Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as Sustainable Transition Intermediaries: Insights from India

Abstract

The scholarship on sustainability transitions has surprisingly few studies on agriculture and food systems, especially from emerging economies such as India. The role of firms and businesses, especially cooperatives and producer organisations in agri-food systems transitions, has not been explored as much. Over the past decade, many Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have been formed, primarily focused on facilitating the supply of agro-chemical inputs, while offering limited support to farmers in transitioning towards ecologically sustainable agricultural practices. This study looks at four case studies FPOs from across geographies in India, providing an opportunity to look at these FPOs as intermediaries of sustainable transitions and how they situate themselves in the agricultural ecosystem that has mainstream market actors as well as FPOs that are not engaged in sustainable agriculture. Additionally, to understand the intermediary role of FPOs, it is essential to examine how key actors—such as civil society organizations, financial institutions, marketing partners, and government agencies—contribute to and influence the intermediary role of FPOs in sustainable transition. These FPOs that are engaged in and promote sustainable agricultural practices bring out their strong potential transition intermediaries of the future.