INDIA

Greenhouse Floriculture Technology for small scale farmers

Project number: TCP/IND/6713

Starting Date: November 1997

completion Date: August 1999

Government ministry responsible

for project execution: Ministry of Agriculture, Division of Horticulture

FAO Contribution: US$ 296,550

I. PROJECT SUMMARY

II. Background and Justification

Floriculture is an industry which has tremendous potential in India. The different types of climatic conditions provide for the possibility of growing almost all the major cut flower species of the world, either from tropical, subtropical or temperate climate origin.

The demand for traditional flowers for religious purposes is quite large, especially around the temple towns. The production, harvesting and marketing of traditional flowers for local marketing are typical women's activities. However these flowers are produced in open field conditions mostly during the mild winter months without use of any advanced technology. As a result the quality and the quantity available for marketing are quiet heterogeneous and vary according to the prevailing weather conditions.

Recently large scale commercial companies have started to invest in the Floriculture sector, sometimes in a j oint venture agreement with foreign companies. These ventures aim at the production of high quality flower production to supply the local market throughout the year but also for export. Greenhouse technology is being introduced from abroad with high investment cost which is not adapted nor affordable by the small scale women producers. Unless appropriate technical guidance is provided to the small growers, there is a high risk that they become less competitive and might progressively be excluded from floriculture industry.

The consumers' demand from abroad is based on high quality products, with additional requirements for the growing conditions which should be in line with environment/preservation standards, implying reduced use of pesticides and other agro chemicals. These criteria cannot be met by the small scale Indian flower producers under the current production systems. The demand for quality flowers is sustained throughout the year both in India and abroad. The consumers' demand from abroad is high for products of high quality, grown in an environment friendly way, with less cost of energy, and other inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. It is more specifically during the winter months that the demand for quality flowers for export is high. During the winter months when the demand for quality flowers for export is high the range of flowers available on the market is more restricted, while production costs are high as a consequence of expenses incurred for heating and supplementary lighting. In India there are favourable sites with a comparative advantage which could become or remain competitive for the small farmers, provided adequate simple and low cost greenhouse technology is applied. Further more there is a favourable commercial situation to develop a Floriculture outgrower's scheme as an expansion of the emerging commercial growers allowing for independent entrepreneurship for women floriculture producers versus the conventional labour status.

A major component of the Centrally Sponsored Government Scheme for Commercial Floriculture during the Eighth Plan (1992-1997) has been the setting up of nine Modern Floriculture Centres (MCFs), at different locations in the country. These MCFs have to serve as the focal units for regional development of floriculture. A major mandate for these centres is the transfer of technologies through on farm demonstrations and training.

In view of the importance of the growing flower sector, steps have also been taken to improve marketing infrastructures for both traditional and commercial cut flowers. Auction houses have been set up in Bangalore, Chandigarh an Trivandrum. Similar auction houses are planned for other parts of the country, while export orientated auction houses have been proposed for Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore. During the Ninth Five year plan (1997 2002) it is also proposed to create additional local marketing structures in the major production zones.

The State Department of Agriculture (Horticulture Division) has extension service facilities which can be used for the transfer of the demonstrated technology.

The Government of India is requesting the assistance of FAO's Technical Co operation Programme in order to introduce and demonstrate adapted simple greenhouse technology for the small scale traditional flower producers, most of which are women. The assistance would allow to lay the technical fundamentals for improved technological know how and crop management skills for the production of high quality flowers and ornamental plants throughout the year. The programme would be implemented at three selected Modern Centres for Floriculture development already established by the Government and will be operated by the Horticulture Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, which has an extension service for the transfer of the demonstrated technology. In addition, the extension service network of the Agricultural University and agricultural research stations in the region could also be used for this transfer. The MCFs as well as the regional Agricultural Universities and Research Institutes form a strong national framework to ensure the technical and institutional support for the continuation and the expansion of the activities initiated by the project.

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSISTANCE

The objective of the assistance is to introduce low cost greenhouse floriculture technology as the basis for involving the small growers in modern commercial floriculture production.

IV. PROJECT OUTPUTS

At the completion of the project the following results would have been attained:

1. Survey tools and questionnaires that are gender sensitive and analyse socio economic issues related to floriculture will be available.

2 . A status document on the current situation regarding technologies and crop management of protected floriculture. This document will also include an analysis of the different actors by gender (in terms of roles, responsibilities,constraints, opportunities and needs) and the supporting context (policy environment, technical and technology environment, support services). This document will be prepared by a national counterpart staff (consultant) and presented during the first workshop.

