By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Online Donor Communication
Dear Friend,
Thank you for supporting our project “Provide Enough Food for Poor Farmers in India”.
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in the Seva Mandir working area, and nearly 93% households are self-employed farmers. Unfortunately, agriculture contributes very little to household incomes and many households even fail to produce enough for their own food security this is due to a variety of factors. Increase in population has led to a decrease in the size of landholdings, and shortage of rainfall outside of the monsoon season makes it difficult for farmers to reap more than one crop a year. Low quality seeds and inefficient practices also decrease productivity levels.
Over the past years, Seva Mandir has identified and promoted a range of activities to address the challenges of agricultural development in the area. In previous years, horticulture badis (orchards) were raised across all blocks. Saplings of various fruit trees, including gooseberry, lemon, mango and guava were planted in these badis. New experiments were also conducted in agro-forestry, in which horticulture plants were planted in pastures and private wastelands. These activities were being planted throughout the region, to provide communities with more benefits from their efforts of regenerating their lands. Additionally, vegetable nurseries were raised and the saplings were sold to other farmers in the area, thereby increasing vegetable consumption in tribal families and providing them with an opportunity to sell excess produce as cash crops.
Farmers in our region largely use the same seeds for many years or use hybrid seeds that have to be replaced every year, resulting in low productivity. Hundreds of kilograms of seeds, including maize, black gram, sismum, kulat and green gram were supplied to farmers of various villages in order to revitalize seed supplies. New seed banks for wheat, gram, and maize were also established, providing a means to replenish and store seed varieties.
Other activities that have contributed to agricultural development include the construction of vermi-compost beds to provide a source of organic fertilizer and animal husbandry camps that provide vaccination to cattle.
Through these ventures, Seva Mandir has provided farmers in the region with an opportunity to revitalize depleted resources, sustain their traditional methods of production, and eventually generate new sources of income.
All this has been possible due to your consistent support and trust in us. We would like to thank you so much for letting us meet our commitments at the field. We have been able to benefit more than 10,000 farmers through various interventions. These farmers can now grow enough food in their fields and don’t have to migrate from farming in absence of basic necessities. We hope to continue our work with your support. Should your travel bring you to this part of the world, please do consider visiting Seva Mandir. For any feedback / suggestions, please visit me at atul.lekhra@sevamandir.org
Regards
Atul Lekhra and Seva Mandir Team
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By Atul Lekhra | Manager, Online Donor Communication
By Atul Lekhra | Manager, Online Donor Communication
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