Policy Reform for Agricultural Transformation October February 20201 2021 GROUP LEASING APPROACH TO SUSTAIN FARMING AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS: THE JOURNEY OF WOMEN FARMERS IN KUDUMBASHREE KERALA Context Interventions Lessons  Post-independence land reform,  Drawing upon the success of women’s  Collective farming can help recognition facilitated tillers to own land, but collectivization around micro-credit and of women as farmers by enabling them banning tenancy limited formal access other socio-economic interventions, to access cultivable land, finance, to land by discouraging Kudumbashree, through its multi-tiered agriculture extension, entitlements and (non-cultivating) landowners from women’s collectives, promoted markets. leasing out their land, while the sustainable agriculture based livelihoods among women by  However, to ensure tenure security (viz. predominantly capital-poor farmers enhancing their access to land through long-term access to an economic size could not afford to purchase. (informal) collective land leasing and of productive lands) and assured  Along with poor returns from supporting women farmers to access access to farm entitlements, land agriculture, this forced many men from agricultural services and entitlements. leasing legalization and having their rural Kerala to migrate, increasing This approach was later adopted as name on land records will be critical. fallowing of cultivable land as well as a part of the Mahila Kisan  Short-term measures, viz. involving the dependency on other states for food. Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), as a panchayat in leasing process and sub-component under the National providing for a minimum lease duration  Though women became more involved Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), for fallow lands developed through in farming, they rarely hold land legally while also leading to the local MGNREGA, can ensure longer terms in their name and struggle to have recognition of women as farmers. and add local legitimacy to leases. As a secure access to good productive farmland. Typically not recognized as Government Order can ensure this, farmers, women are often seen as other states can adopt this to enhance ‘agricultural workers’ or ‘helpers on secured land access for women’s family farmers’ and face barriers self-help groups and joint liability accessing agricultural entitlements and groups. services intended for farmers. 2 Introduction Kudumbashree1 is a society designed and established in 1997 by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala (GoK) with a broad objective to eradicate poverty and empower women through community-based organizations that operate under the umbrella authority of local government institutions2 (GoK, n.d.; Landesa, 2013). Kudumbashree in the Malayalam language is a combination of two words - Kudumbam meaning family and Shree meaning prosperity3. The program aims to empower women’s groups and make them the focal point of sustained socio-economic development. Besides income generation activities and microcredit, the women’s groups work on health, nutrition, agriculture and other related development activities. Since its inception, Kudumbashree has been identified by the state government as the nodal agency for all the state and central Image Credit: Ashna Abi government schemes that target the socially and economically weaker sections of the implemented in all districts with the support types. Interest subsidies on agriculture bank society. Annexure I presents different state of Panchayati Raj Institutions. Activities loans are also provided to the JLGs by and central government programs where under this initiative include selection of Kudumbashree through various Central and Kudumbashree acts as the nodal agency. beneficiaries into Neighborhood Groups State agriculture schemes. (NHG), clustering them into joint liability Collective Farming is an initiative of groups (JLGs), identification of available Kudumbashree to encourage cultivation land and support to negotiate informal among neighborhood groups. Along with leases, training, distribution of inputs and improving the lives of the poor, it also helps release of eligible agricultural entitlements to increase agricultural production by managed by Kudumbashree. The land bringing fallow and cultivable wastelands identified could be government land, private into agricultural use, with significant food land lying fallow or private land already tak- security implications. Women enter the en up for cultivation by women land programme as cultivators as opposed to owners (or from land owning households) or agricultural labourers and have control over through informal lease. The identified the means of production and access to beneficiaries are collectivized as JLG to formal credit to help increase the returns undertake agriculture. Agriculture incentives from farming. The programme is being are provided to the JLGs based on the crop 1 Kudumbashree is formally registered as the "State Poverty Eradication Mission" (SPEM), a society registered under the Travancore Kochi Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act 1955. It has a Governing Body chaired by the state minister of Local Self Government (LSG) and an Executive Committee chaired by Principal Secretary, Department of Local Self Government. Governance of the Mission is done by the Governing Body and Executive Committee. The Governing Body takes policy level decisions and reviews performance of the Mission on a regular basis. While the executive directions for scheme formulation and execution are taken in the Executive Committee.The Mission has a State Mission Office locat- ed at Thiruvananthapuram and 14 District Mission Teams, each located at the district headquarters. This official structure supports and facilitates the activities of the community network across the state. 2 http://www.kudumbashree.org/storage/files/l2r5l_organisation.pdf; Kudumbashree is a three tier federal structure raised independently below the umbrella of local self - government. 