Second Survey Trip

We talked to 5 Farmers.

The first was open to receive help. He was very positive and wanted us to visit his farm and invest in an Acre of his land.

All the 5 of them were conventional Farmers, doing the routine method of investing a small amount such as 15k-20k for their 2-3 acres, they use a mix of organic and inorganic methods and selling the produce to local government stores. They have 2 crop rotations. During rainy season they grow rice and after diwali they grow pulses.

They used cow dung as a fertilizer along with chemicals such as urea and other fertilizers.

Money – They don’t have any financial problems to continue the existing routine cycle.

An investment of 12-15k in 2-3 Acres gives them a profit of 25-30K in 3 months. Approimately their income is 10k per month from 2-3 Acres. So about its 3-5k per month per acre.

Knowledge – Conventional/Traditional Farming knowledge, nothing new.

Market – Some complained of bad rates in the local market. One said he sold a quintal of rice for 700-800Rs.

Additional costs – Some complained about high tractor renting costs, such as 400Rs per hour. Also labour costs during planting and harvesting was very high they felt.

Other - One farmer complained about Rat problem in the fields.

Overall, its a routine and established system of farming in Karjat. As such they don’t have any serious problems. But there are farmers willing/open to receive help and grow.  

Basic Plan

A website to invest in poor small farmers of India.

What does this website achieve:

1) Funds small farms and makes it more productive. (Tackling Investment by crowd funding)

According to studies 60% of Indian farmers are poor small farmers*. Productivity of small farms is very less as they do not have sufficient a) Investment b) Knowledge

*(OECD in it’s 2007 agricultural policy monitoring report notes that Indian agriculture is dominated by a large number of small scale holdings that are predominantly owner occupied.The average size of holding in the late nineties was about 1.4 hectares and continues to decline, as farms are usually divided on inheritance. Out of India’s 116 million farmers, around 60% have less than 1 hectare and together they farm 17% of the land. The share of medium to large farms (above 4 hectares) is very small at just over 7% of all holdings, but these farms account for around 40% of the land. The implication is that many of the very small farms are subsistence holdings, with low investment and little productivity growth.)

2) Knowledge dissemination, but slowly. (Tackling knowledge by practical means)

Anything can’t be achieved in a jiffy; it takes time, So we have a very practical approach.

After the funds are collected for a farm, A successful farmer in a village will be chosen as a farm mentor (He shall be paid for the job of mentoring) to this struggling farmer. This way, whatever little useful knowledge the successful farmer has will be transferred to the other farmers. So, its not an over inflow of knowledge, but in fact, its slow practical knowledge, coming from an experienced farmer of his village who knows the conditions very well. Meanwhile, the successful farmers can enhance their own knowledge base.

3) Knowledge to people about their food.

People need to know how their food is grown. Specially because, studies point out that a significant percentage of the diseases are due to the type of food we eat, example Diabetes, Cancer, etc * . So people can get information on how food is grown in farms and how it can be made healthy.

4) Direct connect

A person giving money should know whom he is helping, which helps develop an emotional connect and understanding the reality of farmers, instead of just donating and forgetting where your money went. Farming United gives weekly updates of the farm and direct access to the person you are helping.

5) Get money back and be rewarded.

If the farmer succeeds and reaps a bounty harvest, He not only can return your money but he can share his happiness with you, but giving you a share in his profits or giving you some quantity of food he has grown. (Rewards are completely up to him, so that he can encourage a second time investment from people)

6) Model doesn’t solve Marketing Problem, Initially.

This model doesn’t solve the marketing issues of farmers initially. But as the users grow, as the concept gets more and more accepted. These farmers will have huge online consumers ready to buy their produce. This can be achieved only in the long run.