Influence of Collective Action on the Efficacy of Tea Smallholding Development Societies in Sri Lanka

Farmers Organizations (FO) have evolved to address the major constraints faced by smallholder farmers. They need to address the diverse concerns of members. Tea Smallholding Development Societies (TSDS) were established through a legislative act and are expected to serve tea smallholders on resource and market-related issues. However, currently, the tea smallholding sub-sector seems stagnant as indicated by some of the key indicators that question the interventions made by TSDS to uplift the lives of tea growers. This study sought to explore the efficacy of TSDS and investigate its relationship with CA status. Data were collected from 120 TSDSs in major tea-growing areas using structured questionnaires. Results revealed that only 25% of TSDS offer multipurpose services at varying rates. The majority of TSDS acts only as an intermediary agency linking tea smallholders with government agencies for various forms of assistance. Market-oriented activities were minimal. Policy dialogue was found to be often lacking within organizations, which can block opportunities to develop a collective consciousness among the membership. Overall observations can be classified into four clusters based on the level of multitasking service provision. A significant correlation was e revealed between the efficacy of TSDSs and the status of collective action. The above correlation was stronger when collective action took place voluntarily than when a third party intervened, raising the question of dependency. The results, supported by the literature, revealed that collective action and efficacy function as interdependent variables. Thus, these two factors have the potential to behave in a vicious circle.