Uttar Pradesh Bhumi Sudhar Nigam Welcomes the Participants

Uttar Pradesh Bhumi Sudhar Nigam Welcomes the Participants of the IK Distance Learning Course

§ Out of 329 m ha geographical area of the country, around 175 million ha is degraded – 6. 9 m ha. is sodic. SCENARIO IN UP § Salt affected area estimated at 1. 2 m ha (Source: RSAC satellite imagery in 1986 ). § Sodic lands are owned by small and marginal farmers or Gram Samaj (Village local body). § In 1993, U. P. Bhumi Sudhar Nigam started a sodic land reclamation project with financial assistance from World Bank with a target to reclaim 45, 000 ha sodic lands in ten districts of Uttar Pradesh. § Sodic Land Reclamation Project was planned providing flexibility to introduce changes based on implementation experiences and increased community participation.

Objectives The objectives of the project are to : i) develop concomitant models for environmental protection and improved agricultural production through large scale reclamation of sodic lands; ii) strengthen local institutions, enabling effective management of such programme with strong beneficiary participation and NGO support ; iii) contribute towards poverty alleviation of families managing sodic lands.

Implementation Methodology • Major thrust on community participation and transparency. • Beneficiary farmers involved as key stake holders right from • • • survey planning, execution , Monitoring &Evaluation. NGOs also involved as key stake holders for motivation , awareness and to ensure farmers participation and transparency. Capital intensive and work technical in nature assigned to line departments and rest of the work executed by the farmers themselves under the supervision of UPBSN staff. Whole package was designed for four years. From Day 1 basic strategy revolved around ensuring farmer participation in the implementation of the project.

Outputs & Outcomes of the Project ( Third Eye View : At the time of completion) • • 68, 400 ha sodic land reclaimed Crop productivity & Cropping intensity increased Additional irrigation potential created Annual household income increased by 53% Per capita income increased by 163% Labour migration reduced by 41% Value of reclaimed land appreciated 3 to 4 times. The value of incremental production is Rs 180 million per annum. • 2166 SHGs formed mobilizing Rs 15 million and Rs 20 million added as Bank credit.

Food Security: Peoples’ Initiatives

Why ITKs • • Cost effective Sustainable (eco-friendly) Local resource usage Capitalizing on natural resources Easily accessible Simple technology Easy to adopt

Sodic Land Reclamation Through Bio-Mass Paddy straw and water hyacinth are used as alternate amendment n This bio degradable material is spread over a moist field and ploughed in. n Water is added to a height of 10 cm to help in decomposition n The repeated process reclaims the land over a period of 2 to 3 years n The technology has been widely adopted n UPBSN has recorded reclamation of 714 ha sodic lands by 1905 farmers in 679 project villages n

Use of Sand in Place of Flat Fan Nozzle n n n Canary grass ( Phalaris minor ) is a major weed in wheat crop As a selective weedicide Isoproturon was used for which a flat fan nozzle is required to spray it Resource-poor farmers do not have access to this implement In Azamgarh district one such farmer evolved an indigenous technique of broadcasting weedicide after mixing with sand Department of Agriculture validated this technique and now it is widely used by the farmers

Relay Cropping as a tool to optimize the sowing time • Garlic is a major cash crop in Etah & Mainpuri districts • Garlic follows paddy crop in rotation • Usual harvest time of paddy is November which delays • • sowing of garlic which is normally sown in October Productivity of garlic is affected due to delayed sowing Farmers of three villages of district Etah thought of relay cropping system Sowed garlic in standing paddy crop 15 -20 days before harvest of paddy Garlic began to germinate subsequent to harvest of paddy Recommended dose of fertilizers for Garlic was given at the time of first hoeing Accrued 3 benefits : (i) no pre-irrigation (ii) zero tillage and (iii) high yield due to timely sowing Gaining popularity now

Mixed cropping to control aphids • Mustard is a cash crop in Etah & Aligarh districts • Mustard is badly affected by Aphids in the month of January • Small and marginal farmers wish to get more profit from the same field • Shishu Pal Singh of Aligarh tested mixed cropping of mustard with fenugreek. • Mixed seasonal cropping gave him additional income • The field remained free from Aphid’s infestation where as near by crops were attacked • An ITK evolved to control the aphids - Being used by a large numbers of farmers

Alternate Technique of Planting Paddy • Transplanting of paddy is a labour intensive activity • Ram Abhilash , a farmer of Allahabad district noticed a few paddy plants in one of his fields • Found that this is the result of some pellets embedded with paddy grains thrown by his children • He made earthen pellets embedded with paddy seeds and sowed them in the field • Through this experiment he concluded: – 2 to 3 months before sowing , time, pellets can be formed and seeds can be embeded within – Pellets formation and sowing requires less manpower – Paddy seeds embeded in pellets ( dried) are safely stored – This technique is useful for rain-fed paddy cultivation • Hon’ble President of India awarded the farmer for this innovation in the year 2005

