ENHANCING LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES IN ECO-FRAGILE MOUNTAINEOUS ZONE

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ENHANCING LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES IN ECO-FRAGILE MOUNTAINEOUS ZONE
(Enhancing Livelihood Opportunities in Eco-Fragile Mountaineous Zone of District Tehri Garhwal of Uttarakhand Close to Tehri Dam Reservoir through Sustainable Agriculture Practices for Quality Vegetable Practices through Advanced Protected and Guided Technology)

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Protected cultivation of vegetables offers distinct advantages of quality, productivity and favorable market price to the growers. Vegetable growers can substantially increase their income by protected cultivation of vegetables in off-season. Presently the vegetables produced during their normal season generally do not fetch good returns due to easy availability of these vegetable in the markets. Poly tunnels are also suitable and effective to raise off-season nursery and off-season vegetable cultivation due to their low initial cost.

Insect proof net houses can be used for virus-free cultivation of vegetables mainly during the rainy season. These low cost structures are also suitable for growing pesticide-free green vegetables. Low cost poly tunnels can be used for high quality vegetable cultivation for long duration (6-10 months) mainly in peri-urban areas to fetch commensurate price of produces. Poly tunnels have proved extremely useful for growing vegetables under cold desert conditions in upper reaches of Himalayas.

For protected vegetable cultivation various kind of model like poly house, poly tunnels is used by farmers. Low cost poly house and poly tunnels can be made by every farmer. The project has distinct advantage of the marketing setup. This will enable the women and marginal farmers to sell their vegetable at the same point on cash payment basis. Only those crops are selected that have ample market demand in market. Protected vegetable cultivation is used as a tool to neutralized unfavorable conditions like extreme low temperatures, high range, unfavourable humidity, hail storm etc.

In protected vegetable production all above risks are not involved and quality along with quantity, maximum production using less agriculture area is the chief objective of the protected vegetable cultivation. Such type of cultivation is better for those places in which climatic factors are not favorable for vegetable production where as natural resources like water, land and man power available. Decreasing land and increasing population may loss our productive land; protected vegetable cultivation may solve this problem.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

After realizing the problem and need of the area, present project has been proposed with following major objectives:

• Training of selected marginal farmers through demonstrations and implementation for differences in productivity in inorganic and organic farming, to harass the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides, improved methods of composting and cropping pattern and cash crop cultivation.

• Organization of marginal farmers for awareness generation for organic farming, fungicides, pesticides improved method of composting, suggest improved cropping pattern and cash crop cultivation.

• Survey of selected area for present status of crop production, use of inorganic and organic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides, method of composting, cropping pattern and status of cash crop cultivation.

• Organic Farming through protected vegetable cultivation techniques.

• Standardizing techniques and development of package of practices of mass scale production of seedlings in vegetables.

• Monitoring and standardization of regulated environmental factors like temperature, humidity, light intensity, air circulation etc. for best growth and production of the mandate crops during different seasons.

• Popularization of suitable varieties/hybrids in selected vegetable crops for commercial production under protected cover for export as well as home market.

• Standardization of agro-techniques for raising these mandate crops over extended periods under different structures and development of their package of practices.

• Providing income and employment generation opportunities to farmer households for the economic upliftment of economically deprived sections of the community.

• Cost-benefit analysis of growing the mandate crops under protected environment.

• Project evaluation and impact assessment.

COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT

• Training of farmers to the appropriate technologies of farming, exposure tours, etc.

• Establishment of low cost poly houses, poly tunnels, walking tunnels for experiments, R&D, better quality planting materials, production of quality seeds, etc.

• Production of organic manure involving improved tools and technologies.

• Standardization of agro-techniques for raising mandate crops over extended periods under different structures and development of their package of practices for catching early markets.

• Periodical sowing for raising nursery on different growing media like soil and organic matter to supply seedling throughout the year.

• Production of hybrid seedling of vegetable.

• Testing of organic compost prepared by different methods and different substrates

• Demonstration of different crops cultivation through use of organic manure and compost.

• Demonstration and implementation of protected vegetable cultivation activities.

• Impact evaluation and popularization of project activities in nearby areas.

• Strengthen backward linkages with the farmers for assured supply of external inputs and internal inputs for growing good quality of seed.

• Provide farm gate market by developing forward linkages with externals agencies.

TARGET AREA AND TARGET GROUPS OF THE PROJECT

The targeted area of the project is limited to two villages of Chamba Block of District Tehri Garhwal. The target groups/beneficiaries are comprised the most vulnerable groups of the society with the objective of assisting them to move out of poverty.

FUNDING AGENCY

The project is funded by G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (GBPIHED), Ministry of Environment & Forest, Government of India, Kosi, Almora, Uttarakhand

COST OF THE PROJECT

The project was sanctioned by GBPIHED during the year 2011. Total cost of the project sanctioned by GBPIHED for two years was Rs. 5,64,000.00[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”789,790,791,792,793,794,795″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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