3 https://cdn.landesa.org/wp-content/uploads/Women-Transforming-Indian-Agriculture-MKSP-Case-Stories-Landesa.pdf 3 Background & Rationale According to the Kerala Land Reforms has experienced a decrease in local farm services for farmers, as these are now Amendment Act of 1969, at the time of its production and employment, especially for linked to the land records. adoption, the ownership rights of leased landless and marginal farming households, To address this situation, some states land would be subsequently transferred to including women (Abraham, 2019). undertook certain proactive steps with tenants cultivating the land on the payment The migration of men resulted in greater targeted interventions viz. the of a nominal price to the landlord or the involvement of rural women in farming. Kudumbashree society of Kerala and the government. Tenants were also exempted However, they suffer from unequal access to Indira Kranti Patham (IKP) program of from paying any future rent. This effectively productive assets, including land, labour, Andhra Pradesh. Premised around banned leasing in the state, discouraged capital, inputs, as well as services, like multi-tiered women’s collectives as landowners from leasing out their land and technological knowledge and credit, as they community based organisations (CBO), they pushed existing tenancy arrangements into typically lack legally recorded land rights and are working towards sustainable agriculture informality, as landowners sought to retain recognition as farmers. based livelihoods for rural women by their land rights. The abolition of tenancy enhancing their access to land through combined with insufficient returns from Rural women wanting to farm independently collective land leasing, complemented by agriculture forced outward migration of men are often constrained by lack of access to agricultural services and entitlements. These leading to fallowing of land and a high level land. On the one hand, women who are models were later adopted in the national of dependency on other states for food members of land-owning families typically women farmers’ empowerment programme imports subsequently4 (Abraham, 2019). do not have land rights legally recorded in or the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran their names, and they are often constrained The reluctance of landowners to lease out Pariyojana (MKSP), a sub-component under in their ability to make land management their land due to the fear of losing their land the National Rural Livelihoods Mission decisions independent of their male rights to long-term tenants through existing (NRLM)7 (Abraham, 2019). relatives. On the other hand, women whose legal provisions has led to a rise in the families own no land are typically dependent Given the availability of large areas of proportion of fallow lands throughout India, on income earned mostly as agricultural cultivable waste or fallow land and the state as per the observation of the NITI Aayog wage labourers, without any benefits or government’s aspiration to revive Expert Committee Land Leasing, 2016. entitlements linked to farmers. In both agricultural productivity, women were With a rise in agricultural wages, which was cases, there are financial, cultural and legal empowered to collectivize as comparatively higher in Kerala than in other barriers that prevent women from accessing Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs)8 to jointly states due to economic development and farmland to cultivate independently through cultivate land starting in 2004 (Haque and successive socialist governments, many purchase or lease. Women rarely have the Nair, 2014). NHG members may cultivate large land owners kept their land fallow5 as a capital required to purchase land outright their own land (land belonging to one of the store of value and an asset for future and even if they do, this is typically not members of the group) or lease in private or speculation rather than farming it6. This, culturally acceptable. Moreover, since government lands as a group. Women coupled with non-farm income opportunities leasing remains legally banned, there is a engaged in agricultural activities in rural and occupational mobility options available limited supply of farmland available through areas are mostly from poor, small, or to men, led to men’s gradual disconnect leasing and only informally and for short marginal households. By supporting women from agriculture and increased out-migration terms (e.g. one year) that are not farmers through Kudumbashree, the (Abraham, 2019). Thus, in a context conducive to long-term investment. In the government created a new platform to characterized by increased fallowing of land absence of legally-recorded land rights, as enable them to access livelihood opportunity due to migration, informal tenancy owners or tenants, they also face obstacles in rural areas. arrangements as a result of the legal ban on in accessing agricultural entitlements and leasing and the rising cost of farming, Kerala 4 Between 1952-1997 the share of area under paddy in the state had nearly halved; http://www.j-asc.com/gallery/10-april-633.pdf; According to the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) surveys, in keeping with the trend in the rest of the country, the cultivated area in Kerala fell by 12% (from 1,312,400 ha to 1,157,700 ha) between 1991 -92 and 2002-03; https://www.rosalux.in/files/RosaLux/downloads/Cooperatives_JAISS_Booklet_Web%20Version.pdf 5 In May 2020, there was 0.19 million ha (~3 %) land fallow; https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/19 -lakh-ha-of-fallow-land-to-be-farmed/article31467091.ece ; As per Kerala economic survey 2 percent of the state’s land was fallow (Current and other) in 2018 -19; In a study in 2018, 57% of private land was lying fallow in Palakkd district. It constituted 43% of land in case of large farmers and 25% in the case of medium size farmers. http://www.j -asc.com/gallery/10-april-633.pdf 6 Sometimes leaving land fallow is intended to convert agricultural land to non -agriculture and thereby to use the area for commercial purposes such as construction. Few years ago, this practice was intensively happening in the state backed by high remittance and construction boom. But due to strict regulations and controlling measures in the recent years (Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008), no farming field can be converted in to any other land use except for non-commercial residential construction (limited 5 cent or 2178 sq.ft provided he/she has no other land under his/her ownership). http://www.j -asc.com/gallery/10-april-633.pdf 7 NRLM was launched by Ministry of Rural Development, GoI in June 2011. In 2012 Kudumbashree was recognized by the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI as a National Resource Organization (NRO) under NRLM. 8 The community network of Kudumbashree is a three -tier arrangement. The building block of the network is the Neighbourhood Groups (NHG) forming the first tier. NHG are consti- tuted with 15-40 BPL (Below Poverty Line) families with each family represented by a woman. The second tier of the network is formed by electing members from the NHG at ward level to form Area Development Societies (ADS). Finally, all the ADS in the village elect to form the third tier of the network called the Community Development Society (CDS). With the interlinking of ADSs and NHGs, each CDS is registered as an autonomous body. 4 Objective In the initial years of the launch of the Kudumbashree farming initiative, the focus was on individual women farmers. A small area of land was cultivated, and