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| Focus Area
| Agro Based Livelihoods |
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| Agro Based
Livelihoods |
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| The Issue |
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Agriculture is integral to the rural way of life. However our farmers still follow age-old practices that give low returns and are subject to the vagaries of nature. New and improved agricultural technologies can improve yields and incomes, without damaging the ecosystem.
Animal husbandry is an important allied activity and India has the highest livestock population in the world. But our animal health is poor and its yield low. |
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| Our Solution |
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We educated farmers through several on and off field training session about e agricultural “best practices” and helped them implement the same on their fields, |
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Krishi Vigyan Kendra, started in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), reaches out to 70 villages in Junagadh district, Gujarat. Activities o f the Kendra include farmer training, development of demonstration plots, scientist visits to field, knowledge dissemination. |
Horticulture – the cultivation of crops like mangoes, lemons, litchis, amla, apples, jatropha , guava, chikoos, custard apple, pomegranate, malta, etc – has led to crop diversification, better soil utilization and opened up new income streams for the farmers |
Organic farming is being encouraged amongst the farmers. They are also being supported in getting certification for their organic produce. Besides the positive impact on soil and environment , organic farming has also been found to offer farmers a financial benefit. Vermi-composting units are being set up to meet the demand for organic manure. |
Integrated Pest Management – incorporating yellow sticky traps, neem powder, pheromone traps – is being offered as an alternative to the rampant use of chemical pesticides, especially in states like Andhra Pradesh where this is a big problem |
| Kitchen gardens are providing better nutrition and income for villagers |
Allied agricultural activities that augment farmers’ incomes such as mushroom cultivation, bee keeping, timber plantation are being encouraged. |
Alternate sources of fuel (like biogas) are being successfully promoted to conserve forest cover and reduce the indiscriminate chopping of trees.Smokeless chullahs and solar cookers have been made available to reduce pollution and avoid unnecessary health problems for women |
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| In animal husbandry we try to improve animal health by offering medical services through animal health camps where common illness are treated and vaccination provided, artificial insemination is promoted to improve the breed of the cattle. Formation of dairy cooperatives is also encouraged. |
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| The Outcome |
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| Agricultural demonstrations |
Acre. 7992 |
| Horticulture promotion |
Acre 6984 |
| Micro-irrigation systems |
Acre 5058 |
| Kitchen gardens |
No. 9429 |
| Organic farming |
Acre . 818 |
| Farmers benefited in training and exposure visits |
No. 50707 |
| SRI cultivation |
Acre 1417 |
| Are covered in Better Cotton Initiative |
Acre 8018 |
| Wadi development |
Acre 950 |
| Cattle treated |
No. 404648 |
| Artificial inseminations |
No. 23871 |
| Biogas plants |
No. 1117 |
| Smokeless chullahs/solar cookers |
No. 3912 |