AWARENESS & PERCEPTIONS OF

ORGANIC FARMING
Group 8

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
1. Study current scenario and awareness at various levels
2. Study the correlation between awareness level and factors such as
education, livestock, land holdings & family Income
3. a) Identify limiting factors and additional support required by farmers to
start organic farming
b) How is willingness affected by factors like: Number of dependents,
income, livestock, education, land holding etc
4. Conduct a case study of a farmer successfully practicing Organic Farming

Utility of the Research

Outcome may be utilized for designing and implementing
awareness programs
Findings may be useful in finding solutions to the limiting factors
Results of correlations may be helpful in gauging the potential and
accordingly taking initiatives to promote Organic Farming
Beneficiaries: GoI, National Centre of Organic farming (NCOF),
Organic farming Association of India (OFAI), Private Agencies who
provide contract farming and Farmers

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Secondary research (Literature review from credible sources)
Primary research
Focus group discussions (For Qualitative Insights )

SECONDARY RESEARCH
Why Organic Farming?
Offers Solution to some current problems
Environment, Soil Quality and
Sustainability in Agriculture
Environmental Protection, conservation of
non-renewable resources and improved
food quality
Cost of production is reduced
Increasing Demand in the premium
Segment
Potential to offer higher returns to farmers
in terms of resource utilization and
consumers willingness to pay
High Potential in India due to diverse agro
climatic regions

Current Land under Production

: 2.8 million ha

LITERATURE REVIEW (1/5)

Study on economics and efficiency of Organic Farming versus
Conventional Farming
Charyalu Biswas studied economics and efficiency of organic farming visa-vis conventional farming in India. The study covered four states
(Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and U.P) and four major crops (cotton,
sugarcane, paddy and wheat
Overall, it is concluded that the unit cost of production is lower in organic
farming in case of cotton and sugarcane crops where as the same is lower
in conventional farming for paddy and wheat crops.
Efficiency levels are lower in organic farming when compared to
conventional farming, relative to their production frontiers. The results
conclude that there is ample scope for increasing the efficiency under
organic farms
Reference: Charyulu, D. K., & Biswas, S. (2010). Economics and Efficiency of Organic Farming
vis--vis Conventional Farming in India. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

LITERATURE REVIEW (2/5)

Study on certified organic farms to ascertain real benefits and

features of organic farming
P. Ramesh et al. conducted a survey on certified organic farms in Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Uttarakhand to ascertain real benefits and
features of organic farming in terms of the production potential, economics
and soil health in comparison to the conventional farms
The study revealed that organic farming in spite of the reduction in crop
productivity (by 9%), provided higher net profit to farmers (by 22%) compared
to conventional farming. This was mainly due to the availability of premium
price (20-40%) for the certified organic produce and result in the cost of
cultivation (by 12%)
There was an overall improvement in soil quality indicating an enhanced soil
health and sustainability of crop production in organic farming systems
Reference: Ramesh, P., Panwar, N. R., Singh, A. B., Ramana, S., Yadav, S. K., Shrivastava, R., &
Rao, A. S. (2010). Status of organic farming in India. Current Science, 98(9), 1190-1194

LITERATURE REVIEW (3/5)

Study on green growth and organic agriculture as a livelihood

strategy in sustainable rural development
Rajesh Kumar Dubey studied a tribal community pursuing a green growth &
organic agriculture as a livelihood strategy
The study revealed that increasing technical know-how amongst the farmers
about organic farming and organic inputs; good post- harvest handling;
effective and efficient infrastructure and export logistics are important to
enter into the market
He used a framework to identify three different organic livelihood strategies
involving varying degrees of capitals. These three ways in which organics
occur in the community are deeply interrelated. He states that given the
complexity of these interactions the role of organics as a livelihood strategy
can be interpreted as a strategy to adapt organics to the local community. Any
policy to transform certified organics into an instrument of social change in
Reference: Dubey, R. (n.d.). Green Growth & Organic Agriculture as Livelihood Strategy in
rural communities
depends
on understanding
the functioning
of these
Sustainable
Rural Development.
International
Journal of Scientific
and Research Publications,
3(11),
November 2013. Retrieved from http://www.ijsrp.org/ on June 23, 2015.
networks

LITERATURE REVIEW (4/5)

Study Indian farmers experience and perceptions of
organic farming
This paper investigates the perceived relevance, benefits and barriers to
conversion to organic farming in Indian context. There were total 120 farmers
interviewed for barriers like low yield, problems in pest and control, nonavailability of organic input, no knowledge, no market, not suitable for me, lack
of labor, difficulties in livestock OF, rain fed lands, fragmented lands and rental
land etc.
Marketing and production were identified as main constraint for conventional
producers. Organic farmers were more concerned with health, environmental
and production factors (such as pest control and lack of manure)
The study concludes that yield reduction and the issue of controlling pests and
diseases without chemicals were considered as both a challenge for the
organic farmers and a barrier for the conventional farmers
Reference: P. Panneerselvam, Niels Halberg, Mette Vaarst and John Erik Harmansen. Indian
farmers experience with and perceptions of organic farming. Renewable agriculture and food
systems, May 2012.