few incentives were distributed. Initially, there was no plan to seek convergence with other government schemes. More importantly, small and marginalized farmers also had limited capacity to mobilize agricultural credit at low-interest rates, adopt advanced technologies and add value to their produce by accessing market (Kudumbashree, 2015). In contrast, collective farming provides group members with increased access to formal credit and acts as an essential mechanism for increased access to and efficient utilization of resources, training, information and transportation. Book Record of SHG Collectivization also increases women’s Image Credit: Ausmita Sarkar bargaining power while selling the produce and reduces individual farmer risk (Agarwal, 2010). Therefore in 2010, Kudumbashree landless farmers who had taken land on farmers who followed organic farming, an shifted its focus away from individual lease, whereas, production incentive11 was additional 50 percent of the incentive was farming and introduced the concept of given to women who were cultivating on provided after the certification from collective farming by focusing on land their own land, as well as on leased lands. agriculture office was issued. Efforts were leasing to address the challenges faced The area and production incentives are also taken to enable beneficiaries of the during the initial stage of its farming disbursed only after the harvest, which is 10 lease land programme to obtain services initiative. The institution of informal credit percent of the production cost. This and incentives from various departments, groups known as Joint Liability Groups incentive system is aimed at increasing area like Local Self Government and Agriculture. (JLGs)9 promoted by the National Bank for under and production from agriculture by Agriculture and Rural Development encouraging the participation of women. (NABARD) was adopted and converged with Production incentive was decided according the community-based organizations to productivity, i.e. when the crop yield (viz. Neighborhood Groups-NHG) of matches or exceeds the state average. Kudumbashree to frame the collective Those Below Poverty Level (BPL) members farming institutional mechanism (NABARD, who undertook cultivation as individuals in n,d). their own land were also given incentives. Most women farmers are landless or have Assistance was sanctioned only when only marginal lands and take fallow land on Commercial cultivation was undertaken, ie lease10. With the assistance from the State individuals cultivating more than 0.1 ha and Government, area incentive was given to groups cultivating more than 0.8 ha were considered as commercial cultivators. For 9 JLGs are essentially credit groups of small/marginal/tenant farmers/asset less poor who do not have proper title of their farmland. These informal groups of 4-10 members are engaged in similar economic activities and are willing to jointly undertake to repay the loans taken by them from the Banks. Financing of JLGs was introduced as a pilot project in 2004-05 by NABARD in 8 States with the support of 13 RRBs. The scheme was later mainstreamed for the banking system in the year 2006. https://www.nabard.org/ content.aspx?id=477 10 for use of land lying fallow and thereby increase the area under cultivation. 11 to increase production from existing land 5 Institutional Arrangement The institutional architecture of Kudumbashree Collective Farming  Area Development Societies - ADS: Kudumbashree is multi-level, involves Programme (NABARD, n.d). Office The NHGs are federated into area devel- multiple actors and is hierarchically bearers in a JLG are appointed with opment societies (ADS) at the level of organized in tandem with the basic layers of mutual consent, and the initial step is to wards in every panchayat. Each JLG is women’s collectives at different identify land for cultivation. A JLG may under the control of the respective ADS administrative levels (Figure 1). The access fallow land in the village from a to which the members are affiliated to. In structure connects to the Panchayat and private land-owner on lease or the the case of JLGs constituted from two other government departments through members may pool-in their own land or ADS, the control lies with the ADS to government circulars and working level sometimes, state owned fallow land is which the maximum number of members arrangements with project staff, financial identified for the purpose. The area may belong. The ADS is responsible for institutions and markets. It aims to build an range anywhere between 0.5 - 4 acres. monitoring and scrutiny of the JLGs’ ecosystem around farm services (public and Once identified, the CDS Chairperson is collective farming. Verification of the private providers) while promoting holistic approached to get the land informally crops and area is done by the ADS land and agriculture development centered registered in the JLG’s name. For this, an president/secretary. around group land leasing for women application is submitted informing the farmers. formation of JLG and a Lease Deed is  Community Development Societies- prepared on a plain paper in case of CDS : ADS in the village panchayat are The roles of women’s collectives involved at federated into a registered body called rented land. The Community Develop- different levels of this initiative as per the the Community Development Society ment Society (CDS) Chairperson Kudumbashree documents available on its (CDS). The CDS, the apex of the verifies the application before it is sent to website are as follows: three-tier organisational structure, the District Mission Office for approval (Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung South Asia, prepares an action plan at the beginning  Neighbourhood Groups- NHG: Women 2014). In 2015-16, a campaign was of every year that covers collective from NHGs are mobilized or motivated to organized to have as many JLGs as the farming as one of the focus areas. The take up either individual or collective number of SHG/NHG in every ward/ collective farming action plan proposed farming. Each Joint Liability Group (JLG), panchayat. should comprise of the area to be as per NABARD guidelines, consists of 4 cultivated, crops planted and the number -10 members and is formed either from of groups that will be associated. The the same NHG or several NHGs in a CDS, is allocated an office space for its Panchayat-ward under the Figure 1: Institutional arrangement for collective farming under Kudumbashree 6 functioning in each panchayat building, the ADS members is chosen as an and its representatives attend regular MGNERGS mate (worksite supervisor) panchayat meetings. The CDS action (Kudumbashree, 2015).The labour plans help Panchayats in planning their requirements of the JLGs cultivating land future activities. These plans also assist are largely also met through MGNREGS the banks in projecting their credit plans support. Whether the members are for future agriculture and allied activities. working on the farm themselves or hire When a JLG is informally registered12 by labour, they are paid as per MGNREGS the CDS, a Unique Identification Number wage rates (Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung is allotted that it is useful in tracking and South Asia, 2014). monitoring its progress.  