Use of Margossa Leaves in place of Chemicals • Huge loss occurs in stored food grains due to weevils • Farmers of Fatehpur & Aauriya districts thought of utilizing the disinfecting quality of Margossa (Neem) leaves • Shade dried neem leaves were placed in grain bins in alternate layers of grains 30 cm and neem leaves 5 -8 cm thick • Grains bin is closed air tight by putting paste of mud and cow dung • Precautions are taken to keep grain well dried • Some farmers refined this technique by putting 15 -20 cloves of Garlic along with 250 g neem leaves per quintal of grain

Sesbania Controls Viral disease of Paddy n n n n Tungru virus causes a severe disease in paddy Grass hoppers are carrier of this virus but it was not known to the farmers In 1996 -97 Hardoi district , Jagmohan grew Sesbania for green manuring and after turning, some of the Sesbania plants left at the border of the field Many fields were affected with tungru virus but his field was not Jagmohan and other farmers investigated and found that it was grass hopper which could not enter the field because of alternate host crop They concluded that it was sesbania which had protected the field Another farmer in district Sultanpur observed that Ipomea also attracts grass hopper and prevents spreading of tungru virus in paddy crop On the basis of strong belief of farmers and scientific base, this ITK was published in UPBSN’s periodical and circulated

Low cost winnowing fan • Manual Winnowing after thrashing of crop is a major challenge before resource poor, small and marginal farmers • Keshav Prasad Tripathi of Raebareli district made an effort to simplify the winnowing process with the help of locally assembled fan • He made winnowing fan with the help of scrap material of old bicycle and some other parts which were easily available locally – was successful • The cost of fan is only Rs 600 and is known as “ Keshav winnowing Fan” • Learning from Mr Tripathi some other farmers of nearby villages are also making such fans for their own use and also for rent purposes

Food Grain Bin made of local waste n n n Some poor farmers of district Jaunpur did not have money to purchase metallic bins and also did not have space to keep them inside their small houses They were successful in preparing a structure as a substitute to metallic bin which was equally effective in storing grains even in open air outside the house A platform is made using paddy straw and torn gunny bags The grain is put over it and a rope made of straw is spiraled tightly around it Finally the top of this structure is covered with a piece of polyethylene as shown in the picture This kind of storage has become popular in many villages of Jaunpur

Zero Energy Cool Chamber n n n Members of Adarsh SHG in district Raebareli wanted to enhance shelf life of perishable items. Construction of zero energy cool chambers with sand bricks. Two walls of bricks are constructed with sand in between. To maintain the inside temperature, water droplets are applied on sand. Vegetables are kept in this zero energy cool chamber and are marketed on better prices.

PROJECT INTERVENTION WITH RESPECT TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

WHY CONSIDER GENDER IN LAND RECLAMATION PROJECTS ? 1. To Break the myths that- • Women do only domestic work, they have no significant contribution for household income, agriculture etc. • Project benefits are equally shared by each family member • Technology although targeted for men folk, will benefit both men and women • Women’s voice can be heard through male head of the family. • Women’s knowledge and access is limited, hence they are incompetent for certain activities • Women are exposure phobic, prefer to continue to confine to their surroundings • Women are passive agents for change.

2. To recognize women as a major stakeholder in our project. Despite significant contribution, they lack ownership rights and permanent access to the resources 3 Mobilize resources for effective management of agriculture and allied activities to produce more. 4. Assist them to gain new access to productive resources. 5. Provide frame work for collective action 6. Help them generate and use their own resources to advocate their own rights. 8. Provide social infrastructure to improve social cohesion at village level

What was done towards Gender Equity ? • Both male & female members of family recognized as members of SIC to involve them in land reclamation process and establish their access to resources and technology • Women farmer selected as Mahila Mitra Kishan to disseminate technology to women farmers • SHGs enhanced economic capacities of women and they emerged as “ Provider “ of credit for agriculture support • Capacity enhancement of SHGs through training and exposure visit

Glimpses of successes of WSHGs’ • The majority of SHG women are from families with almost little or no access to the productive resources, • These resource poor women, with the use of indigenous knowledge, are contributing towards enhancing their family income • Some of these activities include Bidi-making from Tendu leaves, leaf cup plate making, basket making and mat-making through elephant grass, rope making from sun hemp etc.

Economic activities • Bhadki Devi, member of "Sneh" SHG, of Tulsipur village of Sultanpur district has established Rice Mill. • Kamlesh Devi, member of "Puja" WSHG have opened Public Distribution System shop in district Kanpur. • Cheddi devi of Girta SHG has established Flour mill, • Numerous others have diversified themselves in activities like apiary, dairy, piggery, goatry, grocery etc

Collective economic endeavors of SHGs • Members of Rekha WSHG, of village Chirkuaa of district Auriya are collectively doing embroidery work. • Similarly Members of "Jaanki" WSHG, of "Karnau" village of district Pratapgarh are collectively doing fishery. • Nandani, member of SHG of "Pepalgava" village of Aligarh district facilitated in establishment of Parag Dairy in her village and currently all the members of the group are collectively engaged in dairy

Economic Activities with Corporate Linkages n n 247 women appointed dealers of Hindustan Lever Ltd. for marketing the personal care products. Gets a daily business of Rs 250 – Rs 300 A change in the attitude of women from housewife to business lady. A step towards her economic empowerment, where women decides her own product portfolio.

