PARTICIPANTS

• Mr. Sanjeev Chopra (Chair), Mr. Suryamani Raul (Managing Trustee), Mr. Baskar Reddy (Trustee), Mr. Anish Kumar (Trustee); 
• Partners : Mr. Rajendra Jog (Country Head, Syngenta Foundation), Mr. Balakrishnan S (Samunnati), Mr. Bipin Bihari (Lead, FDVRC), Mr. Gagan Sinha (EMDA), Mr. Krishnan Pallassana (Country Director, Grameen Foundation), Ms. Rina Soni (Country Lead, Heifer International)
• FEED Secretariat : Mr. Bharat Bali

AGENDA  

• Update on Progress 
• FEED’s strategic engagement on marginal farmer advocacy and operational space
• Revenue opportunities for FEED 

PROGRESS OVERVIEW

1.Advocacy Initiatives 

• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer Welfare has finalized guidelines of Public Private Partnership for Agriculture Value Chain Development (PPPAVCD) and issued the same to state government. 16 Expression of Interest were received. An arrangement is being made with FICCI and MANAGE to set up PMU for PPPIAD. This will work with the Ministry in proposal development, mobilizing support, support implementation and review.
• The FEED Conclave “Seemant Krishak Samriddh Krishak” was organised in 2023. Dr. Ashok Gulati laid the context and approaches required for marginal farming to sustain and the issues in doubling income of marginal farmers and way forward.
• FEED with support of Data Intelligence Unit under guidance from Senior Professors from ICAR, IFPRI and JNU, completed and released first survey of “State of Marginal Farmers in India” to understand changing economic conditions over time, continuing confidence of farmers in cultivation, awareness and access to different government schemes., and different agricultural facilities, participation in farmer collectives
• Responsible Farmer Sourcing Code draft has been prepared and will be shared with State Governments in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh

2. Private Sector Partnership Proposal Development:-

Two PPPAVCD proposals for Medicinal and Aromatic Value Chain with support of GIZ in Uttar Pradesh and Soya-Corn Processing in MP for Poultry and Ingredient industry have been finalized. The UP Proposal is under active consideration by Government. 

3. Programme Development :

Backyard Poultry Value Chain analysis and framework for development has been prepared with Heifer International. FEED will take this for mainstreaming in DAY-NRLM ecosystem together with Heifer. 

4. Programme Pilots

“Kisan TekConnect Program” with Agri-entrepreneur in UP, Agrivoltics is being piloted.

Memberships: TRI and AGEF have taken memberships of FEED by submitting membership fees of Rs.10 lakh each. Discussions have been initiated with IDH, IDEI. 

DELIBERATIONS

1.Engagements Spaces for FEED 

• develop capacities to develop as a knowledge centre, setting up a FEED Academy which could design and deliver capacity building programmes and services linked to incubating business models and documenting best practices.
• enter partnership with relevant academic institutions to take up policy research that impacts marginal farmers for example farmer onboarding and e-NAM portal, and ground insight can be placed as Policy Briefs from FEED. 
• develop thought leadership and this can be done by organizing events which shape the narrative, publish cutting edge research, bringing compendium of practical and doable business models and organize one flagship event every year with top CEOs and Government Officials.
• emerge as networking platform which brings various stakeholders to come together to empower Marginal Farmers and connecting with stakeholders through regional workshops, seminars 
• evolve an investment window to bring private sector in marginal-farmer value chains and this could also generate revenue for FEED; and develop an active e collaborations with start-ups and small business
• proprietary solution-spaces like marginal-farmer specific branding; demand map of various commodities for support farmer decision making, price forecasting; adoption of Farmer Sourcing Code to attract buyers.

2.FEED Team 

• focus on building team to deliver programmes successfully 
• ensure the requirements for raising funding from CSR and registration with NITI Aayog and such bodies to be completed
• recruit interns to support FEED Secretariat

3.FEED-EMDA South Asia Partnership 

FEED and EMDA South Asia has entered into partnership to bring their respective strengths and converge resources to host seminars, conclaves and policy roundtables to further interest of Indian marginal farmers. 

Summary Actionables 

1. Thought Leadership and Positioning
   • Annual State of Marginal Farmer Report with focus on contemporary issues
   • Agriculture Leadership Summit 
   • Cutting edge, high quality applied policy and solution briefs
   • Seminars including at regional levels
2. Membership Value
   • facilitate buyer and financial linkages for marginal farmers supported by Partners :  explore creating a unique Marginal Farmer brand on the lines of Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council; and linked to this bring Responsible Sourcing Code and Buyer Alliance
   • develop proprietary offering on output and price forecasting
   • consolidate the learning from pilots on agrivoltics, new extensionist/agripreneuer and develop replication guides
   • Good Practices Learning Forum
3. Delivery Competencies Building
   • FEED Academy with proprietary and partnership content to support marginal farmers and partners 
   • Project proposal development and market partnership facilitation
   • discover, engage, partner curation with social enterprises: solution accelerator role
4. Revenue Generation for FEED
   • Expand membership
   • Advisory services on programme development, proposal formulation and raising separate resources to support Secretariat costs
   • offer services to partners with built in revenue for FEED