India's track record of forming robust, self-sustaining farmer cooperatives has been poor ever since the early 1900s when the movement began. For long, restrictive laws were blamed for their failure. But most of the 2,000 farmer producer companies registered under a new amendment to the Companies Act 1956 appear like old wine in a new bottle. This article explores why, and argues for the need to focus on the logic and process of promoting new farmer cooperatives to improve their success rate.

More than 500 million family farms dominate agriculture around the world ensuring food security and providing employment to hundreds of millions of people. Family farms are also essential in safeguarding agro-biodiversity, and

The aim of this policy brief is to spread the word about forest and farm producer organizations and their increasing role in helping smallholders improve their economic and social well-being while managing their resources sustainably.

During China’s transition to a market economy in the 1980s and 1990s, the rural population faced substantial barriers to accessing health care and encountered heavier financial burdens than urban residents in paying for necessary health services. In 2003, China started to implement a rural cooperative medical scheme (RCMS), mainly through government subsidies. The scheme operates at the county level and offers a modest benefit package

We take care of the cow and the cow takes care of us,” says Marayal, a farmer in Thalavady, Tamil Nadu. Her two cows produce 6 to 10 litres of milk a day, which she sells for 30-40 cents per litre. Across India, there are millions of backyard dairy farmers like Marayal.

The State Agriculture Policy is aimed at developing a road map that will seek to actualize the vast untapped growth potential of the agriculture, promote value addition, accelerate the growth of agri-business, create employment in rural

The State Agriculture Policy is aimed at developing a road map that will seek to actualize the vast untapped growth potential of the agriculture, promote value addition, accelerate the growth of agri-business, create employment in rural

Sugar cane farmers of Maharashtra's sugar cooperative sector find themselves at a losing end. (Editorial)

Verghese Kurien, who passed away recently, will be best known for building Amul into one of India's most valuable brands which is an organisation of nearly three million smallholder dairy producers and a Rs 12,000 crore farmer-owned business. He will also be remembered for creating the National Dairy Development Board which replicated Amul's complex institutional modelacross India.

After cement industry, CCI to deliver order on tyre companies soon

After having acted tough on cement companies for cartelisation, Competition Commission of India (CCI) has taken up a suo-moto inquiry against milk retailing players. The milk retailers were alleged to have indulged into price cartelisation by making frequent price rise in a short span of time. The competition watchdog has decided to take an inquiry on its own to decide if the milk companies and cooperatives operational in the country are guilty of cartelisation or not.

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