Institutional Innovations in the Delivery of Farm Services in India: A Smallholder Perspective

Description

This book uses primary evidence to assess the value of agro-input and service delivery business models in terms of their inclusiveness, effectiveness and impact from a small farmer perspective, in the form of case studies in three Indian states: Punjab, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The services discussed include custom rental of farm machinery and equipment, franchising for backward and forward linkage for farmers and the supermarkets for delivery of farm inputs, and extension services. The book examines agro-input and service delivery business models as institutional innovations for inclusive and effective delivery of such services in the small farmer context, based on primary data from the agencies designing and implementing such models and the farmers who make use of these inputs and services. Further, it identifies major issues and challenges in the delivery of farm inputs and services across regions and types of farmers and examines possible policy and enabling provisions to promote cost-effective and high-quality agro-input delivery channels. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiv Introduction (Sukhpal Singh)....Pages 1-12 Sale, Purchase, and Use of Agro-Inputs and Services in India: A Review (Sukhpal Singh)....Pages 13-32 Farm Machinery Rental Services: Case Studies from Punjab (Sukhpal Singh)....Pages 33-70 Supermarket Retailing of Agro-Inputs: A Case Study from Uttar Pradesh (Sukhpal Singh)....Pages 71-159 Agro-franchising for Farm Input and Market Linkage Delivery: A Case Study from Bihar (Sukhpal Singh)....Pages 161-228 Summary, Conclusions, and Policy Implications (Sukhpal Singh)....Pages 229-242 Back Matter ....Pages 243-246