Teaching farming to over 1,000 families in India

In our last report Joe, our General Manager in West Bengal, mentioned that our next goal was to reach our target of 1,000 farmers registered with Agri-Management Services.  I am delighted to say that we have reached that target with the news of our one thousand and sixth registration.....all in the space of three years since we launched the programme in April 2017.

1,000 is a very significant number. When farmers come together in these numbers they can form a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) and there are many benefits awarded to them once they are in an FPO of this size.  They can take advantage of various state and central government schemes for agriculture and apply for subsidies.  The biggest benefit of forming an FPO of this size is access to government loans and a dedicated business advisor free of charge. The business advisor is there to help the farmers in a number of ways: to market their produce in the most cost effective way; to help co-ordinate the farmers to grow the same crops so they can benefit from economies of scale; and to advise them on the various government schemes that are available to them.  We are currently doing the research into forming an FPO and the fulfilling the legal requirements that will enable our farmers to start doing business as part of a large producer group.

In the more immediate future we have plans to expand the AMS programme to another two locations near Kolkata, namely Sundia and Kolaghat where we are already offering our Poultry Development Services programme.  We will register 100 new farmers in both of these locations and another 100 at Familia where we have been working since 2014. So 300 new farmers will be a part of our programme in 2017/18, taking the total to 1,306. As with our existing farmers, newly registered farmers will initially be organised into small Farmer Interest Groups or FIGs, with 15-20 members in each group.  To remind you of the benefits of being a member of a FIG please refer back to see our previous report here. Finally, we are in the process of hiring a new agricultural expert who will guide us through this expansion of the AMS programme.

In terms of the funds we need to execute all the plans we have outlined in this report, we are looking at a total of £34,000 for the year. Here are the outcomes we expect from that investment:

• 300 additional farmers registered with AMS
• Over 1,300 farmers receiving training on successful farming techniques to reduce costs, with between 40-70% reduction depending on the crop grown
• Over 1,300 farmers benefiting from increased yields, on average 30% higher output depending on the crop grown
• Over 1,300 farmers joining forces within FIGs so they can work together to source cheaper inputs and access wider markets for their produce
• Over 1,300 farmers able to access state and central government agricultural schemes and subsidies
• Over 1,300 farmers opening bank accounts and able to access financial services previously denied to them

All these outcomes help to create the impact we are aiming for…to empower the poorest to create livelihoods, boost income and inspire permanent change.  We are delighted that AMS is proving so successful and we thank you for your generous support in helping us to fund the programme, which is benefitting so many very poor families in West Bengal.

“Shivia’s AMS programme has enabled me to stay with my family and pursue agriculture as a living which was too expensive previously. I am happy to be part of a community group whereby I am filled with a future of hope.  Thank you Shivia for enabling this dream to come true." Samiul, AMS farmer, West Bengal

With best wishes from the team at Shivia 

Links:

• A short video about AMS filmed in West Bengal, April 2017

Our latest report comes directly from Joe Rao, Shivia India’s General Manager, who is responsible for implementing our livelihood development programmes on the ground in West Bengal.

Joe visits our farmers on a weekly basis to gather feedback from them about the progress they are making. Here he talks about one particular aspect of the AMS programme and the dramatic impact it is having on the fortunes of our farmers.

“During my trip to the villages this week, I visited one of our many Farmer Interest Groups (FIGS). The group has 15 members and they have been growing rice using the SRI (System of Rice Intensification) method we taught them when they joined our Agri-management Services Programme. For those who are not familiar with this method, SRI increases the yield of rice produced in farming through a particular system of planting and weeding the young seedlings. The method involves planting the seedlings singly and at an optimum distance apart to promote root growth. Seedlings are then transplanted at less than 15 days old with just two leaves. This has to be done quickly and in shallow soil to avoid root trauma. In addition, the soil is kept moist rather that continually saturated, which improves plant growth and supports the production of aerobic organisms that increase soil fertility. The net result is a higher yield for our farmers and lower production costs.

The farmers in the group I met this week are particularly enthusiastic about the SRI method and were eager to show me the results. They collectively farm an area of one Bigha, the equivalent of about 1,500 Sq m. Prior to using the SRI method they needed 7/8Kgs of seeds to cover this area. Now they only need 1kg of seeds and they are witnessing higher, healthier yields, as you can see from the photos I took. SRI also means they do not need to pump so much water into the soil. This drop in input costs has made a huge impact on the profitability of their small business enterprise, which in the end translates to a better standard of living for them and their families.  

But that’s not the only good news for this group of AMS farmers. One of the additional benefits for them when we help them to form a Farmer Interest Group is that they become eligible for certain government schemes. In this case, they received a free supply of rice seeds and training from the local Agriculture Development Officer on various diseases associated with paddy cultivation and their treatment.

There are now 930 farmers registered on Shivia’s AMS programme and by the end of this month we aim to have a total of 1,000. I’m looking forward to reporting back to you on more success stories like this one over the coming months.

On behalf of the Shivia team and all our AMS farmers in West Bengal I would like to thank you most sincerely for your continued support.”

Joe Rao, General Manager, Shivia India