Can Producer Associations Improve Rural Livelihoods? Evidence from Farmer Centres in India

Raj Desai () and Shareen Joshi

Journal of Development Studies, 2014, vol. 50, issue 1, 64-80

Abstract: Rural producer associations are considered a potential community-driven solution to the problems of smallholder agriculture. This article evaluates the impact of organising female farmers into producer associations in Gujarat, India. The initiative provided training, information, access to inputs, risk mitigation, and market linkages. Over 18 months, the programme weakly increased members' non-farm income and access to output markets. It had stronger impacts on members' awareness and utilisation of financial services. Impacts were heterogeneous, varying by pre-existing socioeconomic conditions. These findings suggest that producer associations can lower transaction costs for smallholders, but that poverty alleviation may be a longer-term prospect.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2013.849339

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