Microfinance Practice: [MFP] Returns to small farm investments

Dear Malcolm

Long and medium term returns from agriculture in most parts of India are negative and hugely negative

Short term returns are sometimes positive but farmers may breakeven if they do not factor their labour (which is their critical input)

I am working on a State of India's Agriculture for Low Income People Report for 2012 and can send you data by mid may if that will help

Cheers

Warm regards

Ramesh

On Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:25:22 +0530 wrote
>

Dear Colleagues,

May I please ask for some data, or suggestions as
to where I might get it ?

I need some examples of thereturns from
typical small farm projects. Buying a cow, growing a new crop or variety,
digging a well, buying a irrigation pump, using more or better fertiliser,
whatever.

Rough figures, for the amount invested, and the
returns, net of costs, including family labour which can be valued at what the
same person would earn for the same hours as a day labourer at that season.

Really small farms, the average in India is under
two acres, and really small incremental investments on such farms, not the farm
itself, as above. And the cost of land can be ignored unless it is leased for
the purpose, or unless there is an obvious opportunity cost, such as leasing it
to a neighbour.

I have lots of examples for non-farm enterprises.
Buy $50 worth of bananas, sell them for $70 in two days, cost two days work at
$5 a day opportunity cost, $1 bus fare, $2 bribe to the market police, $2
storage fee overnight, net return $10.

But I wantsome for farmers, typical
microfinance investments.

The more the merrier, all I need is the nature of
the 'project', the country where it is done, and the investment amount , income,
costs, return and period. Any currency.

Many thanks

Malcolm Harper