IPMAS

Since 1991 IDEI has focussed on promoting appropriate and affordable products for the poor and gained substantial expertise in developing markets for such pro-poor technologies. However IDEI through its socio-economic impact studies data noticed that, though majority of the farmers who bought IDEI products/technologies substantially benefited out of it, still there was a significant difference between maximum and minimum benefit derived by the farmers. The concern that was debated within IDEI was that, if maximum benefit is possible then the organization should strive towards achieving it in majority of the cases, instead of allowing exceptional cases to happen naturally.

Studies showed that high earning farm families are those that have successfully overcome the market constraints along with their water constraints.They have enhanced their market participation by purchasing right inputs, making effective use of technical knowledge and market information, and develop stable linkages to output markets.

Key focuses of the IPMAS approach are:

To reach beyond Technology

Learning from these key findings and analysis, IDE-I, has embarked on a major initiative to help small farming families, enhance their incomes from Rs.18,000 per annum to more than Rs.30,000 per annum. Intregration of the farmers in the market systems by helping them to overcome the constraints in input and output marketing. we would help a farming family in moving up the income ladder.
IDEI is thus moving beyond the development of technology and supply chains and adopting a "market" as an institution approach to rural economic development and thereby poverty reduction. The IPMAS Program aims at strengthening the participation of rural poor in to markets, both as buyers of their choice and sellers by strengthening their bargaining power.

Market as an institution

IPMAS wishes to develop the market as an institution for rural development. and strongly believes that the private sector can provide long term sustainability to the programme, provided the programme generates viable business for them, which IPMAS will strive to achieve.
A primary cause for persistent poverty is limited interaction with markets by the rural poor. They cannot afford to purchase required inputs for their small plots or invest in production technologies, resulting in production that does not rise above subsistence levels. IDEI believes that poverty can be addressed on a large scale by helping rural poor overcome the barriers that keep them from participation in "markets". The challenge is to allow the evolution of pro-poor markets that enable the poor to be members of both input and output markets,.

IPMAS strategy

Identifying few marketsheds in all regions as specific areas of initiation of work, the focus of IPMAS is to identify the constraints at input , on farm and output levels by the small holder ,and also by the other market actors in delivering services to the rural poor. Apart from identifying relevant technologies and creating a supply chain, the focus is on development of diversified crop portfolios through identification of remunerative crops that can be grown in the area.
IDEI seeks to achieve this through capacity building and training of the farmers in successful crop management and use of high quality inputs.

• Identifying relevant technologies and creating a supply chain,

• Development of diversified crop portfolios. Listing the crops grown by small holders across seasons and understanding why farmers grow what they do, we will do a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the key crops/varieties grown. This will helps us in identifying the most remunerative crops that can be grown in the area and evaluation and suggestion of crop portfolio options to the farmers.

• Organize trainings for small holders to suggest the crop portfolio options and the various other optimal inputs and best practices like IPM, IFM and IWM required to grow them.

• Linkages with public sector actors (government agronomic extension, university research) and private sector enterprises who act as service providers of production inputs (seed, fertilizer, technology, micro credit) and on-farm agronomic training.

• Introduce and promote Vermin wash technology as a high quality inputs for micronutrients. The farmers will be trained to to produce the high quality nutrient indigenously on farms through the traditional method of use of earthworms in composting through use of readily available raw materials.

• Linkages with nursery growers from where the saplings for high value crops can be accessed by farmers. Entrepreneurial farmers will be motivated to set up nurseries which will provide him with business development opportunities and will give an easy access to good quality saplings to other farmer.
  

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