Gram Panchayats (GPs) and MGNREGS: Gram Panchayats provide help to the JLGs by supporting them through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGS) Scheme in preparing the fallow lands for plantation, organizing required land development activities13 and providing/improving agricultural facilities (Haque and Nair, 2014). One of 12 A registered JLG is provided many facilities and benefits: the state government provides loans at subsidized interest rates and the local Panchayat provides farm machinery, subsidised seeds, fertilizers and pesticides through Padasekhara Samitis (field committees). When a JLG brings fallow land under cultivation, it is given an ‘area incentive’ and if a group cultivates the land efficiently and achieves high yield , it is given a ‘production incentive’. 13 Under MGNREGS, land development, including plantation activities, can be implemented on the private land of SC, ST or BPL households while providing them wage employ- ment simultaneously per the MGNREGS works field manual. https://nrega.nic.in/MGNREGA_WORKS_DRAFT_MANUAL12.pdf ; Guideline for the new/Additional Work permitted under MGNREGA https://nrega.nic.in/Circular_Archive/archive/guidelines_for_New_works.pdf 7 Interventions Bringing fallow land under cultivation was an would be given thrust under this programme. assists them in identifying the land at the important objective. As subsequent land To overcome short lease periods as a major village level and informs the CDS which leasing was prohibited by the Land Reform limitation, a scheme was formalized with coordinates with the Panchayat authrorities Act, 1963, the Panchayat along with the gram panchayat concurrence15 that set a for the leasing. ADS and CDS also assist Kudumbashree community network provides minimum lease period of three years if the leasing negotiation. A software support to the JLGs to take up collective private fallow land was brought into application was developed for collecting the farming of fallow lands based on informal cultivation using MGNREGA funds details of land owners who are willing to leases through the “Fallow-Less Village” (Abraham, 2019). The targeted area for lease out their land, the details of the land program with support from the Bhoonidhi each district is 100 ha inclusive of both dry they are willing to lease and duration of scheme (Haque and Nair, 2014; Sajesh and and wetlands. MGNREGS support has been lease. This was an open software to Ramasundaram, 2013). utilized for land preparation and other basic public and CDS level entry was also activities (Annexure II). possible. The consolidated data can be The Fallow-less Village Program14' launched viewed at the state level as well as district by Kudumbashree aims to bring the fallow, The Bhoonidhi scheme is a participatory level. The software was developed in PHP economically unproductive lands into system for fallow land identification and (Hypertext Preprocessor ) with postgres cultivable lands for enhancing overall conversion to agriculture land. Under this SQL (Structured Query Language ) agricultural production and productivity in scheme the land owner could volunteer and database and hosted at the Kudumbashree the state. This is an initiative to identify and register his willingness to lease out server. bring the fallow lands under each CDS into uncultivated farm land. The panchayats cultivation. Fallow lands under each CDS acted as intermediary between the Since the overall focus of Kudumbashree is will be mapped and cultivated in landowner and the lessee. Office bearers of on the economic empowerment of women, convergence with GPs (identification and the CDS and ADS (Village level), as well as in addition to facilitating access to leased use of fallow land through mediation), the Gram Panchayat support members in land, the program supports collective MGNREGS (for land development when identifying lands and negotiating lease rates farming by women’s groups. The women’s required) and Agriculture Department (for (either fixed rent as cash or crop share groups cultivate three types of land: owned, input and extension support). Paddy lands arrangements) (Abraham, 2019). ADS leased private land and leased government Image Credit: Aushmita Sarkar 14 http://www.kudumbashree.org/pages/686 15 Agarwal and Sharma (2012) had advocated for a ‘land bank’ concept with the local government institutions working as an intermediary in the leasing process. 8 land. Majority of the women farming groups effective interest rate negligible or almost nil. Central government initiatives (MoA, are landless and therefore, depend on Area incentive and production incentives are MKSP): The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) leased land farming (> 50% depending on also provided by the Agriculture provides input subsidies, including for leased land). Most groups have been found Development and the Farmers' Welfare seeds. Under the MKSP program of the to take up private land on lease for Department, Government of Kerala17. NRLM, Farmer Facilitation Centers (FFC)21 cultivation through informal negotiations. are established as service delivery centres Kudumbashree was conceived as a joint However, it is difficult for the groups to to train the women farmers in advanced programme of the Government of Kerala access leased land and if obtained, the farming methods. FFCs, established in 972 and NABARD, implemented through rental price is typically higher than that for Gram panchayats also provide equipment Community Development Societies (CDSs) individuals, as the land owners considered for farming at nominal rates (Abraham, of Poor Women, serving as the community additional benefits that accrue to the group 2019). Details of different crops cultivated wing18 of Local Governments. through Kudumbashree. under the scheme in two different seasons Convergence19 with Panchayat Raj are provided in Annexure III. Kudumbashree helps women’s groups Institutions (PRIs) has been one of the access agricultural services and central themes within Kudumbashree. Marketing the produce: Monthly markets entitlements benefiting farmers. These Convergence means seamless working are organized by Panchayats in their prem- include private bank loans, state together of Kudumbashree and the PRIs. It ises on fixed dates (at least three consecu- government incentives for agricultural includes institutional and programmatic tive days) of every month. Kudumbashree production and central government convergence, as well as sharing of provides financial assistance to CDSs for agriculture schemes, primarily through resources. Convergence is concerned with a procuring infrastructure to participate in facilitating cross-linkages, information multi-tier Panchayat Raj system, the three these markets in a more effective and sharing and interface meetings. tier Kudumbashree community efficient manner (e.g. packaging materials, Kudumbashree, being a nodal government organisation20, the State Poverty processing and storage equipment). A agency working with these institutions to Eradication Mission and its district level significant share of the agricultural produce facilitate linkages and convergence by offices and the government institutions and is sold directly to consumers at these assisting in matching demand and supply agencies. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural monthly markets (Kudumbashree, n.d.). sides within the stakeholders. Employment Guarantee Scheme Other markets for the farm produce include (MGNREGS) added to the strengthening of trade fairs, exhibitions, home shops, Loans and incentives: According to ADS. ADS representatives were identified Government departments and marketing NABARD, JLGs can access agricultural as the ‘Mates’ for scheme implementation. agencies that sell products to retailers and loans as a group without a mortgage Close to two lakh women were trained to wholesale dealers. The products are also (collateral). Practising collective farming by work as ‘Mates’ in MGNREGS. MGNREGS sold through dissemination of information on forming JLGs reduces the interest rates from and its link with collective farming led to the the date and location of markets through the 7 percent to 2 percent (NABARD provides 5 rejuvenation of the entire structure website22. The Vegetable and Fruit Promo- percent subsidy to loans granted to JLGs, (NGS-ADS-CDS), and it benefited ADS the tion Company of Keralam (VFPCK) also from its kitty made available through Central most. arranges weekly markets to assist in the assistance16). The state government, direct sale of fruits (Abraham, 2019). through Cooperative institutions and rural “Kudumbashree is the designated banks also supports collective farming by State Rural Livelihoods Mission providing crop loans with an effective agency for Kerala, which has led to interest rate of 2-4 percent. Prompt further strengthening of repayment of loans within the period (loan institutionalisation of PRI-community repayment period is 365 days) offers an additional incentive of a 2 percent reduction organisation convergence.” in interest rates (Abraham, 2019) making the (The Kudambashree Story, n.d) 16 Joint Liability Groups – Kudumbashree https://thekudumbashreestory.info/index.php/programmes/economic -empowerment/collective -farming/jlgs 17 The area incentive is based on the area and crop cultivated, whereas the production incentive is according to productivity. The production incentive is given when the crop yield matches or exceeds the state average (Kumar, 2012). The average area incentive is about 10 percent of the production cost. 18 Community representative body within Panchayat 19 http://www.kudumbashree.org/pages/501 20 Kerala has a three tier PRI system with Gram Panchayats, Block Panchayats, and District Panchayats; urban areas have separate single tier local government institutions. The Kudumbashree community organisation works in a local government through its three tier system – Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) as primary level organisations, Area Develop- ment Societies (ADSs) at the ward level, and Community Development Societies (CDSs) at the local government level. 21 The FFCs acted as knowledge and service points at every village and were basically community managed extension centres and also provided machinery support for agricultural groups. FFCs are funded under MKSP, a component under NRLM. 22 http://www.naattuchantha.com/index.php was launched in April 2018 9 Scale & Impacts Thanks to the convergence of CBOs, GPs, share alone or crop share plus cash in the 2011), which also affects access to govern- schemes and different organizations in col- case of garden land (where vegetables were ment land and leasing of private fallow land. lective farming, Kudumbashree brought a cultivated). Elderly resident landowners With Panchayats having a legitimate role considerable amount of fallow lands under appear to have greater preference to lease around such land access, political cultivation. Against a target of 1400 ha, the out land to Kudumbashree program |differences sometime can make program has identified about 6500 ha out of participants (Abraham, 2019). In the case of Panchayats indifferent to the proposals of which 1834 ha has been put under farming. complex land negotiations, especially those ADS and CDS. (Annexure II) There are areas where the involving multiple landowners for leasing in The involvement of the Panchayat and entire fallow land in the village has been contigious parcels for group cultivation, the Kudumbashree functionaries as signatories taken over by Kudumbashree women for skills of the JLG leader and the nature of to the lease contracts has been perceived to cultivation. According to the Kudumbashree support received from Kudumbashree staff, increase the sanctity of the contracts and website, the program has facilitated leasing Revenue Department, Agriculture build the trust of both the landowner and of 5,921 acres of fallow land under the fallow Department and the CDS were important tenant (Landesa, 2013). The involvement of less village program23, and the additional determinants of success (Abraham, 2019). the Panchayat has also helped tenants fallow land identified for cultivation between Revenue department’s role is limited to negotiate longer-term contracts, which 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2019 totalled 11,340 providing land information in the villages, required a minimum lease period of three acres (Kudumbashree, n.d.). whereas the Agriculture Department’s years for private lands developed using support includes input and extension Efforts to institutionalize private land leasing MGNREGS (Abraham, 2019). services. In general, it has been difficult for have been partially successful. The women’s groups to access contiguous land In a study of the program conducted in Bhoonidhi mechanism established to identify parcels in a geographic cluster, ideal for Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha and cultivable fallow did not make much pro- group cultivation considering economies of Ernakulam districts, a comparison of the gress due to landowner’s non-cooperation scale. yields of banana, paddy, tapioca and out of the fear of losing their land vegetables on (i) group leased