UNDERSTANDING THE INFLUENCE OF FARMER PRODUCER COMPANIES ON FARMER LIVELIHOODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
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https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6213-1338
Ashish Ranjan Sinha
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2868-5251
Abstract
Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), as a legal entity in India, combine corporate efficiency with cooperative spirit to boost farmers' negotiating power, access to market, and sustainable farming. Despite growing policy support and an increasing number of FPCs, the overall evidence on their influence on farmers’ livelihoods remains fragmented across disciplines and geography. To address this gap, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify, appraise, and synthesize peer-reviewed studies with the objective of examining the influence of the FPC model on farmers' livelihoods. Following PRISMA, we identified 237 records from Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar; screened titles/abstracts and assessed 143 full texts for eligibility; and included 32 studies in an inductive thematic synthesis with CASP appraisal and cross?tabulations across study designs to ensure transparency and rigor. The findings were categorized and examined into three themes: economic, social well-being and issues and challenges. Findings indicate that FPCs economically benefit farmers by improving access to markets, credit, grants, government support, training, and technologies that boost yields and improve quality for better price realization. Socially, FPCs strengthen social capital via member?elected governance structures, peer mentoring, and targeted training programs, with notable gains in smallholder resilience and women's leadership. FPCs, while beneficial, also face challenges in governance and leadership, undercapitalization, and market linkages. Further study on addressing these issues is crucial for their long-term influence on farmer livelihoods. This review illustrates the value of inductive theme generation, quality-weighted analysis, and cross-tabulation methods, and recommends longitudinal and participatory research to capture evolving governance dynamics and long-term livelihood outcomes.
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