Project Detail

Promoting agro biodiversity based agricultural practices for generating sustainable income of resource poor farm families with special emphasis on conservation of agro-ecosystem

Rapid loss of agro-biodiversity has significantly affected the country, s eco-system, food production and health living standard of life. Small & marginal farm families are the worst sufferer. Monocrop practice is risk prone. Bumber production may lead to fall of price. Pest infestation may cause loss of entire crop. However bio diversified crop has the scope to compensate the loss. If there is loss in one crop, the other crop may save the farmer. It has also the ability to maintain natural soil fertility. Skeleton practice of biodiversity based eco agriculture still prevalent in a section of small and marginal farm families. This self-reliant biodiversity based agricultural practices needs to be popularized with improved package of practices. Introduction of appropriate technology with proper motivation will able to increase the income of farm families in a sustainable way. Value addition of agricultural products and facilitating marketing platform is another crucial area for producer. The proposed project will address this issue critically. Instead of targeting single farmers, the entire farm families will be mobilized. For example while male of the farm families are involved in hard working activities of agricultural operation, female members will be targeted for involving in rearing of small livestock ,duck ,poultry ,kitchen gardening , handloom & handicraft , value addition of agricultural products . On the other hand children of the farm families will be targeted for educating them on eco agriculture for food security as well as biodiversity conservation.The broad objectives of the project is to mobilize the communities and demonstrate a comprehensive biodiversity-based development model for small, marginal and landless farm families, which will be an ecologically balanced, economically secured, socially acceptable and justifiable agricultural practices.
The project activities will broadly categories as training & capacity building , demonstration for in situ and ex-situ conservation , market linkage of biodiversity based agricultural yield for providing better income to the farm families ,documentation of best practices and replication of the same in potential areas.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Lotus Progressive Centre

Country:

India

Area Of Work:

Land Degradation

Operational Phase:

OP7 Y3 (July 22-June 23)

Grant Amount:

US$ 47,477.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 51,183.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

Project Number:

IND/SGP/OP7/Y3/CORE/LD/2023/13

Start Date:

7/2023

End Date:

7/2025

Status:

Currently under execution

Project Characteristics and Results

Notable Community Participation

About 50% of the project activities will be implemented by women SHG members. All the project villages are dominated by indigenous mainstream Assamese, ST & SC communities.Women in proposed project areas play a vital role in agricultural activities. Except ploughing, paddy harvesting and thrashing, women involve in all other agriculture operation. Moreover, it is only the women who spares maximum time for livestock and poultry rearing in their household. On the other hand, farm family fully depend on women for post-harvest processing of agricultural yield. Hence the proposed project will bring women in crucial decision-making process of agricultural operation like seed selection, procurement of agricultural inputs, sale of agricultural yields and handling of sale proceeds. Existing women institution like SHGs, Mahila Sangha and Mahila Suraksha Samittees will be facilitated for credit linkage with formal financial institutions, processing of agricultural yields and marketing. Knowledge sharing workshop will be organized periodically among the farm families for cross learning and better learning. Best practices will be documented, and social media will be used for sharing the same.

Gender Focus

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

The Good Agricultural Practices will be documented with authentic data and information. Further these practices will be validated by resource institutions. Famer?s success story will be prepared at grass root level. Attempts will be made to include cost-benefit analysis of such success story. Knowledge sharing workshop will be organized periodically among the farm families for cross learning and better learning. Video &photography of best practices will be captured during implementation phase and the same will be uploaded in PIA face book, website and social media. Moreover, the community seed register and gene bank register will be a solid asset for research and other purpose.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The existing village institution like SHG, Village organization, Farmers Club, FPOs will be mobilized for dissemination of project knowledge. School children will be involved through joyful learning activities for generating awareness. Moreover they will be encouraged to develop some model on bio-diversity based agricultural practices to be used as teaching learning materials and students will also be encouraged to participate with such model at block level/ district level model competition organized by education department. Leaflet and handout will also be used for communication of project activities. Exhibition cum sale outlet for biodiversity based agricultural produce will be organized at local festival. Communities will be encouraged to visit gene bank and community garden for generating awareness.

Project Results

I. Creation of biodiversity reserves for benefiting local farming community: Under these 75 numbers of Kitchen garden will come out to cover about 15 ha of land. This kitchen garden will cultivate indigenous spices, vegetables, few medicinal plants, local fruits and also maintains few indigenous varieties of livestock. These activities will be carried out by existing women SHG members or women farmers, and this will facilitate as in situ conservation of agro-biodiversity reserve.
II. Community garden: A community garden in 1 Ha of land will be developed by FPO under the project to for raising quality seed, seedling and planting materials and it will also work as ex-situ conservation of agro-biodiversity reserve.
III. Community seed bank: Twenty Community seed bank will be maintained by farm families in their home for indigenous variety of paddy & vegetables which willfacilitate community seed bank mechanism in the project villages. Accordingly, 20 Biodiversity registers will be maintained.
IV. Gene bank: The implementing agency will establish a gene bank under the project to conserve and multiply the rare variety of paddy & vegetables among the interested farmers.
V. Improvement of indigenous small livestock: 15 numbers of indigenous goat unit will be established to be maintained by SHG members for facilitating improved breeding, feeding and other management practices.
VI. Native paddy demonstration unit: 300 demonstration unit for native paddy cultivation under the farmer?s field will be facilitated during the project period.
VII. Value addition of agricultural produce: Five numbers of agricultural processed items will be emerged out during the project period and these activities will be carried out by existing FPO and SHG members. Attempts will be made to obtain eco-certification for at least one agricultural product under the project.
VIII. Network & Linkage: Network & linkage will be established with AAU, KVK,Govt. Agriculture Deptt. Animal Husbandry Department, IIT -Ghy, Goat Research Centre-Barnihat, District unit of NLRM, Zila Parishad , NABARD , National & International NGOs like Action AID Association , Centre for Sustainable Agriculture .
It is expected to get above results by covering 500 farm families from about 500 hectares of land during the project period. Under training & capacity building 300 male & 500 female beneficiaries will be covered.
IX. Children of 15 Schools will be covered to generate awareness on biodiversity based agricultural practices. It is expected to cover 1500 School Children under the project .

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