Socio- psychological Constructs and Perceived Economic Variables Impacting the Farmer Producer Organization members in Kerala: A Quantitative Analysis

The present study focused on assessing the socio-psychological constructs and perceived economic variables affecting the functioning of the FPOs. An ex-post facto research design was used in the study. The study was conducted in Kerala. Districts from Northern, Central, and Southern Kerala having the maximum number of FPOs were selected for the study. Wayanad from Northern Kerala, Idukki from Central Kerala, and Trivandrum from Southern Kerala were purposively selected for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of the FPOs. Two functioning FPOs were purposively selected from the three districts based on discussion with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). From each selected FPO, 20 farmer members were randomly selected. A total of 40 farmers were surveyed from each district. Thus, from six FPOs in three districts, 120 farmer members were selected. A random sampling technique was used for the selection of the farmer members from each FPOs. The study rigorously examined parameters such as age, education, annual income, scientific orientation, training attended, credit orientation, social participation, group cohesiveness, and creativity levels among FPO members. It was observed that FPOs comprised middle-aged farmers who completed their education up to the high school level. A substantial proportion of FPO members fell within the medium income category, scientific orientation, and have attended relatively fewer training sessions. Additionally, the research unveiled the fact that the majority of the FPO members belonged to a medium level of credit orientation, social participation, group cohesiveness, and creativity among FPO members. These factors play a critical role in shaping the dynamics and effectiveness of FPOs.