LITERATURE REVIEW (5/5)

Study the relative profitability of organic and conventional
agriculture on type of crop and resource availability

Patil et al has made an analysis about comparing the organic and

conventional farming where he has compared these two in the areas
lacking resources (Chitradurga) like rainfall, fertilizer etc. and the other
one being rich in resources (Mysore). He also observed the losses being
occurred incase of crop failure
He found that organic farming is beneficial in case of rain fed
agriculture while the conventional farming is good in case of irrigation
or resourceful agriculture

Reference: Patil, S., Reidsma, P., Shah, P., Purushothaman, S., & Wolf, J. (2014). Comparing
conventional and organic agriculture in Karnataka, India: Where and when can organic farming be
sustainable?.Land Use Policy,37, 40-51.

PRIMARY RESEARCH
Sample selection
Target population
Sampling technique
Sample size
Indicators
Survey questions
Data collection
SPSS analysis

Unit of Data Collection : Family

Family as a whole owns the farms and cattle, therefore

decision to go for organic farming may be mutual
Awareness level of the Family Head is an important
influencing factor
Total Family Income and the number of dependents
influence the risk taking ability

Sample
Selection

Since our unit of data collection is family, our target population is also families involved
in farming.

Sampling technique: Stratified Random Sampling.

Stratas would be based on Proximity from the major organization (Organic India Pvt.
Ltd.).

For the purpose of this project, we have defined 3 stratas:

Stratas
Residents

Distance from

Number of
Respondents
35

of

Village

Organic India
1 km

of

Village

3 km

35

of

Village

15 km

38

Haripur
Residents

Devkhari
Residents

Captainganj

Total Sample size: 108 farmers

INDICATORS
OBJECTIVE

CONSTRUCT AND CONCEPT

INDICATORS

Concept: Understand how many people know about Number of farmers aware of
organic farming and up to what extent and know if the concept of organic
farming
Study current scenario lack of awareness is a barrier.
Construct: Current scenario means taking note of Number of farmers pursuing
and awareness at
how many people are pursuing it (at what level).
organic farming
various levels
Awareness implies people knowing about the
Awareness level of each
concept of Organic Farming, the procedures
farmer*
involved, benefits and drawbacks
Total Income*
Concept: Various factors influence the awareness
Study the correlation level of farmers. It is important to understand the
Share of Non- Farm Income*
between awareness
correlation in order to come up to some
Number of Livestock owned*
level and factors such as generalization
Education level*
education, livestock, Construct: Explore if there is a positive correlation
land holdings & family between various factors (such as education,
Land holding details
livestock, land holding, family income) and
Income
awareness level
Limiting Factors
a) Identify limiting
Additional Support
factors and additional
Risk taking ability
support required by Concept: Exploring answers to questions like If
farmers to start organic farmers are aware, is there something that stops
farming
them from pursuing it? What is the additional
b) How is willingness support they require?
affected by factors like: Construct: Explore if there is a positive correlation Willingness
Number of dependents, between various risk taking factors and willingness
level

income, livestock,
education, land holding

VARIABLE QUESTIONS MAPPING

Variable Name
AGE
DEP
INCF
INCNF
LIV
LAND
LAND_OWN
EDU_HEAD
EDU_HIGH
KNW
SRC
AW1
AW2
AW3A
AW3B
AW3C
AW3D
AW3E
AW4A
AW4B
AW4C
AW4D
AW4E

Variable Description
Age of Respondent
Family Size
Monthly Farm Income
Monthly Non-farm Income
Number of Livestock owned
Land under Cultivation- Bigha
Ownership Status
Education level of Family Head
Highest level of Family Head
Heard of Organic farming
Source of Information
Know about certification process
Sell the produce of Organic Farming
higher market price
Higher quality of produce
Soil fertility Improvement
Health benefits to farmers
Low Input Cost
Lack of affordable Inputs
Low productivity
Crop Failure
Abandonment by major player
Three year gestation period

