IND/12/056 - Sustainable agriculture through traditional farming

Country India
Total project budget ($USD) $7,320
Requested funding ($USD) $5,240
09/07/2012
Project development type Agriculture Production
Name of Requesting Association Institute of Research and Development for the Rural Poor Trust (RDRP)
Objective: To solve problems of unemployment, lack of income and food by giving local people employment in agricultural activities.
Background: The tribal community, who lived on the riverside of Chennai city and caught and sold fish, were displaced by the government to Pazanthandalam village, about 20 kms away. A hundred families were settled outside Chennai with no employment opportunity to continue their traditional job of fish catching and tree cutting. Families are starving, they have hardly any income apart from some women working as agricultural labourers or men doing some construction work. They live in very remote areas with no proper roads, lighting, drinking water, etc. They receive no help from government. The projects attemps aimis to use their traditional agricultural knowledge with scientific knowledge and farming methods to provide food and employment. Fifty women and 10 men will produce vermin compost, azolla, natural pesticides, which can be used in their fields, sold to nearby villages and sold back to the Agriculture University, which is helping in traiing. Land will be leased initially for five years and continued for a further 10 years. The Trust will sow this as a model to government authorities and request common land for the villagers. All families have land near their homes for them to initiate kitchen gardens, using vermin compost and natural pesticides.
Use of Funds: The funds will be used to pay for training of women on natural farming methods, vermin compost preparation, natural pesticide preparation and azolla cultivation; land lease and preparation, purchase of raw materials, weighing and packing machines, packaging material, etc.
Beneficiaries: 50 women and 10 men, who will get employment in agricultural activities