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AME Info is quarterly newsletter of AME Foundation for sharing news and views.
AME Foundation promotes ecological agriculture
primarily focusing on small and
marginal farmers in the semi
arid areas of the Deccan Pla-
teau by generating farming
alternatives, enriching farmers
knowledge, linking develop-
ment agencies and sharing
experience.
Along with the adoption of SA practices in ragi and red gram, the practices like following staggered nurseries in ragi and raising red gram seedlings in polythene covers to cope with the rainfall variability are well accepted by farmers in the Kolar region. Additional yield of 3 quintals per acre in both ragi and redgram crops has attracted many farmers to follow the sustainable agriculture practices. In Kurdikeri and Kardikoppa villages in Dharwad, trials were taken up in different varieties of tomato crop. Farmers planted marigold as trap crop and followed raised bed nursery using seeds treated with bio-agents, to get disease free healthy seedlings. In Dharwad, owing to continuous rainfall pest incidence was more in paddy crop. Farmers released Trichogramma to control stem borer infestation.
Compiled and Edited
by
T M Radha
Contents…..
Field Activities
Working with partners
Participation in Workshops
Visitors
info October - December 2010
Farmers of Pudukkottai, Lalgudi and Perambalur areas in Tamil Nadu had a great relief with the onset of monsoons, which were delayed by around 70 days. Paddy farmers in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, who were able to transplant paddy in the right time completed harvest. Farmers going in for the summer crop initiated nursery and transplanting operations. Around 1617 farmers are following SRI practices in paddy in the region. The farmers in five villages in Bangarpet taluk, namely Balamande, Boyilur, Gullahalli, DP halli and Bodapatti are reviving the cultivation of Rajalu and Same, which were under utilized for a long period. They as an eco-farming group are involved in seed production of these two crops along with crops like redgram, groundnut and ragi. The farmers group is also planning to establish seed banks.
Field Activities
With variations in climatic conditions becoming a norm, farmers are innovating, adopting and adapting agriculture practices to withstand such variations. This apart, farmers are also enthusiastically sharing their experiences and learnings for the benefit of fellow farmers. With growing recognition on the role of dryland agriculture in providing nation’s food security, officials from mainstream institutions are recognizing the efforts of AMEF in promoting sustainable agriculture This is reflected in the number of people visiting AMEF work areas, appreciating it and learning from field interactions.
Working with partners Modular trainings were organized to farmers in Bangarpet and Gudibande focusing on water and weed management in SRI paddy. Farmers learnt and adopted SRI practices in paddy and Ragi. Presently more than 100 farmers in the area practice SRI practices in Paddy. Dharwad Unit organized Short-term Training of Facilitators at RUDSETI Dharwad from 19-23 October 2010. Around 27 Sustainable Agriculture Promoters, volunteers and farmers participated. AMEF trained officials of the State Agriculture Department of 13 different states on Farmer Field School methodology. The training was organised in Bangalore during 6 – 10 December 2010. Kolar team organized three trainings on Integrated Pest Management in red gram crop. The trainings were organized in the fields of progressive farmers. More than 100 farmers have benefited from these trainings. Around 25 farmers in Kolar district were trained on post harvest technology on SRI Ragi and SRI Paddy. Farmers learnt various techniques of processing, packing and storing. Also groundnut farmers were trained on seed storing methods. Kolar team also facilitated farmer to farmer exchange of seeds. A study tour to Kadiri area was organized for farmers of Bangarpet, on October 30, 2010. Farmers observed the various IPM methods and discussed about the pest control using botanicals. They also learnt how to use markers and cono-weeders. Dharwad Unit trained 39 fellows of Deshpande Foundation on the agriculture module at Hubli from 20-23 October 2010.
Back to paddy with SRI
Narayanamma is a farm woman from Balamande village doing farming on her own. She owns 3 acres of land and grows ragi, paddy, field bean, red gram, and groundnut. With an open well as an irrigation source, she has been cultivating paddy following conventional practices. The water availability was just sufficient to irrigate 15 guntas (0.37 acre). Since two years she had bitter experience of loosing the yield in paddy crop, because of lack of water during panicle formation stage. Gradually she opted out of paddy cultivation and shifted to Ragi and other crops. To meet the household requirement of paddy she resorted to purchasing of rice from the market. With AMEF’s guidance she started paddy cultivation using SRI practices on half an acre. She used less seed (1.25 kg) and transplanted 13 day old seedlings using rope markers. She weeded thrice, twice using conoweeders. She maintained alternate wetting and drying conditions on the field irrigating for two hours every 5 to 6 days. With all these changed practices, Narayanamma is happy to harvest 16 quintals of paddy.
Paddy trials
Small paddy farmers in a cluster of vil-lages in Tiruvannamalai are experi-menting with options that can save the possible drying of their summer crop in the last 30 days of the season, which has become a regular happening in the past three years. They are trying out options like advancing the planting sea-son by around 20 days and practicing border barrier crops to reduce evapora-tion losses. Around 74 small farmers are involved in experimenting various treatments (on age of seedlings at transplantation, method of planting) to address this problem. The results of the same will be useful in intensifying the rice produc-tion in three ways: assuring two sea-sons of production instead of one at present, increased yields in both sea-sons through alternative practices and possible increase of area in the summer season, which is now being reduced due to shortage of water. The trials are being conducted with the technical sup-port of AMEF and coordinated by the RSEEDS NGO at Tiruvannamalai.