Variable
Type
Scale
Scale
Scale
Scale
Scale
Scale
Nominal
Ordinal
Ordinal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal

PRC
LIMITA
LIMITB
LIMITC
LIMITD
LIMITE
LIMITF
LIMITG
LIMITH
LIMITI
LIMITJ
LIMITK
LIMITL
LIMITM
LIMITN
LIMITO
SUPPORTA
SUPPORTB
SUPPORTC
SUPPORTD
SUPPORTE
WILL
PRX
CS
AW3
AW4

Practise Organic Farming

Lack of Input availability
Costly Inputs
Crop failure risk
Low productivity
No knowledge about market
Low accessibility to market
Three years gestation
Absence of government support
Not able to receive certificate
Satisfied with current situation
Unwilling to try something new
Lack of example in the village
Evidence of failure of fellow farmer
Time consuming
Less Land
Information/ Know-how
Technical Support
Certification process
Marketing support
financial support
Willingness to shift
Proximity
Derived Variables
Composite score
Benefit Awareness
Risk awareness

Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Nominal
Ordinal
Scale
Scale
Scale

SPSS
ANALYSIS
Step-wise Multiple Linear Regression: To understand
how is awareness level related to different factors
Logistics Regression: To understand whether a farmer
is willing/ unwilling to pursue organic farming based on his
risk taking abilities
Objective
Study
current
scenario
and
awareness
at various
levels

Construct and
Concept

Indicators Questions

Variab Variable
Method
les
Type

1.Concept : Understand 1.Number of Have you heard of

KNW
how many people know farmers aware Organic Farming (Jaivik
about organic farming of the concept Khaiti)?
and up to what extent
of organic
and know if lack of
farming
awareness is a barrier. 2.Number of
Do you practice organic PRC
2.Construct: Current farmers
farming?
scenario means taking pursuing
note of how many
organic farming
people are pursuing it
(at what level).
3. Awareness Do you know about the
AW1
Awareness implies
level of each
certification process?
people knowing about farmer*
Do you know where to sell AW2
the concept of Organic
the produce of Organic
Farming, the procedures
farming?
involved, benefits and
Do you know about the
AW3
drawbacks
following benefits of
organic farming

Binary

Descriptive
Analysis

Binary

Descriptive
Analysis

Binary
Binary
Ratio

KNW+AW1+AW2
+AW3+AW4=
COMPOSITE
SCORE
Descriptive
Analysis

Hypothesis Testing

H01:

Awareness level is less than 10%

H02:

Families with higher income, livestock, land

holding and education level are more aware about
organic farming

H03:

Families with higher income (more share of non

farm income), livestock, land holding, education level
and less dependents are willing to go for organic farming

Qualitative Research for Organic

Farmers
FGD with the farmers pursuing Organic Farming
Key Objectives:
Understand the driving force (psychological
factors) that made the farmers pursue organic
farming
Understand risks and returns (tradeoffs)
associated with Organic farming
What are their future plans?

Information Collection - Phases

Pre-Visit Field Trip

&
Questionnaire Testing
Date: August 7, 2015
Place: Kakori Village, Hardoi Road

Findings:
The level of awareness & willingness was quite high
amongst the nearby farmers because of successful examples
of organic farming of some fellow farmers
A lot of scope of Organic Farming is in the cosmetic and
medicinal domain, because of the growing awareness among
the consumers

Azamgarh Field Visit

Date: September 2-8, 2015

Findings & Analysis

Village Timeline

Village Profile - Kamhenpur

INTERVIEW

Interview of a farmer with alternate source of

income (general goods shop)

Descriptive Analysis

Out of 108 farmers 58% farmers have shown awareness about organic
farming and 51% farmers who are aware practicing organic farming.
Awareness level is very high as compared to other parts of Uttar Pradesh
because of Organic India support and influence.