3. Two pilot sites will have been selected among the existing nine Modern Floriculture Centres (MFCs), and will have been supplied with the appropriate equipment and technology for demonstration and in service training for flower production under small-scale greenhouses.

4. A set of technical guidelines and standards relating to the establishment of a sustainable small scale greenhouse floriculture industry will be available covering, more specifically, the following subjects:

· low cost simple greenhouse structures, to be assembled by local craftsmen;

· ornamental crop species and varieties for diversification and year round production;

· adapted technological packages according to region and climate and with regard to structure components, covering materials, climate control, in situ or on substrate cultivation, irrigation and fertigation management;

· crop management practices in conformity with integrated crop production and protection management (IPP) for the supply of high quality products respecting the environmental requirements.

5. A simple accounting system will have been developed to assist the small scale growers in monitoring the cost effectiveness of their business.

6. The technical advisory capacity of extension staff and NGOs will have been updated in relation to small scale intensive flower production, harvest and post harvest handling.

7. The technological skills of farmers (women in particular) will have been upgraded with regard to new technologies related to intensive flower production under protected cultivation for the production and packaging of high quality flowers. This will include the preparation of technical brochures, in local language, on specific crop management and post harvest handling techniques.

8. A technical booklet will have been prepared and published concerning " Greenhouse Floriculture for the small scale grower in India". This booklet will provide up to date information on greenhouse technology and floriculture crop management under protected cultivation.

9. An educational video on various phases of improved flower production technologies, including post harvest and entrepreneurial aspects.

10. An organizational structure (NGO network ) to support small scale floriculture producers and street vendors will be in place

V. WORK PLAN

The project activities will cover the following four phases:

Phase I: pre-appraisal phase (at the inception of the project) (months 1-3)

a. Training in the use of PRA techniques in floriculture for national counterpart staff at the extension level, before preparing the documents on status assessment of floriculture in the selected sites (duration one week);

b. review of current status, strengths and constraints of intensive small scale flower production; (based on the contributions made by the national consultants)

c. identification/characterization of two selected sites amongst the already existing MCF's to be retained as demonstration centres taking into account the necessity to cover, to the extent possible, the different climatic conditions in India. In a first approach, the following Modern Centres for Floriculture (MCFs) were pre selected: Karnataka (South), Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) or/and Sikkim (North East) and possibly Maharashtra (West).

Phase II: Preparation of guidelines and technical specifications and training materials (months 4-6)

In consideration of the different problems identified during the first phase the following technical materials will need to be prepared:

a. Technical specifications for the simple model greenhouses to be established in the MCF 's;

b. Training materials on improved crop management and post harvest handling for training workshops and growers;

c. Ordering of equipment and supplies.

Phase III: Field demonstrations and organization of farmers' support services (spread over months

6-18)

a. Local construction of simple shelter structures; (months 6 to 9)

b. Field demonstrations of improved flower crop management and post harvest handling (months 9 to 18)

c. Production of a video (on the basis of slides, months 6 18) that would serve as an educational tool for the extension staff belonging to the Horticultural Division of the State Department of Agriculture. Other visual training materials, especially on Integrated Production and Protection Management will also be developed in view of high illiteracy or semi literacy rates among women.

d. Establishment of networking with NGO's interested in small scale floriculture such as Self Employment Women's Association (SEWA) and /or other development organizations working at field level.

Phase IV: Training (spread over months 6 to 18)

In service training

Three national workshops (duration three days each):

a. the first workshop (month 10) should deal with greenhouse construction and covering materials and climate control, as well as flower crop management practices, irrigation and fertigation. During this workshop the national consultants will present the status papers.

b. the second workshop (month 18) should cover post harvest handling and marketing as well as professional farmers' association

c. the third workshop will take place towards the end of the project (month 22) to draw up the conclusions and recommendations and to define the major elements for a follow up programme to be implemented within the national framework.

Each of these technical workshops will be replicated in the two pilot MCF's in different regions. Field trips will be organized during each workshop in order to visit institutions involved in floriculture research and, eventually, selected private farmers.

The lead consultant and the national director will serve as co ordinators of these workshops and will be responsible for the collating of all the information.

The workshops will be attended by interested farmers, scientists and extension staff. Agroentrepreneurs interested in promoting new technologies and investing in the development of the flower production industry in India will be invited to participate, as well as governmental and non governmental institutions and religious associations.