About 70 farmers from Balamande, Bodapatti, Boy-ilur, D.P.Halli and Gullahalli villages visited Krishi Mela at G.K.V.K. during 11-14 November 2010. They learnt about new technologies and new varie-ties. Also distributed Azolla seed material to the farmers who visited the stall. Kolar farmers shared their experiences of strip-cropping (ragi and groundnut) and SRI principles adopted in paddy, ragi and red gram crops during field days and sharing events.
Mr. B V Joshi, presented a paper on The methods for coping up with rainfall variability in finger millet crop in the workshop on Peoples Tribunal on Liveli-hoods and Climate Change. The workshop held in Anantapur on 22 October 2010 at Anantapur, dis-cussed the impacts of climate change on livelihood and ways of coping with it. Mr. Ravi Kumar participated in the workshop on “Micro planning for adaptation of innovations in mi-cro irrigation techniques in rural holdings” at Tiruchi on the 23
rd December 2010.
Participation in workshops KVS Prasad, BV Joshi, Sangeetha and Ravi Kumar participated in the ‘National Workshop on SRI in India- stock taking and future directions in the context of food security and climate change’ . The Workshop was organized by WWF - ICRISAT, Hyderabad, during 20- 22 December 2010 to enable sharing and learning on SRI from different parts of the world.
Ms. Sangeeta Patil participated in the Workshop on Small holder poultry rearing – a sustainable livelihood opportunity for the rural poor at the UNDP Conference Hall in New Delhi.
Exchanging experiences SRI Ragi Field day was organized at Boyilur on 19 November 2010, in the field of SRI Pillappa, More than 100 farmers participated in the programme and exchanged ideas. AGM NABARD Kolar, Assistant Director, Department of Agriculture; Asst. Director - Animal Husbandry, Bangarpet, P.D.O. Balamande, members of CDC, Village Panchayat and SHG group participated. All the participants visited the SRI Ragi plots and interacted with each other.
Three field days on “SRI Paddy” were organized in Hasarambi, Madikoppa and Nyasargi villages. Farmers shared their experience in adoption of wider spacing, weeders utilization and treating with bio agents in harnessing more productivity in paddy. Notable invitees included Ex-MLA of Dharwad taluk, Bank Managers, Assistant Director – Agriculture Department, Director- Deshpande Foundation and representatives from village, taluk and zilla panchayats .
SRI Paddy field day was organized on 25 November 2010 in the field of Sri M.Srinivas, in Bala-mande. More than 100 farmers participated along with AGM, NABARD Kolar, Taluk Panchayat President, Krishika Samaja President, Officials from departments of Animal Husbandary, Sericul-ture and Horticulture, C.D.C president and other village Panchayat members. Farmers and guests visited the SRI Paddy fields and had discussion about the cultivation of the crop in detail. A field day on SRI Redgram was organized in the field of Sri N.Venkatesh in gullahalli on 30 No-vember 2010. More than 150 farmers participated. Other prominent invitees were AGM, NABARD Kolar, AMEF staff, Taluk Panchayath President, Krishika samaja President, Officials from Agricul-ture and Veterinary departments. Members of SHG group and village panchayat also participated in the programme.
To,
From:
AME Foundation
No. 204, 100 Feet Ring Road,3rd Phase, Banashankari
2nd Block, 3rd Stage, Bangalore - 560 085, India.
Tel: +91-080- 2669 9512, +91-080- 2669 9522
Fax: +91-080- 2669 9410
E-mail: [email protected] .
……… , [email protected]
AME Foundation acknowledges donor partners for their support: DGIS and SIDA through ILEIA, Netherlands, DST, New Delhi, Deshpande Foundation, WWF, GEF and NABARD for supporting Collaborative projects.
We deeply acknowledge the committed collaborative activities with several Civil Society Organizations.
AMEF - AREA UNITS
TIRUCHI
No. 37 (old No. 10A)
and Plot No. 661
E.V.R. Road, K.K. Nagar
Tiruchi 620 021
E-mail: [email protected]
DHARWAD
No.39, 1st
Main, 2nd
Cross
Behind Shri Ramakrishna Ashram,
Channabasaveswar Nagar (C.B.Nagar)
Dharwad 580 007
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Jayaprakash Samudre, AGM NABARD, Kolar visited Balamande, Boyilur and DP halli and inter-acted with farmers. A team of scientists from KSA and UAS along with Mr. Jayaprakash Samudre, AGM NABARD, Kolar visited DP halli, Yerragolu, Boyilur and Balamande on 14 October 2010. They observed the SRI practices in paddy, ragi and red gram and interacted with the farmers .
WALMI Staff visited Ramapur village in Dharwad district to observe the sugarcane crop grown with the principles of Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative. They observed crop productivity and profit varia-tion compared to traditional method of sugarcane cultivation. Mr. Nishith Acharya, Executive Director, Deshpande Foundation visited SRI paddy fields at Nyasargi village. He interacted with the farmers to know about the difference SRI made with re-gard to yield. Dr. Venkatesh Tagat, CGM, NABARD visited Inamveerapur and interacted with the farmer club members. He appreciated the efforts made by AMEF in organizing farmer groups and promoting LEISA practices.
Visitors…...
Two issues of LEISA India English edition were brought out during this period.
LEISA India
Finance for Farming
Managing water for sustainable farming
Editors of regional editions of LEISA across the globe met in the Netherlands during the International Editors Meeting during December 2010. They discussed about the strategies for the sustainability of the LEISA magazines as well as the Agricultures Network. Mr. KVS Prasad represented LEISA India team.