Composite Scores

Calculated for the farmers who know about organic farming

Varying from 1 to 9
They are aware but this is solely the effect of presence of Organic India
Most of them know that there is a farming type called organic farming but they
dont know about benefits and challenges in detail

Awareness of Benefits
35
30

29

25
20
15
Number of Respondents

15

14
10

10

5
0

Benefits

Awareness of Risks
12
10

10
8

8
6

4
Number of Respondents

2
0

Risks

Step-wise Linear Regression Results

Model Summary
Model

R Square

Adjusted R
Square

Std. Error of
the Estimate

.816a

.666

.663

1.336

.857b

.735

.729

1.197

.871c

.758

.751

1.148

a. Predictors: (Constant), Proximity

b. Predictors: (Constant), Proximity, EDU_HEAD (Education level
of Family Head) Q9
c. Predictors: (Constant), Proximity, EDU_HEAD (Education level
of Family Head) Q9, LAND_OWN (Ownership Status) Q8

Model

Beta
In

LIV (Number of Livestock owned) Q6

.142b

2.583

LAND (Land under Cultivation- Bigha) Q7

.073b

1.271

-.133b

-2.429

EDU_HEAD (Education level of Family Head) Q9

.263b

5.194

EDU_HIGH (Highest level of Family Head) Q10

.151b

2.781

total ncome

.026b

.468

LIV (Number of Livestock owned) Q6

.089c

1.735

LAND (Land under Cultivation- Bigha) Q7

.028c

.530

LAND_OWN (Ownership Status) Q8

LAND_OWN (Ownership Status) Q8

-.154

-3.181

EDU_HIGH (Highest level of Family Head) Q10

.022c

.378

total ncome

.002c

.041

LIV (Number of Livestock owned) Q6

.071

1.433

LAND (Land under Cultivation- Bigha) Q7

.045d

.889

EDU_HIGH (Highest level of Family Head) Q10

.050d

.871

Sig.

.011
.207
.017
.000
.006
.641
.086
.597
.002
.706
.968
.155
.376
.386
.911

Partial Collinea
Correla
rity
tion
Statistic
s
Toleranc
e
.244

.986

.123

.937

-.231

.998

.452

.987

.262

1.000

.046

.996

.168

.939

.052

.910

-.298

.992

.037

.733

.004

.988

.140

.926

.087

.900

.086

.717

total ncome
-.005
-.112
-.011
.985
a. Dependent Variable: Composite score
b. Predictors in the Model: (Constant), Proximity
c. Predictors in the Model: (Constant), Proximity, EDU_HEAD (Education level of Family Head) Q9
d. Predictors in the Model: (Constant), Proximity, EDU_HEAD (Education level of Family Head) Q9,
LAND_OWN (Ownership Status) Q8
d

Awareness Level Among The

Farmers
Significant Variables*:
Proximity
Education level of Family
head
Land ownership status

Insignificant Variables*:

Number of Livestock Owned

Land under cultivation

Highest Education Level of Family

Total Income

*These determinants have high partial correlation and collinearity

statistics and thus have been removed by step wise multiple linear
regression.

Hypothesis

Null
Hypothe Explanation
sis

H01
(relationship

There is no significant relationship between total income and

between total
awareness. In this case as all the major investments are borne by
Accepted
Organic India. Also, since the produce is bought by Organic India, it
income and
hedges the risks that small income farmers were reluctant to take.
extent of
awareness)
H02
(relationship
between
livestock
owned and
extent of

There is no significant relationship between the extent of livestock

owned and organic farming. This is true in this paper's case as
Organic India provide farm manure and other inputs at negligible
Accepted
rates. This allows the farmers with no livestock to also pursue organic
farming with not much difficulty, thus reducing the dependence on
livestock.

awareness)
H03
(relationship
between
Education
Level of
Family Head

There is a significant relationship between education level of Family

head and extent of awareness. The beta coefficient is 0.458. Since
this is positive it shows that as the education level of Family head
Rejected
increases, the extent of awareness also increases. This is very
evident, since as the farmer gets more educated he seeks more
opportunities and hence greater awareness of organic farming.

Hypothesis

Null
Hypothesi Explanation
s

H05 (relationship
between Land
under cultivation Accepted
and extent of
awareness)
H06 (relationship
between Land
Ownership
Status and

Rejected

extent of
awareness)
H07 (relationship
between
Proximity and
extent of
awareness)

Rejected

There is no significant relationship between land under

cultivation and extent of awareness. This is true in our case, as
most of the awareness of organic farming was because of the
presence of Organic India. Since Organic India did not
discriminate based on land holding, small and big farmers were
given equally opportunity for organic farming.
There is a significant relationship between land ownership status
and extent of awareness. Also as the standardized beta
coefficient is -0.154, it shows that if the farmer owns the land he
has higher awareness of organic farming versus when the farmer
doesnt own the land. This is obvious as when the farmer owns
the land, he wants to seek more opportunities for the fruitful
output from the land and hence higher awareness.
There is a significant relationship between proximity to Organic
India and extent of awareness. The farther away we go from
Organic India, the extent of awareness decreases drastically.
This is the most important determinant in our model and is
specific to our paper.

