Anuvaad Solutions hosted a “Workshop on the impact of Farmer Producer Organizations on farmer income, crop diversity, nutrition, and vulnerable populations” on 12th September 2023 in Lucknow. The objective of the workshop was to disseminate the findings from one of the first scientific studies conducted in Uttar Pradesh that documents the impact of FPOs on farmer households. The attendees of the workshop included representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh, related line departments, NABARD, Development partners working closely with FPOs in UP and FPO members representing different districts of UP, including Chitrakoot, Gorakhpur, Rampur, Varanasi, Chandauli, and Bahraich. 

The program included a keynote address on the UP FPO landscape by Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing & Export, Agriculture Education & Research, Government of U.P; Dr. Raj Shekhar, Secretary, Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing & Export, Agriculture Education & Research, Government of U.P shared the way forward for the UP FPO policy and programs in the state and Mr. RK Singh, Additional Director, Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh highlighted the multiple government schemes aimed at supporting FPOs throughout the value chain. The major findings of the pilot study were presented by Prof. Lindsay Jaacks, University of Edinburgh and Dr. Ananya Awasthi, Founder & Director, Anuvaad Solutions presented a state level overview of FPOs in UP based on data analyzed from the UP FPO Shakti Portal. The workshop concluded with an input seeking session with around 50 FPO members representing different districts of UP. These valuable insights have been shared with the Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh to further enhance feedback-based, evidence-driven policies to promote FPOs in UP.