforts for market promotion; silos establishment and trainings needed for this are included in the programme. A detailed analysis of this programme has been sent a while back and if need the latest position will be sent.

Promotion of oil seed production, value addition and marketing