Logistic Regression Output

Classification Tablea
Observed
Predicted
WILL
Percent
(Willingness to
age
shift)
Correct
0
1

WILL
0
Ste (Willingness 1
p 1 to shift)
Overall Percentage
a. The cut value is .500

52

92.9

46

88.5

90.7

Variables in the Equation

Wald

df

Sig.

Exp(B)

AGE

-.062

.051

1.526

.217

.939

DEP

.084

.087

.929

.335

1.087

LIV

-.224

.213

1.110

.292

.799

.264

.126

4.415

.036

1.302

LAND_OW
N

-.783

1.043

.564

.453

.457

EDU_HEAD

1.175

.397

8.744

.003

3.237

EDU_HIGH

.660

.500

1.739

.187

1.935

-6.500

1.696

14.682

.000

.002

.000

.000

1.960

.161

1.000

-.044

1.348

.001

.974

.957

LAND

Step 1a

S.E.

PRX
TI
Share

296310.04
2
a. Variable(s) entered on step 1: AGE, DEP, LIV, LAND, LAND_OWN,
EDU_HEAD, EDU_HIGH, PRX, TI, and Share.
Constant

12.599

4.387

8.247

.004

Willingness to practice organic

farming:
Significant Variables:
Proximity
Education level of Family
head
Land under cultivation

Insignificant Variables:

Number of Livestock Owned

Share of Non Farming Income

Total Income

Highest level of education in family

Land ownership status

Number of dependents

Age

Accepted/
Explanation
Rejected
There is no significant relationship between total income and
willingness. The major support that farmers generally need is
information/ know-how, technical and marketing. Financial support
H01
is not a major concern for them to start organic farming. This is
(relationship
very specific to our study as Organic India takes care of initial
between total Accepted investment, certification etc. Even if it is a big farmer or a small
income and
one, their choice of choosing organic farming is independent.
willingness)
Also, since the produce is bought by Organic India, it hedges the
risks that small income farmers were reluctant to take. Hence, all
problems faced by small farmers to pursue organic farming is
majorly handled by Organic India, thus removing any relationship
There is no significant relationship between share of non-farming
H02
income and willingness. As explained earlier, this is very specific
(relationship
to our study as Organic India takes care of initial investment,
between
certification etc. Also, since the produce is bought by Organic
share of non- Accepted India, it hedges the risks that small income farmers were reluctant
farm income
to take. Hence, because of the presence of Organic India, farmers
and
do not need high non-farming income to hedge their risks. All
willingness)
types of farmers are now willing to go for organic farming
weakening the relationship.
There is no significant relationship between the extent of livestock
owned and willingness to go for organic farming. This is true in
H03
this paper's case as Organic India provide farm manure and other
(relationship
inputs at negligible rates. This allows the farmers with no
between
Accepted livestock to also pursue organic farming with not much difficulty,
livestock
thus reducing the dependence on livestock. Thus, livestock plays
Hypothesis

Hypothesis
H04
(relationship
between
Education
Level of
Family Head
and
willingness)
H05
(relationship
between
Highest
Education
Level and
willingness)

Accepted/
Explanation
Rejected

Rejected

Accepted

H06
(relationship
between Land
under
cultivation
and

Rejected

There is a significant relationship between education level of

Family head and willingness to try organic farming. Also as the
beta coefficient is 1.175 (positive), it shows that as the education
level of Family head increases, the willingness to try organic
farming also increases. This is very evident, since as the farmer
gets more educated, he wants to seek more opportunities for more
returns..
There is no significant relationship between highest education
level and willingness to go for organic farming. In many cases, the
highest education level was of the male member in the family in
the age group of 20-30. They were mostly working outside, either
as a labourer, a lawyer, shop assistants, peons, drivers etc. They
had little say in agriculture and were mostly the source of other
non-farming income. Thus they contributed little to the decision of
willingness to try organic farming and hence no significant
relationship.
There is a significant relationship between land under cultivation
and willingness to go for organic farming. The p-value of land
under cultivation is 0.034. Since it is less than 0.05, it shows it is
significant in determining willingness and we need to accept
alternate hypothesis. Also the beta coefficient is 0.264. Since this
is positive it shows that if the farmer has more land, he is more
willing to go for organic farming. This is because when the farner
has more land, he goes beyond subsistence farming. He would like

Hypothesis

Accepted
/
Explanation
Rejected

H07
(relationship
between Land
Accepted
Ownership
Status and
willingness)

There is no significant relationship between land ownership

status and willingness to go for organic farming. Thus if the
farmer owns the land or not, his willingness to go for organic
farming is not affected. This seems counter intuitive.
There is a significant relationship between proximity to Organic
India and willingness to try organic farming.

