Farmer interest group: Grass root measure of rural development

Abstract

A Farmer Interest Group (FIG) is a self-managed, independent group of farmers with a shared goal and interest. The study was conducted in the guava Farmer Interest Group (FIG) of Old-ayakudi village in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu for understanding the real time strategyneed for effective functioning of FIGs wherever applicable. Hence, almost 10 FIGs were contacted and the data pooled and analysed. Each FIG consists of about 20 alike growers. Based on the empirical evidences, strategies were formulated to promote performance of FIG, which is a mechanism for farmers for avoiding risks, and to ensure a profit or business oriented motive among the members of FIG.