Module 1: Understanding Subsidy Use, Access and Impact

I am going to open this focus group with a couple of big questions that do not have any right or wrong
answers. We are simply hoping to have some discussion about your different views on these topics.

Q1. Lets start today by discussing your farming. What portion of your household income comes from
agriculture?
Number of responses
1. Less than 1/3 ______________
2. Half ______________
3. More than half ______________
4. All ______________

Q2. Compared to five years ago, how would you measure the prosperity of your farm?

[Discuss the
pattern of responses.]

Number of responses
1. Less prosperous ______________
2. About the same ______________
3. More prosperous ______________

Q3. What portion of subsidies do you use on your farm, for example in production, technology, rent,
leases, and employment?
Number of responses
1. Less than 1/3 ______________
2. Half ______________
3. More than half ______________
4. All ______________

Q3i. What is the rest of subsidies generally used for e.g. food, household, savings, other expenses,
income support etc.? Why?

Following questions are NPARD specific
First ask the group, if they have heard of NPARD measures and its requirements for their SPECIFC
SECTOR. If they have not, then describe the general requirements (e.g. property rights, access to
credit, documentation, investment needs) and highlight key sector requirements to the group.
Q4. Besides, what you just heard, what is your current knowledge and awareness of the rural
development program?
Number of responses
1. Yes ______________
2. Somewhat, some understanding ______________
3. No, not at all ______________

Q5. What do you think are two of your biggest barriers and issues to qualifying/applying for NPARD
rural development/structural measures? [Please ensure that the speakers elaborate after the count
for the top two with questions like What specific kinds of consulting? Why are you not interested
information? What types of research would help?]
Number of responses
1. Access to Financing ______________
2. Little interest ______________
3. Lack of understanding ______________
4. Not applicable to type of farming ______________
5. Issues with Property Rights ______________
6. No incentives ______________
7. Lack of consulting or advisory support ______________
8. Other ______________

Q6. [First mention types of female-only benefits] Given that there are additional benefits that women
can receive from NPARD, why do you think so few women are applying or obtaining these funds
compared to men? [Note: For the female-only FG group, start with the question, Are they aware of
these specially targeted funds for female farmers?]

Following questions are CGAP specific
First ask the group, if they have heard of CGAP and its requirements for their SPECIFC SECTOR. If
they have not, then describe the general requirements (e.g. water, adaptation, soil, technology etc)
and highlight key sector requirements to the group.

Q7. Besides, what you just heard, were you aware of the newly introduced CGAP and its content?
Number of responses
4. Yes ______________
5. Somewhat, some understanding ______________
6. No, not at all ______________
Q8. What are two of your biggest barriers and issues to qualifying for CGAP? [Please ensure that the
speakers probe after the count for the top two responses with questions like Why do you have
little interest in the program? What types of adaptation costs would you incur to be compliant?
What types of advisory support would help?]

Number of responses
1. Adaptation costs ______________
2. Little interest ______________
3. Lack of understanding ______________
4. Not applicable to type of farming ______________
5. No incentives ______________
6. Lack of consulting or advisory support ______________
7. Other ______________

Q9. Although there are some key barriers, what do you see as some of the some potential benefits of
CGAP and NPARD?

Q10. Considering both NPARD and CGAP, what two types of assistance do you mostly need to
sufficiently response to their requirements? [Please ensure that the speakers probe after the count
with the top two responses with questions like Do you know your extension office advisor? Where
and how would you like to get information? What types of research would help?]
Number of responses
1. Credit Assistance/Financing Programs ______________
2. Property Rights/Land Markets ______________
3. Advisory/ Consulting Services ______________
4. Research ______________
5. Information & Communication Awareness ______________
6. Other ______________

Module 2. Exploring Impacts on Poverty/Social Welfare
[Read] The rest of our discussion today will focus on how subsidies are used and the impacts on
farms, households and livelihoods, and your views on what may happen in the short-term and
long-term as reforms continue in the sector.

Q11. At the beginning of the discussion, X % of you said that you used subsidies directly on your
farms, given what we have spoken about regarding CGAP and the rural development program,
what are your perceptions of how policy changes could impact your farms in the future? Short-
term? Long-term? [Please probe deeply on this question with prompts such as "What do you
mean?"]

Q12. As farmers who also have responsibilities as members of the household (e.g. X % of
income comes from agriculture), given what we have spoken about today regarding CGAP and the
rural development program, what are your perceptions of how policy changes could impact your
households in the future? Short-term? Long-term? What types of support would you need to
manage and adapt to these impacts? [Please probe deeply on this question with prompts such as
"What do you mean?"]

Q13. Id like to close the discussion by asking about your main challenges as farmers today?
What are your hopes for the future?
Thank you to each of you for being so generous with your time today and for sharing your views and
experiences.