Training abroad

One study tour on family level floriculture enterprises in the Netherlands and/or Italy, Belgium. One study tour on flower post harvest handling and marketing in the Netherlands and/or Korea

VI. INPUTS TO BE PROVIDED BY FAO

1. Personnel

International consultants

a. One consultant in horticulture (1 1 weeks in 4 missions), specialist in protected flower production, (team adviser) with overall knowledge on improvement and management of climate under protected cultivation, irrigation and fertigation, modern crop and harvest practices, substrate cultivation with experience in modern commercial growing techniques and management of cut flowers;

b. One consultant in crop protection of floriculture crops under protected cultivation, with emphasis on Integrated Production and Protection practices in respect of the environment and IPM principles (S weeks in three missions);

National consultants

One national floriculture production specialist would be selected to collate information in view to draw up a national status paper on Floriculture under Protected Cultivation in India. The selected national consultant (20 weeks in 4 missions) should already be involved in one of the modern flower centres (MFC) and act as linkage between the different MFC and between the MFC and the Ministry of Agriculture. He/she would be assisted by a consultant in post harvest handling and marketing of floriculture products and cut flowers (14 weeks in three missions) to prepare a national status paper dealing respectively with the following topics:

· statistical data on areas covered with protected cultivation (types of structures, covering materials, equipment, etc...), data on inputs and equipment supply (types, sources and costs of equipment and different supplies) and on production economics;

· climate study in different potential production regions (in order to orientate site selection and equipment and technology selection) and the actually state of the art of climate control in greenhouses in India;

· pest and disease control and crop management (species, varieties and cultivation practices) under protected cultivation;

· harvesting, post harvest handling and marketing;

This national status paper should be presented during the first project workshop to be organized about ten months after project initiation. He/she should also participate actively in the projects' training workshops.

Seen the high involvement of women in the flower production sector, a local consultant specialist in gender and socio economic analysis (24 weeks in 4 missions) would prepare, implement a participatory rural appraisal to ascertain the constraints and opportunities for floriculture, within special focus on women. Results would be analysed and conclusions be integrated within the status paper. She would also prepare strategies for follow up programmes and assist in socio economic and gender analysis training during the first and second workshop.

TCDC consultants:

a. One consultant in greenhouse design and construction (9 weeks in three missions),

b. One consultant in Gender and Socio economic analysis (6 weeks in two missions)

Technical Backstopping

Technical Supervisory Services will be provided by the concerned technical units within FAO (AGPC as LTU and SDWW,AGPP, AGSM). Technical backstopping missions for AGPC to participate in elaborating the detailed project's work plan, briefing of national consultants and participation in the end of project workshop. Furthermore, one back stopping mission would also be provided by a SDWW to review the outcome of the PRA and evaluate and adjust gender oriented activities.

c. Official travel

Official local travel expenditures incurred by international and national consultants within the country (travel and DSA costs) for up to 22,500$US.(national survey regarding the floriculture sector for the preparation of the national floriculture status paper and PRA)

d. Contracts

A contract would be handed out to a specialized institution or NGOs' for the production of audio visual training materials (videos and slides) for up to 20,000$US.

e. General operating expenses

General operating expenses for up to 20,500$US to cover expenditures related to the project implementation in the country, including editing and printing of the national status document, technical leaflets and other extension and training support material. The cost involved in the preparation and release of the project' s terminal statement is also included.

f. Materials and supplies

A total amount of 22,000$US spread over the entire project period has been budgeted to cover field and of rice supplies required for the implementation of the project activities.

g. Equipment

For demonstration and training purposes, provision for the construction of normative pilot structures for protected flower cultivation, have been budgeted. The required relevant equipment for i.a. climate control, fertigation and irrigation would also be supplied. Office equipment (i.e. computer, printer, photocopy machine) would be provided to enable the production and multiplication of extension support material (i.e. technical leaflets or sheets) by the national project team. The total equipment budget amounts to US$27,500

h. Training

In country training: (for up to 35,000)

Three national workshops (duration three days each) would be supported by the project:

· Status and opportunities for small scale greenhouse flower production in India.

· Post harvest handling and marketing of flowers

· Final conclusions and recommendations and definition of a follow up programme.

Training abroad: (for up to 13,000)

Two study tours would be organized for two scientists during 10 days each:

one study tour for two scientists/technicians on family level floriculture enterprises in the Netherlands and/or Italy, Belgium. one study tour for two scientists/technicians on flower post harvest handling and marketing in the Netherlands and/or Korea

VII. REPORTING

Upon completion of each mission, each consultant would prepare a mission report to be submitted to FAO and to the government. The national consultants would provide a comprehensive status paper on the status of the protected floriculture sector in India.

A terminal project report would be prepared by the project team adviser in close collaboration with the consultants team and the national project staff to be finalized by FAO for submission to the Government.