Collective marketing enhancement as contribution to resilient agriculture An initiative to establish a marketing network of small scale Toxin Free Crop Producers (TFP)

A profile of the small scale farmers engaged in the program based on several vulnerability criteria Sector Criteria Polonnaruwa farmers (%) Vavunia farmers (%) No of farmer Health CKDu occurrence77150 Social Single headed War affected Differently able75123 Economy Samurdhi holders Very Low income Low income high dependency Environmental Flood affected High interest for organic practices 6068 Total

Among the selected farmers FMGs are mainly managed by women of the family, from cropping to marketing Gender composition for crop production at the forest market level Who market /exchange FMG products in the family?

Mostly they directly consume what they produce at the FMG or they exchange surplus with neighbors (80-90%) In case of availability they sell seasonal products in bulk to middlemen at their home at low prices, having no time and capacity to reach markets (10-20%) A limited portion of them markets FMG products in the closest markets or invest time to sell FMG products at the village level (10-15% ) They are linked with marketing chains only for main products such as rice, black gram, ground nuts (80%) Do these small scale farmers market products from their FMGs?

So we realized that access to market represents one of the constraints for these small scale FMG producers: Insufficient product’s availability for marketing -Low quantities and seasonal uncertainty limit market access (high costs to access markets compared with volume/value of products) and buyer’s interest -Quality limitation especially in unfavorable seasons with impact on acceptance of goods and low prices -Lack of products diversification to better cope with unfavorable seasons and market requirements 1

….access to market represents one of the constraints for small scale FMG producers: Weaknesses or lack of connections with markets -Isolation of many of the selected rural communities -Lack of skills and of a market oriented approach -Limited access to services and information to improve market and business capacities -Lack of infrastructures and resources to directly reach markets -Time limitation to engage in marketing 2

Developing marketing opportunities: from a small scale individual approach to a large scale producer network: Developing marketing opportunities: from a small scale individual approach to a large scale producer network: Raising product’s availability and their value for marketing by: - Gathering individual production at community hub and inter-community network level; - Consolidating seasonal production: products from different communities better mitigate seasonal uncertainty and loss; -Improving quality and product diversification wider range of product and larger quantities allow better selection; organic practices represent an added value to access markets.

Enhancing access to market linkages by: -Reduced impact of overall marketing chain cost thanks to increased volumes of products absorbing fixed costs and scaling up operational aspects -Meeting with larger scale buyer requirements in terms of volumes, quality and deliveries -Improved inclusivity and power in negotiation by promoting shorter marketing chains to ensure better prices pro - producers -Increased access to services & resources thanks to improved visibility with key stakeholders (LAs, private sector, other donors…)

Building resilient production units (the FMGs): Individual small scale farmers relay on their own natural resources, soil, water and forest, to produce food for family consumption and to raise incomes. By adopting sustainable agriculture practices they enhance resilience against natural shocks and financial risks. Promotion of crop diversification combined with more market oriented production strategy increases their marketing options. Toxin free products represent a potential opportunity in the local and international market. Building resilient production units (the FMGs): Individual small scale farmers relay on their own natural resources, soil, water and forest, to produce food for family consumption and to raise incomes. By adopting sustainable agriculture practices they enhance resilience against natural shocks and financial risks. Promotion of crop diversification combined with more market oriented production strategy increases their marketing options. Toxin free products represent a potential opportunity in the local and international market. Enhancing collective access to market and services: TFP Network links hubs from the different communities and represents an opportunity for scaling up organizational aspects and marketing: by networking they can increase the volume and quality of production and make it accessible to new markets, enhance their visibility and inclusivity increasing resources and services offered by key stakeholders (LAs, private sector, donors) to develop quality. Enhancing collective access to market and services: TFP Network links hubs from the different communities and represents an opportunity for scaling up organizational aspects and marketing: by networking they can increase the volume and quality of production and make it accessible to new markets, enhance their visibility and inclusivity increasing resources and services offered by key stakeholders (LAs, private sector, donors) to develop quality. Promoting collective production, value addition and marketing at community level: The establishment of community centers enable farmers to jointly participate in product harvesting, value addition and marketing and develop marketing linkages at local level Promoting collective production, value addition and marketing at community level: The establishment of community centers enable farmers to jointly participate in product harvesting, value addition and marketing and develop marketing linkages at local level

Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Mission : To promote sustainable toxin free agricultural methods in Sri Lanka and developed sustainable marketing opportunities for small scale toxin free producers.

Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Objectives: To promote toxin free agricultural methods among the farmers To develop national and international marketing opportunities for the Toxin Free Producers To enhance the socio – economic development of the small scale producers. To conduct awareness program on environmental protection

Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Type of Company : Guarantee Company Company Name: Toxin Free Crop Producer Network (Gte) Ltd

Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Formation and Registration of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Directors : CBO Representatives 02 Field Representatives for Polonnaruwa & Vavuniya 01 Field officer’s Coordinator 01 Agriculture and food processing expert 01 Marketing expert

Meeting on Appointing Directors of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Meeting on Appointing Directors of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network

Directors of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network Directors of The Toxin Free Crop Producer Network