Above: Farmers carrying potatoes harvested from the field. Photo: TAFSSA

Bihar's economy is fueled by agriculture, which employs over half of the workforce. With a yield of 27,654 kg per hectare over 330 thousand hectares of land, Bihar accounts for 17% of India's total potato production, only behind Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. But the agricultural lands are rife with challenges: small and marginal farmers who owns less than 2 hectares of land in average make up for 97% of the landholdings. These make for less-than-optimal conditions for productive farming.

In Bihar's largest potato-producing belt, a plethora of challenges make farming unremunerative: bottlenecks in procuring good quality seeds, unaffordability of pesticides and fertilisers, the prevalence of crop pests and diseases, poor market prices at harvest time, inadequate knowledge of good agronomic practices - all lead to a lower net return. Nalanda's farmers are finding ways to make farming more profitable, productive, sustainable, and rewarding.

Unless that happens, farming will soon cease to be lucrative - or even viable - as a livelihood.

Rita Devi, a 47-year-old farmer from Bihar, is among the 103 innovative farmers demonstrating new ways to tackle agricultural challenges through the Small Farmers Large Fields project, implemented by Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) in collaboration with the International Potato Center (CIP).

Rita Devi inherited an acre of land since her husband's prolonged sickness and then demise during the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago.

Above: Rita Devi has been actively engaged in agriculture for over a decade.

Photo: TAFFSA (Nalanda) Team

But she can't envision a world where farming is a sustainable livelihood for her or future generations. "It's hard to see profits in agriculture…" she sighs. "As long as the land size is small, how can the profits increase? The profits remain tiny, too." For small farmers like Rita Devi, who are financially precarious, agriculture is neither lucrative as a livelihood nor aspirational as a lifestyle.

Rita Devi saw a flicker of hope in the form of the Small Farmers Large Field (SFLF) Programme when she saw some people touring the village in September 2022, talking about farming in a new light.

Aggregation as a Solution to Farmers' Woes

On the ground, with support from NGO Jeevika, the TAFSSA staff at International Potato Center (CIP) were mobilising farmers to pilot the Small Farmers Large Fields (SFLF) collective action farming model.

Under the SFLF model, the participating farmers organise themselves into groups to leverage

their collective bargaining powers. They purchase inputs, secure farm operation services from providers collectively, and incur substantial savings through bulk purchases; they level up their production practices and use quality seeds. Ultimately, their harvest receives a premium owing to quality and volume.

The TAFSSA team planned to disseminate knowledge about improved agricultural practices among farmers and then harness their collective bargaining power to procure better resources and prices. They kicked off the initiative with training sessions.

Rajiv Ranjan, field coordinator of TAFSSA and a farmer, said, "Varietal knowledge of seeds and crops was inadequate among farmers. They had no idea about the new varieties or how the different varieties performed."

The training sessions combined presentations and interactive discussions with farmers, using visual aids like photos and diagrams to enhance understanding. Key topics included field and seed preparation, high-yielding and disease-resistant crop varieties, irrigation optimization, and precise fertilizer application. Farmers also learned preventive and reactive approaches to weed and disease management, along with post-harvest handling and storage techniques.

Above: Farmers engaged in growing and harvesting potatoes. Better knowledge about production practices led to better output for potato farmers (Rita Devi on the left). Photo: TAFFSA (Nalanda) Team

Above: Training sessions NCoH, Noorsarai by TAFFSA, CIP staff members aimed to engage farmers. Photo: TAFFSA (Nalanda) Team

Connecting with farmers through the Small Farmers Large Field pilot

Rita Devi decided to attend the training sessions in December 2022 to learn more about farming and explore how this new knowledge would help her reduce farming costs. Her core motivation was improving her crop yield, which would reap financial rewards.

When TAFSSA staff first entered the villages and interacted with the farmers, many of them had their doubts about the interventions. International Potato Center (CIP) staff continued to meet the farmers in the villages and briefed them on the benefits of collective farming. A few big farmers associated with the program in the beginning, and that led to the adoption of the practices by other small farmers. Trust was built over time.

Above: Farmers engaged in growing and harvesting potatoes. Better knowledge about production practices led to better output for potato farmers (Rita Devi on the left). Photo: TAFFSA (Nalanda) Team

What were the training sessions like?

The International Potato Center (CIP) developed a comprehensive Package of Practice (PoP) featuring illustrations of key field operations, major pests, and diseases. Accompanied by concise guidelines on input application methods, fertilizer and pesticide dosages, and timing during the cropping cycle, the PoP was translated into Hindi, printed as a leaflet, and distributed to farmers in both pilot locations. Designed as a quick reference, the leaflet aids farmers in all aspects of potato and seed production, including efficient pest and disease identification and management.

Rita Devi recalls being given information on water saving, fertiliser dosage optimisation, and pest control all of which led to monitored and restricted usage of the inputs and translated into financial savings.

"Now we know the correct amount of fertiliser dosage, and could save money." said Rita Devi, who joined the pilot programme in the rabi season of 2023-24 and implemented lessons she learned in the training and demonstrations. The financial savings were tangibly evident to her, and motivated her to move forward.

One of the lessons their community learned is the irrigation optimisation for The rabi potato which needs 5-6 irrigation cycles in the region. The CIP team gave clear instructions on when these cycles should take place: first light irrigation 5-10 days after planting to cover 1/3rd of the ridges, need-based irrigation covering ½ of the ridge in the following cycles, and cessation of irrigation 8-10 days before dehaulming, and preventing waterlogging at all times.

Harnessing Collective Strengths

The Small Farmers Large Fields (SFLF) initiative aimed to strengthen farmers' bargaining power by improving supply chain integration. A major focus was helping farmers collectively procure quality inputs like seeds and fertilizers from reliable, affordable sources. High-quality seeds were sourced directly from Punjab, replacing expensive, substandard local options. Negotiated prices and proper storage ensured farmers in Nalanda had seamless access to these resources. Similar arrangements were made for fertilizers and pesticides.

Rita Devi, passionately supports the initiative for its financial and operational benefits. "Even if no one else makes the provision, we will form a farmer group to procure seeds from Punjab," she asserts, reflecting the project's effectiveness. Her resolve highlights how collective action and better linkages can empower small farmers and optimize their farming practices.

In another exercise, Rita Devi tested crop diversification. After harvesting potatoes, she planted maize and moong beans on her farm to boost her farming income.

Above: Better seed quality begets better yields. Better bargaining power helped farmers get a better price for their yield. (Photo: TAFFSA Team)

The tangible and intangible impact of SFLF

Ranjan attests to a noticeable change in farmer confidence, "SFLF has helped farmers through increasing knowledge and income. Information from local experts in the village and neighboring villages helped the farmers, too. Earlier, farmers were scared about the seed quality bought from the market. With the CIP linkages, they get assured quality and variety of seeds."

Because of better seed quality and capacity enhancement in agricultural practices, Rita's income from crops has improved. However, her profit is limited to the small land. She is inventive in her income generation: she plans to sell the surplus seeds she acquired to farmers during Rabi in 2024.

Most farmers under the SFLF programme roughly doubled their income, as well as, net returns after adjusting for the cost of production, compared to non-SFLF farmers.

Rita Devi hopes, as the word spreads about the positive impact on yields and market values, more farmers will join the SFLF model. Additionally, subsequent seasons of the pilot will help refine the model addressing all prevalent issues they face.

Above: Farming challenges and SFLF Solution, Bihar

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