1. Background
The Government of India is implementing the Central Sector Scheme “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)” to promote aggregation, institutional strengthening, and enterprise development of small and marginal farmers.Under the scheme, 10,000 FPOs have been formed across the country, mobilizing approximately 60 lakh shareholder farmers. To ensure long-term sustainability, governance quality, leadership capacity, institutional systems, and compliance frameworks of these FPOs require structured strengthening.A dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) has been established to provide technical, institutional, and capacity-building support at national and state levels. The present position is created to anchor governance and institutional capacity-building interventions within the scheme.
2. Purpose of the Position
To design and implement a structured institutional governance and capacity-building framework for FPOs under the 10K FPO Scheme, ensuring improved leadership, compliance awareness, institutional systems, and long-term sustainability.This role focuses on governance systems, institutional strengthening, structured training, and policy convergence — not direct commercial business operations.
3. Key Responsibilities
A. Institutional Governance Strengthening
- Develop standardized Governance & Institutional Strengthening Framework for FPOs.
- Prepare model governance manuals, SOPs, and Board guidance documents.
- Strengthen systems related to transparency, accountability, and member participation.
- Support clarity of roles between Board of Directors, CEOs, and shareholders.
B. Structured Capacity Building
- Design comprehensive capacity-building curriculum for:o Board of Directors o CEOs and management staff o Cluster-level functionaries
- Develop thematic training modules and toolkits.
- Facilitate national and state-level Training of Trainers (ToT).
C. Institutional Assessment & Monitoring
- Develop Institutional Maturity & Governance Assessment Tool.
- Conduct governance gap analysis for FPOs.
- Recommend corrective action plans and capacity-building roadmaps.
- Support monitoring of institutional performance indicators under the scheme.
D. Knowledge Management & Documentation
- Document best practices of high-performing FPOs.
- Develop case studies and thematic reports.
- Prepare policy briefs and analytical documents for programme strengthening.
5. Qualification & Experience
- Ph.D./Postgraduate degree in Public Policy, Rural Development, Agricultural Extension, Governance, or related discipline.
- Minimum 2-3 years of experience in:o Institutional development o Governance strengthening o Capacity building & curriculum design o Research and policy documentation
- Experience working with farmer collectives/FPOs preferred.
6. Core Competencies
- Strong understanding of institutional governance systems
- Expertise in training design and facilitation
- Strong analytical and policy writing skills
- Experience in institutional assessment and monitoring
- Familiarity with central government programme structures