land, (Abraham, 2019). Where women’s groups More broadly, while there has been a (ii) individually leased land and were able to access private land on informal working agreement between Kudumbashree (iii) self-cultivated (own) land does not show leases, the terms of the leases negotiated and the panchayats such that that any particular tenure arrangement are usually based on the type of the crop, Kudumbashree units (viz, ADS and CDS) results in consistently higher yields. type of the land and the relative bargaining are a sub-system (or community-wing) of the However, farm efficiency in terms of power of the landlord and tenants. The local governance arrangements and not input-output ratio was observed to be higher period of the lease was generally observed sub-ordinate to them, it has been observed in the case of group leased land compared to be of one year, whereas the payment that their decision-making is often dominat- to both owned and self-cultivated land and terms included crop share in the case of ed by local panchayats and influenced by individually leased land in Kerala, paddy (paddy/wet land cultivation) or crop their political affiliation (Williams et al., Image Credit: Ausmita Sarkar 23 A program under Kudumbashree to bring the fallow unproductive lands into cultivable lands for enhancing overall agricultural production and productivity in the state 24 The group lease farming arrangement under the Kudumbashree Mission had convergence with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, panchayats, agricul- tural universities and agriculture and horticulture departments of state government. 10 possibly due to better convergence24 as per the crops (viz. banana, vegetables, community-based organizations achieved with central and state government paddy, tapioca, pine apples etc. as pure and (NHG-ADS-CDS), Panchayati Raj support for group farming activities (Haque mixed) raised. This is in comparision to Institutions (PRIs) and different schemes like and Nair, 2014). The Kudumbashree average net receipts of INR 51,204 from MGNREGS, MKSP and the JLGs of program also improved land access for the cultivation of a farm family for the state as NABARD have enabled community farming poor, as more than 85 percent of the per NSSO 2012-13. However, as per to transform women to income-earning members are under the low-income Abraham (2019) some of the JLGs they members of the family. Group farming also category (Abraham, 2019). studied did not perform well in marketing distributed the input costs, as well as the their organic vegetables and paddy, which risks associated with agriculture. The Kudumbashree mission adopted and would have fetched premium price in urban promoted efficient business operations in localities. The bulk of it was sold within the selling produce and has helped farmers locality at prevailing market prices or at a achieve prices higher than those prevalent slight premium as groups. In addition, Kisan in the local markets, as well as recognition Credit Cards (KCC)25 are provided to the for the quality of their agriculture products, individual JLG members, which enhances resulting in higher revenues for the farmers their credit access. This provides an (Landesa, 2013). Total sales during 2019-20 incentive to the cultivators in the state. through Kudumbashree channels was about INR 580 million (Kudumbashree, n.d.). In a The success of Kudumbashree can be study of about 8 JLGs cultivating 22 acres of attributed to the maximum convergence land (1.5 acre own + 20.2 acre lease) in achieved across the various CBOs, GPs, 2016 by Abraham (2019), average gross Agriculture department and Poverty income per member of JLG per acre per Eradication mission of the state and the annum was found to be ranging from INR schemes or projects of both the state and 6000 to INR 28,000 (average INR 10,680) central governments. The convergence of Image Credit: Ausmita Sarkar 25 Kisan Credit Card is a Government of India scheme which aims to save farmers from high -interest rates usually charged by money lenders in the unorganised sector. The interest rate can be as low as 2.00% under this scheme. Kisan Credit Card is a Government of India scheme which aims to save farmers from high-interest rates usually charged by money lenders in the unorganised sector.. 11 Issues and challenges With formal leasing banned in Kerala, interested to lease out their paddy fields to for the crops grown by JLGs on the basis of leasing of land by JLGs is informal. the same JLG even for five or six informal leases. As the lease period is often Landowners fear losing their land rights to consecutive years. This was largely due to a restricted to only one year and typically tenants under the Kerala Land Reforms restriction on the conversion of paddy undocumented or unregistered (when Amendment Act, 1963 and therefore lands26 to other uses and the higher cost of documented and also signed by generally do not lease out their land for cultivation by individual landowners vis-à-vis Kundumbashree and Panchayat institutions) more than one year at a time. In the case of collectives leasing in the land, given the most women farmers are unable to insure fallow lands, once they are developed for additional benefits provided by the state to their crops. It may be noted that the Prime cultivation, the owners typically begin the groups. However, JLGs are in general Minister Fasal Bima Yoajana (PMFBY) leasing them out to individuals for higher not willing to increase the leased area under covers sharecroppers and tenant farmers, rental payments, again leaving JLGs without paddy cultivation and mostly resort to use but requires some documentation like land access to economic land parcels. Thus, in minimum land for their subsistence food lease certificates to avail benefits the absence of formal land leasing laws (paddy) production while availing state (Rai, 2019). providing tenure security to both the incentives for converting fallow paddy-land To get incentives viz. input subsidy from the landowners and the tenants, it will be difficult (Abraham, 2019). Groups are more keen to Agriculture Department, JLGs are required to help poor and women farmers access lease in garden land of economic size to to submit supporting documents27. Abraham more land for farming (John, 2009). increase their income by selling the produce. (2019) noted that for some JLGs, the land The informal lease agreements facilitated An essential part of the Kudumbashree owners were not co-operative with respect under the Kudumbashree program are collective farming intervention has been to sharing the tax receipt of land, an based on individual negotiations and the facilitation of alternate sources of credit to important document for availing these lease terms vary, with no definite guidelines meet the production costs, in the absence of entitlements from the