eng Enviro Research Publishers Current Agriculture Research Journal 2347-4688 2321-9971 2026-05-11 14 1 25 46 26967 article Utpal Goswami 1 Shazeed Ahmed 2 Department of Management, Assam Science and Technology University, Guwahati, India Department of Management, Assam Institute of Management, Guwahati, India. This study examined the organisational structure, governance practices, capacity-building initiatives, financial transparency, and governance knowledge of board members in Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in Assam through the theoretical lenses of Agency Theory, Institutional Theory, the Resource-Based View (RBV), and Human Capital Theory. Primary data were collected from a sample of 56 FPOs and 270 board members using a stratified multi-stage sampling design covering three agro-climatic zones, Lower Brahmaputra Valley (S1), Central Brahmaputra Valley (S2), and North Bank Plains (S4), which together represent 73.2% (282 of 385) of the state's registered FPOs. To move beyond descriptive profiling, the study derives four testable hypotheses grounded in the theoretical framework and employs Chi-Square Tests of independence and Spearman's rank-order correlation to examine associations between key organisational variables (membership size, vintage, CEO qualification, and female board representation) and annual turnover. The findings reveal that most FPOs were established after the launch of the Central Sector Scheme to promote 10,000 FPOs. While most organisations complied with basic institutional norms regarding membership, board composition, and record-keeping, their financial performance remained uneven, with low turnover in most cases. Membership size (Fisher's exact p = 0.037; ρ = 0.43, p = 0.001) and organisational vintage (Fisher's exact p = 0.047; ρ = 0.43, p = 0.001) emerged as significant positive correlates of turnover, while CEO agricultural qualification showed no significant effect (p = 0.754) and female board representation displayed a significant categorical association (χ² = 10.08, p = 0.006) but no linear trend (ρ = −0.21, p = 0.141). Although many FPOs had appointed CEOs and received governance training, gaps persisted in technical expertise, stakeholder engagement, female representation, and the appointment of expert directors. A significant gap was observed between perceived awareness and actual knowledge of governance among board members. The study highlighted the need for targeted capacity-building interventions focusing on legal literacy, procedural compliance, and practical governance skills to strengthen long-term sustainability. http://www.agriculturejournal.org/volume14number1/organisational-structure-governance-practices-and-board-competency-in-farmer-producer-organisations-evidence-from-assam/ Assam Agriculture; Board of Directors; Capacity Building; Farmer Producer Organisation; Governance Competency; Smallholder Farmers