LIVELIHOOD EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN FIVE VILLAGES OF NARENDRA NAGAR BLOCK

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]LIVELIHOOD EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN FIVE VILLAGES OF NARENDRA NAGAR BLOCK
(Livelihood Empowerment of Women in Five Villages of Narendra Nagar Block of District Tehri Garhwal in the State of Uttarakhand by Introducing Organic Cultivation of Pulses and Spices through Protected Cultivation Techniques for Establishment of Model Bio-Villages)

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Hybrid Pulses and Spices cultivation has recently attracted few farmers. As far as seed availability is concerned personal efforts of farmers are there. However, the apparent threat is whether the supply line will be strengthened spontaneously or someone will intervene. Improvement in agriculture is possible only if some agency will come forward for strengthening the supply line with developing viable mechanism for backward as well as forward linkages. Because the aborigine farmer’s legacy lies with women folk in the villages who are struggling on various fronts of day-to-day needs.

Often it is said that hill economy is predominately depends on migrated males and in money order mode. However, this faulty vision neglect the facts of those essential means which at least making the livelihood condition of women farmer’s compromising to stay them at home. In fact this wrong concept giving faulty notion to the planners for neglecting of the condition improvement planning of villages.

The proposed project area is an important source of supply of Pulses and Spices. However, in spite of this due attention has not been given to promote economic development in the region. Consequently, the region continues to be economically depressed and has been by-passed by various programmes of development. In spite of these problems, farmers have shown their willingness in Pulses and Spices cultivation. Most of the farmers have given top priority to Pulses and Spices cultivation besides other agriculture products.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• To provide hands on training to the selected small and marginal farmers from the project villages in preparation of land, nursery raising techniques, protected organic cultivation techniques, constructions of poly house/poly tunnels/walking tunnels, post harvesting, value addition, packaging and labeling, market simulations etc.

• To cultivate and demonstrate the vitality of Pulses and Spices in protected conditions as low volume and high value cropping in the farmers field for an alternate livelihoods option for the selected beneficiaries.

• To establish master poly houses in the land of the farmers in each of the selected villages for preparation of seed and seedlings and planting material and to construct poly tunnels/walking tunnels in the land of the farmers for cultivation of Pulses and Spices in protected conditions.

• To establish the seed bank and agro service center in the project villages for providing agriculture inputs to the farmers such as hybrid seed and seedlings, planting material, organic fertilizer and manure, improved agriculture implements, poly sheets, bio-pesticides and insecticides etc.

• To construct and rejuvenate water ponds in community land for recharging the ground water and moisture retention in the farmer’s field and repair and maintenance of existing water channels for providing irrigation facilities to the farmers.

• To demonstrate and disseminate the organic way of cultivation by constructing vermi-compost pits through adopting internal control system as per organic farming manual.

• To provide package of practices of mass scale production of pulses and Spices and establish technical support system for value addition of the produces such as sorting, grading, processing, packaging and labeling, marketing etc.

• To raise the living standard of community by involving the women as main programme stakeholders and adding other ancillaries as per the gender priorities of the families in the community.

COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT

• The proposed project is going to provide a platform to the farmers in uplifting their socio-economic status and would help the farmers to realize the worth in Pulses and Spices cultivation. Not only this provides them employment but also brings in institutional help that supports benefits from many angles. The small farmers would be able to capture the market and thus this project is going to help them in generating good income. In the long run the project shall help the farmers to become self reliant only if the processing and marketing strategies are worked upon very concisely.

• Some farmers who cultivated Pulses and Spices did get low benefits as compared to some other farm income directly related to their lack of value added inputs and enough focus where it was required. Quickly improving upon their mistakes helped them to strengthen their income levels. Thus, this project is designed in such a way keeping in mind the previous problems faced by the farmers and also to provide them with the maximum benefit.

• The project would play a major role for the socio-economic and ecological development in the area. Traditional and not much benefiting agricultural practices could be replaced by Pulses and Spices cultivation to check soil erosion. Even those small land holdings that hitherto were not considered good for conventional farming could be used for Pulses and Spices farming. Success of the projects will create good impact on the people of nearby areas and they will certainly come forward to adopt such type of farming in their villages. This will not only make people aware regarding the environment but they themselves will be responsible and accredited for employment and income generation.

• Project is certainly viable from technical and commercial aspects because the Pulses and Spices are a daily use items for almost entire civil society. Farm produce are a daily use items for homes and hearths. There are no special, tedious or highly technical skills involved that cannot be explained or adopted by cultivators. Technical and commercial information is available, affordable with support from various quarters. Farm inputs being not too cost intensive, we do not foresee any difficulty in procuring all inputs. Weather and climatic risks are minimized as the area identified for cultivation has already registered a mark of success through decades of high and timely farm outputs.

• Project site falls within the area of Pulses and Spices producing belt and as such adds to the benefits of having clusters of skills abound. Cultivation of Pulses and Spices, when managed purposefully can provide eight to ten times more income than the investment. Working capital, deployed to procure seeds and seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, improved agriculture implements, etc. returns the cash inflows in short time as the process time to harvest the farm produce is barely few months making it possible for beneficiaries to reap cash much over and above the supported investments.

TARGET AREA AND TARGET GROUPS OF THE PROJECT

The targeted area of the project is limited to five villages of Narendra Nagar 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 2014. Total cost of the project sanctioned by GBPIHED for two years was Rs. 9,06,000.00[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”810,811,812,813,814″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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