H08
(relationship
between
Rejected
Proximity and
willingness)

It shows that the farther away we go from Organic India, the

willingness decreases drastically. As the study depicts earlier
that the major supports that farmers need is information/ knowhow, technical and marketing. All of these major support have
been provided by Organic India. Thus, farmers close by feel the
support and are more willing to go for organic farming, while the
farmers far away do not have such security. This is the most
important determinant in our model and is very specific to our
paper.

FOCUSED GROUP
DISCUSSIONS

Date: 6th September 2015

Place: Haripur (Azamgarh district)
Number of Participants: 3 groups (8+6+10)
Details about Participants: Organic farmers from the Village Haripur
(They produce Tulsi for Organic India)

Key Objectives:

Understand the driving force (psychological factors) that made the farmers pursue
organic farming
Understand problems faced in the initial stage and take views about the process
improvement
Understand risks and returns (tradeoffs) associated with Organic farming
Measures taken by organic farmers in case of anomalies
Know about their experiences of selling organic products in the market
Understand the qualitative impact on living conditions & satisfaction level after
shifting to organic farming
Know about their future plans

Groups

Group 1

Members
Member
1
Member
2
Member
3
Member
4
Member
5
Member

Group 2

Age

Male
Land
size
Members

<30

Member 1

31-40

31-40

Member 2

31-40

Member 3

41-50

Member 4

41-50

Member 5

41-50

31-40
31-40
41-50

Land
size
was
small
to
large

Age

Group 3
Female
Land
size

Land
size
was
small
to
large

Members

Age

Member 1

<30

Member 2

<30

Member 3

31-40

Member 4

31-40

Member 5

31-40

Land size

Land size
was small
to large

FGD Results
Organic farming
background

Motivation behind
Organic Farming
What benefits are
you receiving by
pursuing Organic
Farming?
Support or
Guidance

Farmers have 2 to 15 years of experience of organic farming.

Most of the farmers have small land holdings and agriculture produce was just
enough for self-consumption only. Farmers who have medium land holding size were
producing wheat and rice only. Organic India approach them and offered higher prices
for tulsi crop and also provided know how. Tulsi crop doesnt require high irrigation
also so it was the best option available with farmers.
Regular income
Less irrigation (Tulsi crop only)
High Income
Better health (they discussed about eye flu which affected nearby village but not
them)
No support from any government agency or NGO. There was great support from
organic farming as they were providing agricultural inputs, vermicomposting and
regular monitoring.

In what ways is the

Farmers are not aware about specific channels for organic produce but do get better
sales channel
price for their organic vegetables and wheat in the same market. They also discussed
different in Organic
that people wait in the mandis to get organic vegetables and wheat and ready to pay
as compared to
10 to 15% higher price.
Conventional?
Are you selling to a
NO, only regular buyer is organic India
Private Player?
Is company
exploiting you

They feel they are getting fair price and they also discussed that income from organic
India is almost four time as compared to other conventional farming crops like wheat
and rice.

Difficulties in
process over the
years

All accepted that it is easier to practice organic farming now but it requires high time
and attention.

Challenges Faced

Low production was one of the major challenge initially but they got help from
Organic India. Now there is no challenge and they are selling their produce to Organic

Non-Organic farmer

Post-Trip Lucknow
Office Visit
Date: September 13, 2015

Objective of Visit
History of the Organization
Understanding the Organizational Structure
Understanding the processes (packaging & branding)
followed after procurement from farmers
Issues faced by Organic India in Azamgarh
Information about other products and procurement
plants
Additional Information for Case Study

OIs CSR Activities

Toilets
Sewing Machines
Solar Lights
Health Center

Tea-bag Packaging Process

Storage of preprocessed material

is done in drums

Mr. Balram, COO of

Organic India

LIMITATIONS
Research is applicable to Uttar Pradesh only, not applicable to
other states where per capita income is higher
Mr. Harishchandra from Organic India accompanied us so the
responses may have become a little biased
As Organic India is providing full support from raw material to
buying their produce, it is very difficult to capture actual
challenges and they may also differ place to place
Organic India is the sole driving force here and these results will
be applicable to areas where private players like OI are present

Thank
You!