How CCD is driving long-term farmer autonomy through collective ownership, market access, and value creation

The Problem Isn’t Production. It’s Power.

India’s small and marginal farmers grow much of the food we eat—but rarely receive their fair share of its value. The majority are trapped in cycles of debt, underpricing, and dependency on middlemen, despite high agricultural output.

The real gap? Farmers don’t own what they grow after it leaves their field.

Enter CCD: A Model for Farmer-Led Transformation

Centre for Collective Development (CCD), founded in 2003 by Prof. Trilochan Sastry (IIM Bangalore), believes the answer lies in ownership, not aid.

Over the last two decades, CCD has been building a new model of agriculture—one where farmers not only grow, but process, package, and sell their products under a brand they own.

This shift from producer to stakeholder is where real transformation begins.

The Power of Farmer-Owned Brands

CCD’s model connects three critical elements:
1. Farmer Cooperatives
Small and marginal farmers are organized into cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. These groups are democratically governed and trained to manage everything from
sourcing to operations.

2. Local Processing and Value Addition
CCD helps set up community-level units to process raw produce into shelf-ready products—cold-pressed oils, atta, ready-to-cook mixes, etc. This means farmers no longer sell at bulk rates—they sell at market value.

3. Brand and Market Linkages (via Farmveda)
Farmveda, a brand incubated by CCD, brings these farmer-made products directly to urban consumers. The profits return to the cooperatives. The ownership remains with the farmers. The impact is systemic.

Why This Model Works

● Keeps value in the community: Instead of middlemen profiting, farmers now receive returns from end-to-end operations.
● Builds pride and identity: Farmer-owned brands restore dignity, leadership, and local entrepreneurship.
● Strengthens resilience: Collective models help smallholders share risk, reduce input dependency, and invest in long-term soil and water health.
● Delivers quality to consumers: Transparent sourcing and clean, natural processing result in better, safer products

Scaling with Impact

CCD has already enabled over 400 farmer cooperatives and supported more than 47,000+ farmers. Through partnerships like the recent MoU with SERP and the Andhra Pradesh Government, this model is now scaling across six districts—bringing processing, market
access, and sustainability to thousands more.

The vision is clear: A future where farmers don’t just work for brands. They build them.

Join the Movement

At CCD, we believe agriculture doesn’t need fixing—it needs rethinking. And that starts with putting farmers in the driver’s seat of value creation.

To learn more, collaborate, or support farmer-owned impact at scale, visit www.ccd.ngo