Agriculture & Food Security

Objectives

  • Improving the fertility of land and enhance the capacity of oppressed tribe towards agriculture.
  • Improve agricultural activities by utilizing the local available resources as well as the skill and knowledge of the tribal.
  • Create food self reliant society through agricultural activities.
  • Securities of livelihoods of rural communities especially to women.
  • Increasing profitability from agriculture.
  • Increase the knowledge of tribal especially women on modern agriculture with adequate information, knowledge, skill and choice.
  • Provide employment opportunities of tribal women through different agricultural activities i.e rearing of animal and birds, fishery, vegetables cultivation etc.

Working strategy to attain the objectives

  • Control of women in the family on marketing decision and agriculture production activities.
  • Emphasis on soil and water conservation to enhanced yield.
  • Develop the self help group of women for sustainable development on agriculture activities both individual and group level.
  • Capacities building of women in agricultural activities.
  • Multiplying nos. of grain bank.
  • Integrated approach-i.e the production of foods crops vegetable fruits from a piece of land.

Our agriculture intervention focuses on small holders. Under this backdrop Seba Jagat is visualizing to provide basic facilities, ideas to the farmers exceptionally tribal. With our facilitation since last one decade we succeed to enhancing the productivity, knowledge, market linkage, conservation of agriculture bio diversity in a sustainable manner. Some of our major activities are below in nut cell, Soil and water conservation.

Keeping in mind the soil type, topography of the area and the availability of water, a strategy was formed to check soil erosion and increase the level of ground water in the operational area. With a watershed approach, treatment of land was done in a ridge to valley manner. In these days we used the traditional knowledge of community in the process of soil and moisture conservation, though it is a drought prone area, it is utmost work to enhance conservation of valuable soil moisture to subvert early and mid season of drought. We developed the land by using different methods they are followed.

  • Counter bonding
  • Loose bolder check dam
  • Brushwood check dam
  • Gully control measures
  • Water harvesting structure
  • Demonstration plough across the slope
  • Afforestration with various horticulture plants.

Major Agriculture Activities

  • Promotion of seasonal vegetable cultivation and fruits in family's daily diet especially of women.
  • Preservation of seeds material at home.
  • Capacity building on seeds selection, priming, of ploughing against the slope and encouraging to use local verities of seeds.
  • Preparation and application of organic/bio fertilizer (magic compost , vermin compost) with the support of women group .
  • Encourzing to Mixed cropping , Dry land farming.
  • Awareness through establish the agriculture demonstration firms.
  • Organizing different Trainings, Exposures, workshops, farmers get-to-gather (krusak mela).
  • Promotion of organic farming.
  • Selection and orientation of advanced women farmer for agricultural development activities.
  • Developed fruits bearing tree at homestead land by the support of women.
  • SRI method of cultivation. Develop Yam, maize, onion, cultivation with new technology.
  • Association and cooperative development to help communities take collective action for increased food security.
  • Waste land development.
  • Promotion of Nutrition garden.
  • Promotion of tuber crops ( Colocasis, yam, elephant foot, turmeric etc).
  • Mixed horticultural plantation ( drumstick, papaya, Lemon, Guava, mangoes) Innovative marketing outlets developed for Self help groups.
  • Promotion of improved practices to meet household consumption needs ranging from growing household gardens to making better household dietary choices.

Kitchen Garden

With an intention to produce basic nutrition food at the door step level the backyard kitchen gardens has been promoted in each household level. They grown Drum stick, Papaya, banana, lemon and green vegetables at their backyard with using of waste water. This kitchen garden supplied nutrition food to the pregnant women, lactating mothers and children round the year which reduced the malnourishment among the children.Effective utilization of domestic wastes ( solid and liquid ) like pellets of domestic animals , bye products of grains waste food, liquid wastes, waste water of kitchen( which could create unhygienic condition) into vegetables cultivation. Capacitated village women about scientific process of vegetable growing. Utilizing recycled organic wastes & to preserve seed material for next sowing.

Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture Practices

Organic farming system is mainly by improving long term productivity of soil and cropping system. Farmers were made aware on the use and importance of the Vermin Compost, vermin wash, the Azola, and different organic pesticides and insecticides etc. Due to the use of high chemical fertilizers, the quality of soil becam lost and people do not get good quality crops. Organic Farming Training, promotion of horticulture activities and System Rice Intensification Methods of Paddy Cultivation were introduced as part of the programme. In our operational area we are trying to establish an integrated agriculture model of traditional cropping system by replication of SRI. An integrated farming approach leading towards sustainability. Some of other activities are followed:

  • Seed priming
  • Promotion of tuber crops like colocasis, yam, elephant foot, turmeric etc in dry land farming.
  • Develop maize, minor millets, diversified cropping system with use of modern farming in drought prone area. In diversified cropping system focusing upon integrated farming of crops, trees, animals & birds. Multifunctional plants and elements having multiple uses, Crop rotation, multi storied farming, mixed and inter cropping with heavy / moderate/ low feeder.

Seed bank and Grain bank

Seed and grain have a correlation for production of any crops. Due to climate change and biotic pressure the traditional seeds are lost its entity day by day. Even the farmers are not able to get the minimum quantity of seeds at the time of agriculture, this is being badly effected their livelihood system. So to conserve the seeds for next showing years seed banks were promoted. And due to this conservation gives an ample of scope to exchange of seeds to the neighboring villages. Exchange of seeds is one of the best ways of conservation in a sustainable manner.

Similarly, grain banks have been promoted in operational villages, in an idea to store the grains at a common place, used it at the lean period especially in the rainy season. This is helping to check the starvation, providing an additional benefit to the poorest of the poor in the time of urgency.

Irrigation is one of the most important inputs for enhancing productivity and is required at different critical stages of plant growth of various crops. Small funding from the bank or any financial institution can able to changes the life and livelihood of marginalized farmers. To address this, a small initiative has been taken.

  • Supply of Paddle pump sets (Krusak Bandhu)
  • water pumps (krilosker machines)
  • Supply of Sprinkler to the VDCs (Village Development Committee)
  • Supply of wider for weeding.
  • Supply of dryer for drying the crops.
  • Construction of diversion weir/cannels.
  • Participation / support to conduct campaign/ workshop/ event on right to food.

By taking this advantages the farmers have cultivating several crops in their farm land. These adequate support services gives the farmers an ample opportunity not only produce crops but also selling their crops in the local market. Farmers clubs have been promoted at grass root level. Following to different training, interface with the agriculturist, dialogue with financial institutions is a continuation process in their strengthening.

Linkages/ Marketing

  • The Agriculture product mainly Kang, Kusala, arhar, Raggi, horse gram, mustard, til etc has been purchasing by SHG Federation in M.Rampur and lanjigarh block from villagers through SHG in regular basic.
  • The Women Federation has own processing unit and shop for selling the products.
  • NABARD, DSMS are supported to Federation for marketing the products.
  • Selling the agriculture products in local hat/ markets.

Support on Agriculture in tribal area by Seba Jagat

  • Pre- seasonal training cum workshop on agriculture to tribal communities.
  • Orientation to SHG members on nursery raising and kharif vegetable production.
  • Exposure visit of tribal women.
  • Provided diesel pump, hand pump, KB pump to tribal communities.
  • Technical support to tribal women and communities on organic farming, management of the water scarcity in farming.
  • Technical support on vegetable cultivation, mushroom cultivation, maize, mustard etc.
  • Livelihood support on dairy, vegetable cultivation, mixed crop, small livestock promotion, fishery to women or women self help group.

Involvement of Tribal women in agriculture Activities

  • Cultivator on their own land and forest land.
  • Land preparation cultivation.
  • Seeds cleaning and showing.
  • Harvesting-reaping, drying, cleaning and storage.
  • Inter cultivation activities.
  • Cutting grass from fields.
  • Tiber crop Groundnut picking.
  • Vegetable cultivation and plucking.
  • Feeding cattle, milking & Care.
  • Bathing the cattle sometimes.
  • Cleaning of cattle shed.
  • Selling of Crops/Cereals/Vegetables.
  • Marketing related activities : selling their agricultural product in local market / through their federation.
  • NTFP collection and selling.