RGMVP works in a project area where the primary livelihoods of the poor and the poorest of the poor come from the agricultural and allied sectors. Approximately 82 to 85 percent of the poor are small or marginal farmers, and of these 55 percent own land less than half a hectare in area. The yields from these small holdings are low due to saline and sodic soil, low rainfall, over-exploitation of the land and lack or irrigation facilities; and the poor just about manage to eke out an existence from subsistence farming. To ensure that agriculture becomes a major source of income generation for the poor, the poor are being trained and motivated to use sustainable agricultural practices so that the fertility of their

A SHG woman with the organic compost she has prepared   A meeting in progress at a Farmers’ Club   SHG woman practicing the System of Rice Intensification   SHG women being trained in the System of Wheat Intensification

1. Replacement of chemical fertilisers: Chemical fertilisers kill microorganisms in the soil and adversely affect the environment. To counter this impact, compost-making and the use of the Dabholkar metho of green manuring arebeing prompted and propagated in the Programme area. Thousands of women across the project area have been trained in making organic and vermi compost and using green manure. Not only have these women found that they are able to save money spent on chemical fertilisers, use locally available resources to prepare compost but that their land’s soil is rejuvenated and they get better crop yields.
2. Seed Bank: Quality seeds are an essential requirement for good crops and higher yields. To address this issue, RGMVP has started a Seed Bank. The functions of the Seed Bank are: purchase good quality seed and distribute it to BO members with a proviso that double the seed will be returned to the BO after harvesting. The next season, seed from the first season is distributed to a larger group of CIP members and farmers for use, and the seed is used again for the third season, after which it is abandoned since it cannot be productive after three years of use.
3. Non-pesticidal Management (NPM): This is aimed at promoting a natural and organic method of crop protection from pesticides through the use of organic pesticides such as Panchagavya, Neemastra, Brahmastra and Amritjalam. NPM is based on an understanding of the crop ecosystem and modifying it by adopting suitable cropping systems and crop production practices. Also required is an understanding of the type of pests and their behaviours NPM is aimed at building farmers’ knowledge and skills in making the best use of local resources and natural processes through community action.

Also being propagated are methods of sustainable farming such as System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and System of Wheat Intensification (SWI) for better yields from the lands. These methods have several evident advantages such as saving on seeds, as the seed requirement is low; saving of water, as the water requirement is low; non-use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides; healthier and tastier grain due to organic farming practices; higher yields due to profuse tilling, increased panicle length and grain weight; and easy and effective seed multiplication.

Practices such as square foot farming, kitchen gardens and vegetable cultivation are all a part of this drive towards sustainable agriculture to increase income generation and encourage several livelihoods for the poor.

The Sustainable Agriculture initiative has been scaled up through identifying and training CRPs and Block Resource Persons (BRPs), who disseminate knowledge and best practices to the CIPs and the community. The Training Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Dairy is serving as an import resource bank for the training of Agriculture CRPs and BRPs who further train other SHG women in the best sustainable practices in agriculture.

Further scaling up is also taking place through Farmers Clubs or Kisan Samoohs. The Farmers Clubs are based on the same principle as the SHGs. Here male farmers form groups, with the support of the CIPs, with the primary aim of pooling together local knowledge and enhancing it by inviting experts, consulting agricultural institutes, and building up a resource bank that would benefit the entire community in bettering crop and soil productivity as well experimenting with new crops, seeds and sustainable farming practices. The idea is to inculcate a spirit of learning from each other and to support farmers in becoming progressive farmers of the area.

Knowledge on best practices of agriculture is provided by RGMVP specialists in training sessions.