Centre for Collective Development

CCD is a ‘Not-for-Profit' ‘Non-Governmental Organization' working with small and marginal farmers towards improving their livelihoods by educating them in collective methods of pool & sell, processing, market links and sustainable agri practices. Currently CCD is operational in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana impacting 22,178 farmer's livelihoods. THE BACKGROUND There is high uncertainty of income associated with agriculture due to its sole dependency on the monsoon. Growth in agriculture is part of a wider process of economic development accompanied by dramatic changes in agriculture. Where economic growth and urbanisation have occurred, they are mirrored by the reduction in the number of people engaged in agriculture and the rising productivity of labour in agricultural production. Most available jobs in agriculture are associated with low and unstable incomes, poor safety and health conditions, inequality in pay and opportunities, and limited social protection. Due to restricted access to training, financial and extension services and processing facilities, more attractive prospects is limited in rural areas. This is leading the traditional farm workers to look for income from non- agricultural sources, which in turn, has been driving people out of agriculture. As noted above, most of the poorest live in rural areas, derive large shares of their incomes from agricultural activities and produce significant shares of their own food. Invariably, the poor also spend large proportions of their incomes on food.Despite of all these stereo type conditions, the poor farmers toil, and brings out the fruits of their ‘sweat'. However, when it comes to the returns, their hard work goes in vein by the time the fruits of their sweat reach the market. CURRENT OPERATIONAL AREAS AND PRODUCTS District Crop Adilabad District : Red-gram, Soya bean and Cotton Anantapur District : Ground Nut Chittoor District : Mango The core model CCD has adopted is to enable the farmers realise their potential and connect them together. Then, help them to be profitable, and finally capacity building to be entrepreneurs. Through ‘working for farmers' CCD begin to educating them on ‘Cooperative' concept. Once, the objective of establishing a cooperatives is met,the CCD starts with ‘farmers capacity building' by guiding them on marketing aspects. Through confederating the cooperatives into a District Level "Federation" CCD ensures to ‘make their work worthy'. Presently, CCD has promoted three Federations, one at Utnoor in Adilabad district, one in Puttaparthi in Anantapur District and the third one is in Piler, Chittoor District. All three federations are in the pure commodity space, selling agricultural commodities with a little value addition such as processing the raw material and grading them. CCD plans to expand in various field connected to farmers across the nation, that would enhance the farmers ability to farm and increase the profit to their toil..