Association of membership in a farmer producer organization with crop diversity, household income, diet diversity, and women’s empowerment in Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Introduction To date, the impact of farmer producer organizations (FPOs) in India is under-explored in the empirical literature. The primary objective of this study was to test whether agricultural households with FPO members in Uttar Pradesh, India have greater crop diversity and higher income, and whether adults in those households have greater diet diversity and women are more empowered. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2023 with two groups of agricultural households, those: (1) with an FPO member (n = 417 households, 414 men and 412 women) and (2) without an FPO member (n = 402, 395 men and 388 women). Diet diversity was measured at the individual level using the FAO minimum diet diversity (MDD) score. Women’s empowerment was measured using a modified version of the Abbreviated Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI) score. The association between FPO membership and crop diversity, household income, MDD, and A-WEAI was estimated using separate regressions, adjusted for educational attainment, caste, farm size, and, for household income, number of household members. Results FPO households had slightly greater crop diversity than non-FPO households (mean of 4 crops versus 3.5 crops, respectively). FPO households were more likely to have an income from cultivation and livestock than non-FPO households. Hence, FPO households had higher total annual household income than non-FPO households. Adults in FPO households were more likely to have diverse diets. However, they also had greater consumption of unhealthy foods. There was not a significant difference in women’s empowerment between FPO and non-FPO women. Conclusion These findings suggest that FPOs are a potentially effective strategy for improving farmers’ incomes, and that this has mixed effects on the healthfulness of household diets. This information can be used to inform evidence-based policies to provide dedicated support for promotion of FPOs and for improved convergence between rural development, agriculture, and nutrition.