agriculture or criteria. The short lease periods that land formal leasing, which prevents the tenants department. In this case, the JLGs had felt it owners usually insist upon was cited as a from accessing formal finance. As these was unjust and had not renewed the lease major issue by many groups, particularly lease agreements are not legally registered for a second time. However, Abraham those engaged in cultivating garden lands, with the Revenue Department, banks are (2019) found such cases to be few, largely especially horticultural crops (viz. pineapple, unable to easily verify the land areas due to the presence of kudumbashree sup- bananas, etc.), which require more labour cultivated by tenants or to estimate the crop port and network in the locality and peer and financial investment (Abraham, 2019). production value and then use this to support from ADS/CDS and the Panchayat. Lease agreements are generally for one guarantee the loan as collateral. Apart from However, given the highly unequal land season/year only (except for pineapple), as loans obtained from NABARD, women’s ownership structures as well as widespread most landowners are reluctant to give gar- groups also avail loans distributed by NHGs prevalence of unofficial tenancy, it is den lands to the same JLG for more than and some private lenders, as commercial important to legalize leasing and ensure one year/crop season. While group cultiva- banks are generally reluctant to issue loans records related to both land ownership and tion requires a larger land area to achieve to women’s groups engaged in agriculture land leasing are maintained and updated economies of scale, large contiguous land activities in the absence of formal leases. regularly. parcels are also not easily available, There were instances when JLG members especially for longer terms. However, no also pawned family gold to get additional such hesitation was found in the case of wet loan. Crop insurance coverage, which is (paddy) lands, with many landowners also tied to land records, is difficult to avail 26 As per Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, no paddy field can be converted in to any other forms except for non -commercial residential construction (limited 5 cent provided he/she has no other land under his/her ownership). http://www.j -asc.com/gallery/10-april-633.pdf 27 Lease deed, Pass book of bank account of the JLG, and tax receipt of land 12 Lessons Learnt with respect to increased access to (i) formal farming knowledge through trainings and exposure visits, (ii) inputs and (iii) marketing 4. It is important to explore 1. Supporting women (Abraham, 2019). The experience of additional institutional inno- farmers to self-organize as Kudumbashree suggests that the group's vations, such as creating farmer groups to help them autonomy in deciding on the crops they public land banks at the vil- access assets and services. grow, the technology they implement and lage level managed by the markets they explore coupled with panchayats improved land access through group leasing yields improved livelihood outcomes (Agarwal, 2019). Supporting women farmers to self-organize In the medium term, wide-ranging policy as farmer groups can help them access reforms that address the concerns of both financial assets (credit, subsidies, etc.) and lessees and lessors will be required to technical support that was otherwise not incentivize landowners to make the most available to them individually in the absence 3. MGNREGS demonstrates effective use of their land and to enable of legally documented land ownership and how governments can lever- landless and marginal farmers to access given their limited bargaining capacity and age public finance to achieve additional land for cultivation through formal non recognition as farmers by the state. improved outcomes for vul- land leasing (Agrwal 2019). To achieve nerable tenant farmers these policy objectives, it will also be important to explore additional institutional innovations, such as creating public land banks at the village level30 managed by panchayats that can be used to allocate The State’s decision29 to require a minimum farmland to vulnerable farmers 2. Collective farming can lease period of three years for leases (Agarwal and Sharma 2012). contribute to transforming involving fallow land developed with the use the identities of rural women of public funds under MGNREGS from ‘agricultural workers’ to demonstrates how governments can ‘farmers’ in their own right. leverage public finance to achieve improved outcomes for vulnerable tenant farmers, including JLGs. Policy interventions by the state to formalize land leasing arrangements and provide secure group user rights over Collective farming can contribute to productive agricultural lands of an economic transforming the identities of rural women size are thus important to ensure that from ‘agricultural workers’ and ‘helpers on vulnerable tenant farmers continue to benefit family farms’ to food producers and more from this government support, as well as importantly ‘farmers,’ with some women their own investments, on leased-in land for even being recognised as ‘master farmers’. a minimum period of time. Combining this model with increased access to cultivable land of an economic size through land leasing, provides new livelihood options for women farmers groups, particularly for landless women and others with marginal landholdings28. In addition, women’s farmer groups play an important role in empowering their members 28 For a poor peasant from landless and marginal landholding families, access to cultivable lands of economic size may be possible only through leasing. For poor women from landless and ‘land poor’ households, access to independent and secure land rights through inheritance, as well as government transfers, have always been limited, and market purchases are nearly impossible as they suffer from severe resource constraints (Agarwal, 2002). 29 Panchayat and Kudumbashree functionaries being signatories to the lease contracts, bring in sanctity and trust from both sides. Involvement of Panchayat can also help in longer-term contracts. To overcome, short lease periods as a major limitation, a scheme formalized with gram panchayat concurrence now makes the period of lease for a mini- mum period of three years, if the fallow land of a landowner has been brought into cultivation using MGNREGS funds. (Abraham, 2019) 30 A public land banks (PLBs) can be created to be managed by a panchayati raj institution, at the gram panchayat or block/ mandal level. PLBs would take “deposits” of land parcels from owners wanting to lease out their land, with full freedom to withdraw their deposit after a fixed period. The deposit could be for one season, one year, or longer. On deposit, owners would get a small payment as incentive , the amount varying by the period of deposit (analogous to short -term or long-term deposits in a financial bank). The amount could be calibrated to a per centage of prevailing average land rents in the panchayat. The landowner would receive an additional fee when the land is leased out. How- ever, deposits would be voluntary. Owners not wanting to deposit could lease out their land directly if they wished. A PLB would lease out land under its command to designated categories of farmers , such as marginal farmers, women, dalits and tribals. The land could be leased to individuals or groups. This proposal was submitted to the Planning Com- mission by the 12th Plan Working Group on Disadvantaged Farmers, including women. 