Support to Agriculture activities • The Members of "Durga" WSHG of Vero-savaya village of district Jaunpur purchased winnowing fan through group dividend are providing it to other farmers on hire basis. • Member of "Aakansha" WSHG of village gadha is running an agriculture input service shop through group loan. • Rekha Devi of "Jai Haridas Baba" WSHG of village "Salemabad", of district Fatehpur is a dealer of IFFCO input service center.

Functional literacy and Empowerment • Chandra Devi of Beni Harsinghpur of District Fatehpur was a Mahila Mitra Kisan and was later elected as a Panchayat member • 369 members were elected as ward members / BDC members / Gram Pradhan Feeling of Self-Help • Ms Rachkala, president of “Radha SHG”, of Belwa hasanpur village of Raibarielly district, despite of being a widow and disabled with one limb, not only reclaimed the sodic land but is also doing goatry and running grocery shop through group loan. • Champa, a Scheduled Caste member of Parvati SHG of Bhikampur village of Etawah district started piggery through group loan and repaid old debts of her family.

Voice against social vices • "Shakuntala Devi" SHG member of village Goghmau of Sultanpur district with the support of cluster not only restrained her husband from alcoholism but also restricted the sale of alcohol in her village. Drudgery reduction • Sangita, a scheduled caste member of Santoshi SHG and Vidhya of Jai Lakshmi SHG of Soro village of district Allahabad, facilitated in establishing common toilets for women through group capital. • Members of SHGs of Sandila, Hardoi district are participating in the scheme of "Unnat Rasoi Yojana", in which they have been provided safe cooking appliances such as Cooking gas, pressure cooker, gas connection etc by Govt. / bank

Networking of SHGs into Cluster n n Groups formed under UPSLRP-I were further network into 227 clusters With the intervention of Swashakti project the clusters were strengthened to address broader issues of women capacity building : – • • n Gender equity through workshops, seminars , street plays etc Literacy through primary schools Health & hygiene including RCH & MCH services Social vices including domestic violence, dowry , sex abuse etc. SEWA Lucknow has extended support in the areas of training and marketing of chiken work

QUANTITATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS (WSHGs) Number of Women SHGs =6962 Savings and Linkages with bank • Total saving = Rs 531. 95 Lacs • Total groups linked with banks = 3452 • CCL disbursed = Rs. 371. 17 Lacs • Total Capital = 903. 12 Lacs Internal Loaning in WSHGs = Rs. 867. 40 Lacs • Agriculture = 359. 86 Lacs • Domestic = 279. 55 Lacs • Economic= 227. 99 Lacs

FARMER LED EXTENSION

FARMER FIELD SCHOOL WHY? • “Farmers school" a community-based, demand-driven system for technology development and dissemination established to ensure the sustainability of project impacts. • Such institutions have increased the participation of farming communities towards agriculture development, appropriate land use, exchanging knowledge & indigenous technology, upgrading the quality of life of members and ensuring effective management of their resources. • 126 FFS have been formed, catering to the needs of 19, 850 member farmers of 1470 villages

THE CONCEPT • The Farmer school is a network of progressive farmers of villages within the radius of 5 Kms. • These schools involve farmers in learning and disseminating the appropriate technologies to other farmers • The network also provides a mechanism of shared participation both in ideas and collective efforts for community development and opens a formal channel to facilitate linkages with government organization and credit institutions at local level

ACTIVITIES OF FFS Transfer of technology • 1473 master trainers on different subjects (Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, ITK, SHGs, Fisheries, Bee keeping, Organic farming etc. ) have been developed. • They are providing regular training to member farmers.

Promotion of Organic farming • 647 Nadep, 573 Vermi Compost pit and 100 CPP have been formed with the support of master trainers. • 474 fertilizer sale outlets established for providing quality fertilizer to other farmers. Credit facilitation • FFS facilitated in formation of 708 WSHGs and 418 MSHGs • Credit camps have also been organized where 7840 KCC were distributed to farmers and 425 SHGs were linked with bank for CCL

FFS & e-choupal n n n n A corporate Information Technology intervention to Farmers Field School An internet kiosk in the village to promote agribusiness and sustainable extension network An access point to readily available crop-specific vernacular websites Weather forecast and best farming practices Price trends of different crops A service centre for input supply and procurement of produces ITC’s e-choupal has been set up in FFS of Sultanpur , Allahabad & Hardoi district

Corporate Linkages of FFS for Sustainability: • FFS linked with private institutions to get support in the area of procurement of seeds, fertilizers, skill based trainings, literature, activities to develop FFS as a `Centre of Excellence’ in the field of Agriculture. IFFCO provided literature, training and building maintenance support as well as dealership for sale of fertilizers to 17 FFS. INDOGULF provided support in the areas of training and free soil testing Libraries established in almost all the FFS and a set of 27 books worth Rs. 13000/- provided to highly vibrant 99 FFS and Clusters with the support of Dept. of Information. • Linkages also established with Dept. of Agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry KVK etc for updation of technical know how and derive benefits of schemes implemented by these Departments.

THANKS