13 References Abraham, J. A. (2011). Measurement of so- Kudumbashree. Retrieved October 19, 2020, Rai, R. (2019). “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima cial empowerment of farmers in SHGS: Evi- from https://www.kudumbashree.org/ Yojana: An Assessment of India’s Crop Insur- dence from India - International NGO Journal pages/501 ance Scheme”, ORF Issue Brief No. 296, Vol. 6(12), pp. 255-261, December 2011 May 2019, Observer Research Foundation. Kudambshree (n.d)c. MARKETING INITIA- https://www.orfonline.org/research/pradhan- Abraham, D. T. (2019). Lease land Farming TIVES, Kudumbashree. Retrieved October mantri-fasal-bima-yojana-an-assessment-of- by Women Collectives: An Enquiry into Earn- 19, 2020, from https:// indias-crop-insurance-scheme-51370/ ings of Kudumbashree Groups. http:// www.kudumbashree.org/pages/512 www.cwds.ac.in/wp-content/ Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung South Asia uploads/2019/04/OccasionalPaper65.pdf Kudambshree (n.d)d. MONITOR PRO- (2014).The Collective Alternative: Experienc- GRESS FALLOW-LESS VILLAGE PRO- es of Cooperatives in Agriculture, Rosa Lux- Agarwal, B. and Sharma, P. (2012). Innova- GRAMME, Kudumbashree. Retrieved Octo- emburg Stiftung South Asia, Imprint/ 1st Edi- tive solutions can link land demand with sup- ber 19, 2020, from https:// tion (2014) ply in a way that protects farmers, Times of www.kudumbashree.org/monitor- India, 12 Jan 2012 https:// progress/203/1006 Sajesh, V. K., &Ramasundaram, P. 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Ensur- of Agricultural Economics). 2020, from https:// ing and protecting the land leasing right of thekudumbashreestory.info/index.php/ poor women in India. In presentation at the Landesa (2013). Women Transforming Indian programmes/economic-empowerment/ World Bank Annual Conference on Land and Agriculture , A Collection of Case Studies collective-farming/jlgs Poverty Washington DC March (pp. 24-27) from Indira Kranthi Patham of Andhra Pra- desh and Kudumbashree Mission of Kerala Williams, G., Thampi, B. V., Narayana, D., John, J. (2009). Kudumbashree project A Nandigama, S., & Bhattacharyya, D. (2011). Poverty Eradication Programme in Kerala. NABARD (n.d). MICRO CREDIT INNOVA- Performing participatory citizenship–politics New Delhi: Planning Commission of India, TIONS DEPARTMENT, NABARD. Retrieved and power in Kerala's Kudumbashree pro- GOI. October 19, 2020, from https:// gramme. Journal of Development Studies, 47 www.nabard.org/content.aspx?id=477 (8), 1261-1280. Kudambshree (n.d). FALLOW- LESS VIL- LAGE PROGRAMME, Kudumbashree. Re- Priya, T., Ashraf, Pulikkamath.,Mooventhan, trieved October 19, 2020, from https:// G. (2018). An Inquiry to the Status and Caus- www.kudumbashree.org/pages/686# es of Fallow Land in Kerala, IAETSD JOUR- NAL FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN AP- Kudambshree (n.d)b. CONVERGENCE PLIED SCIENCES, VOLUME 5, ISSUE 4 WITH LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENTS, 14 Annexures Annexure I: State and central government programs implemented by Kudumbashree in Kerala State Programs Central Programs Micro Finance National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) Micro enterprises, collectives & Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Grameena Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) Producer Companies Mahila KissanSasakthikaranPariyojana(MKSP) DeendayalAntyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission Marketing (DAY-NULM) Agriculture & Animal Husbandry Prime Minister Awas Yojana(PMAY) Social Development Initiatives Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme(SVEP). Organization Strengthening & Capacity Building Program Tribal Development Gender Development & Women Empowerment Activties Activities of Balasabha Annexure II: District wise details of fallow land converted to farming Area converted for farming Districts Physical Target (acre) Cultivable fallow land identified (acre) (acre) Thiruvananthapuram 100 639.75 127 Kollam 100 248 23 Pathanamthitta 100 835.9 0 Alappuzha 100 163.93 87.7 Kottayam 100 268.1 171.4 Idukki 100 56 18 Ernakulam 100 452.5 205 Thrissur 100 504.3 132.4 Palakkad 100 175.7 114.35 Malappuram 100 214 146 Kozhikode 100 749.5 428.5 Wayanad 100 530.17 0 Kannur 100 655.5 245 Kasaragod 100 1012.75 136 Total 1400 6506.1 1834.35 Source: MONITOR PROGRESS FALLOW-LESS VILLAGE PROGRAMME (Date of access: 24 May 2020) 31 MRO is Mandal Revenue Officer now redesignated as Tahsildar 32 Generally Revenue Courts are charged with resolving land -related disputes in AP 15 Annexure III: Impacts of Bhoomi program in Andhra Pradesh Total No of JLGs Pres- Paddy Banana Vegetables Leafy Vege- Tubers Others No of JLG Season ently under- (Area in (Area in (area in tables (Area (Area in (Area in Total Area (in Ha) registered taking Ha) Ha) Ha) in Ha) Ha) Ha) cultivation Season - 1 May to Sep 70555 57475 7086.08 9298.53 6476.59 180.65 6038.35 1250.17 30330.37 (2019) Season – 2 Nov-March (2019) Data till 29 42783 47098 6151.51 7122.03 4966.05 287.25 4955.22 1498.73 24980.81 February 2020 Source: MONITOR PROGRESS MKSP - COLLECTIVE FARMING http://www.kudumbashree.org/monitor-progress/170/1160 ABOUT THE DISCUSSION NOTE SERIES This note is part of the South Asia Agriculture and Rural Growth Discussion Note Series, which seeks to disseminate operational learnings and implementation experiences from rural, agriculture, and food systems programs in South Asia. It is based on findings from the Land Policy Reform for Agricultural Transformation in India Study, carried out under the India Agriculture and Rural Development Advisory Services and Analytical Program. Authors: Pranab Ranjan Choudhury, Rana Roy & Aswani Kumar Munnangi Series editor: Mercedes Stickler Publication Design & Illustrations: Navin Kumar Amang Acknowledgements: We appreciate the overall technical guidance provided by Mercedes Stickler, Task Team Leader, and the constructive com- ments received from Gayatri Acharya, Manivannan Pathy, Mridula Singh, and Samik Sundar Das. Disclaimer: The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this note are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent.