www.agrowon.com

After the era of economic liberalisation, aspirations of both the urbanand rural population has increased manifold. This is natural. How-ever, we have not been able to create the necessary infrastructure forthe development of villages. Agriculture has become unattractive, as

there is no guarantee of income.Rural youth detest living in the villages due to the absence of employment

and uncertainty prevailing in the agriculture business. We have forgottenMahatma Gandhi’s slogan of ‘Go to the villages!’

The rural areas have been deprived of re-sources due to the increasing exodus to cities.

Conversely, the arrival of people in citiesin search of jobs has increased pressure

on civic amenities. Problems of trans-port and pollution have gone beyondcontrol. The excessive development ofthe urban sector at the cost of villagesdoes not augur well for the future.

We need to create a system, whichwill bridge the gap between thecities and villages and help peo-ple to live with dignity in thevillages. For this, agricultur-al businesses will have to bestrengthened. The value chainin agriculture will have to bestrengthened.

There is a need to empowerfarmers to compete at the inter-national level. This is an import-ant task and very valuable work.For this, we will have to go be-yond discussions. Such a directaction will be the guiding forcenot only in Maharashtra, butalso across the nation. Agrowonand Delivering Change Foun-dation have taken the lead toachieve this. I appeal to all ofyou to join the Agrowon SmartVillage project for the develop-ment of rural Maharashtra.

For this to happen, we needto know the exact challeng-es facing agriculture and thenmove ahead. To begin with, wehave to take experts along, es-pecially the ones who have thecapability to introduce revolu-tionary changes in agriculture.We have therefore decided totake the help of Israel, whichhas at the international level,achieved spectacular success inagricultural research and pro-ductivity.

We have taken the preliminary steps. The Israel-based Jethro and othercompanies have successfully implemented agricultural projects in a back-ward nation like Angola in Africa. Vital Capital, another company from Isra-el, has financially invested in this project. Modern knowledge and technolo-gies have been employed to sow the seeds of prosperity in the lives of the lo-cal Angolan farmers. These companies have totally transformed some of thevillages within a period of five years. The local people who were deprived ofbasic food, have now become prosperous. They are living in beautiful homesand are availing of various modern amenities including information tech-nology. This is possible even in our area. Our farmer is enterprising and hardworking. He is presently harassed due to lack of credit supply and infrastruc-ture, natural calamities, uncertain weather conditions and a market systemhaving absolutely no guarantee of prices. The new knowledge and technolo-gy has powers to empower these farmers.

Cities are now turning smart. Why should villages lag behind? Villagesshould receive power, water, roads, Internet and other facilities, which can bedeveloped with the help of the government. Of course, the supply of basic in-frastructural amenities will not necessarily develop the villages. Along withthese facilities, agriculture which is the main source of livelihood, shouldalso be made financially viable and sustainable. Otherwise, farmers’ fami-lies will not experience prosperity. It is for this very reason, that this projectaims at strengthening agriculture and farmers. Availability of all materialresources alone is not development. Our upbringing, traditions and cultureare equally important. Priority must be given to preserve them. Everyoneshould live happily, be satisfied and live in peace. Only then will these villag-es turn smart and also remain simple. There will be attempts to retain theirsimplicity.

“Agrowon Smart Villageproject will be implementedin five selected villages inMaharashtra in associationwith companies from Israel.This is a unique project,enabling farmers to lead alife with dignity and honour,leading them to the path ofprosperity and connectingthem to themodern world.We are confident that theproject will be successfulwith support from all of you.”

̶Abhijit Pawar,Chairman and Founder,

Delivering Change Foundation

The Delivering Change Foundationhas performed very well inMaharashtra. The Foundationhas also been conducting someprojects in association with theMaharashtra government. Theintroduction of new concepts

and ushering in changes throughinnovation has indeed been a path-breaking project.The agri-focused Agrowon Smart Village project, whichis being implemented with the initiative of Agrowon,is a very good concept. The State government, too, hasannounced a Smart Village concept. Some of the ideasfrom Agrowon's concept will be incorporated in theState government's Smart Village concept and someideas from the State government's concept will begiven to Agrowon for implementation. Congratulationsto Agrowon and the Sakal Media Group for taking upthis very positive project.̶Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra

Agrowon and Delivering Change Foundation (DCF) have decided to develop five Smart Villages in the Statewith the help of Israeli companies, which is a front-runner in agriculture development. The aim of the projectis to make the farmers prosperous. Villages, which fit in the criteria, can apply for the project. The finalselection will be made after a survey with the help of experts from Israel. If the number of selected villagesis more, final selection will be made through lottery. The project, which will be funded by a foreign agency,will be professionally run. Agrowon is bringing this rare opportunity to achieve agricultural prosperity anddevelopment of the village. The project will enhance the dignity of farmers through agricultural developmentand by providing them infrastructure with the help of government.

Farmers willbe well-off

Better roads, powerand water supply

Raise standardsof cleanliness,

health and education

Online governmentservices

Expansion ofservice industry

Employmentgeneration

Empowermentof women

Increase inper capita income

No politics indevelopment

Collectivedecision process

Easy loan facility

Use of moderntechnology for better

productionCutting down

production cost

Use of informationtechnology

Post-harvest andvalue addition

Development ofprocessing industryas per the need

Direct marketing forsale of agriculturalcommodities

Manifold increasein productionand income

Letusmakeagricultureandvillages smart !

Rare opportunity to usher inprosperity through agriculture

ROAD TOVILLAGEDEVELOPMENT

Supply ofagriculture inputs

www.agrowon.com

>> Contd on P III

PUNEWEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 Pages 16 + 4 = 20 (Including Agrowon Smart Village & Plus 4 supplement) Price ` 3.00

Jethro was established by a group ofexperts from various managementfields. Jethro has been involvedin conceptualising, planning andimplementing governmental andprivate projects in the Far East, Africa

Vital Capital fund is a $350 millionPrivate Equity fund that invests inopportunities, which simultaneouslyenhance the quality of life ofcommunities in rapidly developingnations, primarily in Sub-Saharan

Angola is the seventh largest country in Africa. It was affected by civilwar for 40 years. The agricultural produce of Angola is so low that eventoday 50 per cent of the total needed foodgrain has to be imported. Insuch an adverse situation, the government in Angola took up a projectfor agriculture development with the help of Israel. It made history bybringing prosperity to the farmers in Angola within five years.

Success of the project Increase in agriculture productivity. Every week, 36,000 litres of milk and three

lakh eggs are collected. Schools are supplied with free milk and milk products

Milk production of cows increased from five to 15 litres per day

Egg production doubled. With a strong demand for eggs, it remains a successful project

Maize production increased from 600 kg to 3,000 kg per hectare

The per capita income increased five times for farmers

Citizens who had never seen a cow are now involved in operating modern milk centres

A three hectare land which is reserved near houses has become an additional source of incomeas some farmers are cultivating maize there

This project helps to give momentum to the economy. The income of these 600 families inJanuary 2009 was 2.70 lakh dollars

As electricity is available in these villages, the use of refrigerators has started. The food habitshave changed. It has become an additional source of income

The people got job opportunities in agriculture processing and logistic services

The prices of farmlands and houses have increased. The construction industry got amomentum and employment increased. Number of vehicles, mobiles went up

The neighbouring villages and farmers adopted improved technology toincrease productivity. Tourism picked up

What is the project? 600 families were involved in the project. Each family was allotted 30 hectaresof farm land. Out of these, three hectares were reserved near homes for vegetables,horticulture and other crops. The remaining 27 hectares of land of all families was at oneplace which were used to produce field crops and fodder.

500 families were given the facility for poultry, dairy and piggery. The remaining 100 familieswere given jobs in facility centres

Each village has a central milk and egg collection centre

Each village has been provided road connectivity, electricity, a school and clinics

Logistic centres have been established to provide inputs to the farming community, theyare also helping to store vegetables

Agriculture extension and training programme have been implemented effectively

Social mediators have been appointed to resolve social issues

Project's progress A team of Israeli experts visited the villages

in Angola in 2003 and studied the agriculturesector and the needs of local farmers. Social

scientists studied the local situation and suggested theproject. The Angola government approved the project in

2003 and raised funds of 70 million dollars for it

The families were selected for the project in Jan 2004

The homes and infrastructure for farms wereestablished in May 2005

In November 2005, 80 cows and 11,000 hens wereimported from South Africa

A logistic centre was established in June 2007

The project was handed over to the Angolagovernment on February 18, 2008. Some expertsfrom Israel and Brazil are still helping with theproject but now it is completely managedby Angolan citizens

Due to the civil war, many citizens from rural areas migrated to bigcities, including the capital, which increased slums in urban areas.

Many citizens were unemployed and faced a difficult time.Ex-servicemen also shifted to urban areas, but did not wish to work

as they drew pensions from the government.Against this background, the Angola government with the help of Je-

thro and other Israeli companies initiated a project in 2003. Within a pe-riod of five years, this project achieved remarkable success. The projectaimed at rehabilitating these migrant people again in rural areas. TheVaku Kung Valley, which is connected to big cities, was selected for the

project.Altogether, 600 Angolan families were rehabilitated in this area.The basic infrastructure and the skills of modern farming were pro-

vided to them. The programmes, backed by the Israeli company, helped toimprove the lifestyle of these Angolan people.

These 600 families were successful in taking up production of milk,vegetables and eggs and selling them in the market. These families got fi-nancial stability, which they missed in urban areas. Many Angolan peoplegot employment through this project. The project had a positive impact onthe Angolan people.

Goals achieved The economy, which was at astandstill, now has got momentum

The families, which were staying inurban areas, were rehabilitated in ruralareas and their income has increased

Agriculture and related businesses likedairy and poultry have helped citizens

Employment generation in agri-alliedbusinesses and other industries

Instead of being dependent onimported foodgrains, locally

produced food is available

Watch thissuccess storyon SAAM TVat 6 pm today

Jethro

and Central America. Gabi Nahum is theCEO and founder of Jethro. He has morethan 20 years of international experiencein the fields of development in agriculture,infrastructure, health, education andbringing about great change in society.He was instrumental in successfullyimplementing the adapted structure ofIsraeli Moshav (agriculture village) in Africaand Central America and has receivedinternational recognition for his efforts.

Vital Capital

Africa, while also delivering attractive financial returns for investors. Theirprimary interest is infrastructure development. Vital Capital broadens itsinvestment prospects by focusing on urban, large scale, community integratedhousing concepts and initiating fully integrated agro-industrial solutions, aswell as giving particular emphasis to education and healthcare. Vital Capitalhas invested in companies having operations in Angola, Ghana, India, Peru,etc. Eytan M Stibbe is the Founding-Partner of the Vital Capital Fund. Hehas been involved in investment in Africa for the past 26 years. His vision andleadership have led to initiation, implementation and successful completion ofhigh profile projects with a consistent focus on aligning humanitarian objectiveswith financial and business interests.

AgriRevolutionInAngola

www.agrowon.com IIWednesdaySeptember 2 ,2015

"The concept of SmartVillage creates an essentialsynergy between thefarmers, industry, marketand financing entities. Thefarmer and his family are notalone any more. They have asupporting system that wantsand needs his success."

—Gabi Nahum

Let’smake agricultureand villages smart!>> Contd from P I

A joint fund of Agrowon and Vital Cap-ital will be formed to invest in this project.There will be no grants. Therefore, returnon investment is expected. This project,which will usher in prosperity in the livesof farmers, will be completely executed ona professional basis. Therefore, we are con-fident it will be successful. People’s partic-ipation will be the most important aspectof this project.

Besides, various Indian companies pro-viding services and having projects in ru-ral areas will also be involved in the proj-ect. The cooperation of the governmentand administration will be required. Thescope of the project is very vast. It can besmoothly executed only with everyone’ssupport. Some of the facilities will be de-veloped with the help of the government.

Water problem is a major concern inMaharashtra. We have tried to solve itthrough the Water Lab forum. The Ma-harashtra government has launched the‘Drought-free Maharashtra’ scheme basedon the findings of the Water Lab. SakalRelief Fund’s initiatives have succeeded

in de-silting water bodies in over 200 vil-lages with the help of local people’s par-ticipation. This has increased the levelof ground water. Tanishka Women’s Dig-nity Forum has also played an importantrole in this drive. During the past decade,Agrowon has been instrumental in expan-sion of knowledge and technology in theagricultural field.

This has added to the income and pros-perity of thousands of farmers. This isalso a newspaper of the future. Therefore,we will act and go much beyond the forumof print media. This will be a phase of de-livering change with the help of local vil-lagers and farmers. We need your supportto achieve this!

Study the concept outlined in this issue.Unite your village on this issue. Seek con-sensus of the villagers with the help of thesarpanch. Members of the Tanishka Wom-en’s Dignity Forum can play a vital role inthis scheme. Send us a proposal along withdetailed information. The opportunity is re-stricted as only five villages have to be select-ed. Come forward and join this competitionto make your village smart and prosperous.

There should be a synthesisof integrated technology andvalue-based agro industriesfor increasing production.

There should be highest quality researchwork and technology to bring a changeamong the farmers. Loans should bemadeavailable in a timely and responsible manner.There should be comprehensive improvements infood storage and food processing, besides they should be affiliatedto themarket. Thus, agricultural productions will last for a longertime and the farmers will get proper prices for their produce. Thesecond green revolution will involve improving soil quality, use ofright seeds and fertilisers, water management and higher educationin pre-harvest tilling technology. The work of farmers will extendfrom cultivating crops to food processing and trading. While doingthis, we also need to protect the environment.

̶DrAPJ Abdul Kalam

For a true and functioningdemocracy in the country,there is no alternative to a

self-dependent and autonomous ruraleconomy. In this system, there shouldbe an important role for the farmers, thebalutedars and the artisans who have been

performing their jobs for generations. Forthis, the traditional rural agriculture-based system

should be linked with modern technology. Physical efforts by workerscan beminimised with the use of modern equipment and their skillscan also be enhanced. There have been new research about seeds,fertilisers and pesticides for increasing agricultural yields. This can beutilised for training the farmers. There should be proper planning andmanagement of the available water resources to provide clean andpure water to people for drinking, agriculture and other uses. Truedemocracy will survive in such a decentralised system

̶MahatmaGandhi

Eknath Khadse,Minister forAgriculture &Revenue

Sunil Tatkare,President, NCP.Maharashtra

PankajaMunde,Minister for RuralDevelopment&WaterConservation

Vikas Deshmukh,Commissioner,AgricultureDepartment,Maharashtra

MPRaosahebDanve-Patil,President, BJP,Maharashtra

Dr VyankatMayande, FmrVC, Dr PanjabraoDeshmukh KrishiVidyapeeth, NitiAayogmember

Vijay Shivtare,State Minister forWater ResourcesandConservation

Today, there is a need forinitiatives like the Smart Villageproject. It is appreciable that apartfrom providing information andknowledge, Agrowon and theDelivering Change Foundationare participating in developingvillages. This project can supportgovernmentʼs initiatives. Wewould definitely assist if wereceive a proposal from Agrowon.The answers to questions relatedto farmingmust be sought in thevillages itself. Improvement inthe health, education facilities invillages must be looked into. Mybest wishes are with this initiative.

As the Minister for RuralDevelopment andWaterConservation, I welcome thisinitiative. The 'Smart Gram'initiative is being driven witha view to strengthen GramPanchayats. For this initiative,the government has alsoappealed to the corporatesector to come forward. We aregrateful that Agrowon and theDelivering Change Foundationhave come forward for this. Thismovement will be strengthenedby transforming five villages intoagri-focused Smart Villages. Thegovernment will provide all helpneeded for this initiative.

The work undertaken byAgrowon and DeliveringChange Foundation in theState is indeed commendable.The State government isalso working with DeliveringChange Foundation. This effortto bring a positive changethrough innovative conceptsdeserves appreciation. Theconcept of Agrowon SmartVillage is another goodinitiative. I will support thisproject in every way. We willtry to absorb this concept ingovernment initiatives. Mybest wishes to Agrowon SmartVillage initiative.

Transforming five villages intoSmart Villages will be veryinspiring for the commonman as Indians are good atreplicating initiatives thatwork. This initiative will help inthe development of villages.Maharashtra has over 40,000Gram Panchayats. Therefore,there is great opportunity inworking in rural areas. Thisinitiative will also inspiresarpanches and other GramPanchayat authorities to comeforward. I give my best wishesto this initiative by Agrowonand the Delivering ChangeFoundation.

For the development ofagriculture in Maharashtra,the Israel pattern is importantbecause both regions receiveless rainfall. By harnessingtechnology, we will be ableto bring prosperity even withsmaller water resources. At atime when our agriculture issuffering because of drought-like conditions, this initiativewill help Maharashtra. For theSmart Village initiative, we areobliged to provide all help.My best wishes to Agrowonand the Delivering ChangeFoundation for this initiative.

Agrowon has undertaken severalinitiatives benefiting the farmingcommunity in the State whileigniting hope among them. It iscommendable that it has strivento improve the conditions forfarming and for the upliftment offarmers. The Smart Village projectwill be a life-changing one forthe villages, which can progressthrough the new paths drawn.Several initiatives undertaken bythe Delivering Change Foundationhave been running successfully.Similarly, I strongly believe thatvillages will soon be developedand it is just a matter of timebefore the dream is realised.

Agrowon and the DeliveringChange Foundation have jointlyundertaken a very good initiativefor transforming five villages withhelp from Israel. This initiativehas been designed consideringthe farming community forthe overall development of thevillage, which is the project's USP.Keeping the focus on improvingbasic amenities and introducinginnovative techniques in farmingwill definitely give a newdirection for progress. I assure allnecessary support from the StateAgriculture Ministry in making thisproject a reality.

There have been severalattempts made to improverural areas but due to lack ofproper implementation andplanning, desired successwas not achieved. It is everyvillagerʼs responsibility toinitiate, accept and take themovement for progress forward.Taking into consideration allthese factors, Agrowon and theDelivering Change Foundationhave undertaken a very goodinitiative. Every villager mustlook at this as an opportunity foroneʼs personal, financial, socialenhancement.

Five villages of the State are beingdeveloped as Smart Villageswith the help of Israel. Israel is acountry that has always workedand progressed while remainingexposed to extreme situations.This initiative has all the necessaryaspects needed for the overalldevelopment of these villages.Agrowon has united the sarpanchunions of the State and initiateda revolutionary transformationof the villages. This is for the firsttime ever that development ofvillages with focus on farming isbeing undertaken using foreigninvestment, and this can bereplicated in other states too.

Currently, the work of ruraldevelopment is going on ina very unorganisedmanner.Interlinking and uniformity ismissing. This is a good attemptby Agrowon and the DeliveringChange Foundation to fill thisgap. If there is appropriateimplementation of this initiativeat the grassroots level, the roadto rural and urban developmentwill take a new path. Othervillages too can take inspirationand join the initiative.

The government fails toconcentrate on the developmentof one village at a time and fundsoften fall short. Due to lack offacilities in villages, a lot of thevillagers are forced to migrateto cities. In order to stop thismigration, there is a need toprovide facilities to the ruralpopulation. Agrowon and theDelivering Change Foundationhave come upwith a novel idea todo so. This project can be amodelfor other states and countries.

Along with farming, providingdrinking water and healthcare,employment and basic facilitiesare the main issues in villages.Despite there being severalinitiatives, none of them reachthe grassroots. Implementationof initiatives happens easily incities but it is not the case withvillages. This gap can be bridgedthrough the project undertakenby Agrowon and the DeliveringChange Foundation. It willdefinitely see positive results.

See what party leaders say about Smart Village initiativeat 6 pm today

RaghunathShinde,farmer,Khairenagar,Shirur Dist. Pune

Subhash Tamboli,Ex. Director, Actionfor AgriculturalRenewal inMaharashtra

Dr Avinash Pol,social worker,Satara

Nasri Chavan,ruraldevelopmentworker, Akola

Popatrao Pawar,Adarsh SarpanchandWorkingPresident, AdarshGaon Yojana

Villages have been lackingbasic amenities for long whichis why they have remainedunderdeveloped. There can bedevelopment of villages only ifbasic amenities like good roads,drinking water facilities, electricityand processing facilities of agri-products are provided. Despitestrong support from banks andjoint efforts from farmers, wecould not improve production inKhairenagar due to shortage ofwater supply. I believe that thejoint initiative by Agrowon, theDelivering Change Foundationand the Israeli government willreally help farmers.

Ashok Chavan,President,MaharashtraCongressCommittee

www.agrowon.com IIIWednesdaySeptember 2 ,2015

GENERAL INFORMATIONABOUT THE VILLAGE� Village Name:� Taluka:� District:� Population1. Female 2. Male 3. Total

� Area1. Total area of the village 2. Land underhouseholds3. Agricultural land 4. Dryland 5. Irrigatedland 6. Barren land 7. Forest land

� Land owned by Gram Panchayat1. Village-owned grazing land 2. Open land3. Weekly market land 4. Commercial shops

� Government offices1. Talathi 2. Others

� Health

1. Health centre 2. Private hospitals3. Veterinary hospital

� Education and training facilities1. Anganwadis 2. Primary schools3. Secondary schools 4. Junior college5. Senior college 6. Other institutes

� Number of houses1. Pucca houses 2. Kachha houses

� Drinking water1. Tap water supply scheme 2. Other facilities

� Sewage management1. Gutters 2. Soak pits

� Solid WasteSolid waste management system

� AwardsAny awards that the village has received

� People's representativesZilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, members ofvillage elected in cooperative societies, etc.

� Social organisationsOrganisations working for village welfare

� Financial services, entrepreneurs1. Banks 2. Cooperative societies:Development societies, dairies, creditsocieties 3. Loans for agriculture givenannually

AGRICULTURE� Crop pattern1. Primary crop 2. Secondary crop3. Crop-wise area under cultivation4. Horticulture 5. Vegetables

� Irrigation facilities1. Wells 2. Borewells 3. Farm ponds4. Streams 5. Bunds 6. Lakes 7. Rivers8. Canals 9. Dams

�Weather1. Annual rainfall (in mm)

2. Average temperature (in degree Celsius)� Cattle1. Cows 2. Buffaloes 3. Oxen 4. Others

BASIC AMENITIES� Transport1. Roads connecting taluka and cities:a) Tar roads b) Kuccha roads2. Distance between the village and largermarkets and travelling time

� Power1. Availability of power (duration of loadshedding)2. Separate feeder for agriculture

�Mobile, Internet ConnectivityCompanies providing these services

�WarehousesFacilities available for storage of agriculturalproduce

� Agro-based industries1. Poultry farms 2. Fruit processing units3. Others

� Agriculture Service centre� Biogas facilities1. Working 2. Not working 3. Total

� Number of tractors

ALSOWITH THE PROPOSALSend the proposal with:1. Resolution passed by Gram Panchayatsaying the village is ready to participate inthe Smart Village project

2. Details of the village as mentioned above3. Maps4. Development Plan5. Photographs6. Awards and certificates

IV

Agrowon and the Delivering Change Foundation (DCF) have taken up the SmartVillage initiative with an aim to give a new direction to the rural economy byimplementing a model with support from Israel. It is a pilot project to makefarmers self-reliant and to achieve agricultural development. This intiative is not agovernment scheme or a programme based on subsidies. Therefore, the villagesshould not look at the project like how a beneficiary would. Rather, the activeparticipation of villages is an important part of the project. Let's come together fora better future!

� The Gram Panchayat needs to send a proposal to be part of the Smart Village project� The decision should be taken unanimously by prominent villagers, farmers, thesarpanch and Gram Panchayat members

� The village should participate as a single unit in this project� Villages affiliated to the Tanishka Women's Dignity Forum will be given preference� Selection will be done after taking into consideration the requisite natural and socialresources of the village. The right to selection will be with Agrowon and DCF

� The suggestions of the company from Israel will be considered while decidingwhich agro-based industries should be set up in a village

� After the selection, a contract will be signed with the village before financialinvestments are made and work begins

� The villages can send their proposal with the following details to Agrowon:

Address: Agrowon, Sakal Papers Pvt Ltd, 595, Budhwar Peth, Pune: 411002Email: smartvillage@esakal.comIf you have any queries or questions, report these with all the relevantdetails to the call centre. Our team will get back to you.Call centre: 09881598815

� This project is being implemented by Agrowon and Delivering Change Foundation to developagriculture with the help of Israeli firm Jethro to improve the financial status of farmers.

� All types of modern technologies including information technology will be utilised.

� Agriculture will be developed under the guidance of Israeli agricultural experts and the incomefrom agriculture will increase many times over.

� The development of each village is envisaged though facilities like roads, power, drinking water,health, education etc with government support. This will bring the Agrowon Smart Village projectinto reality.

The Smart Village project decoded

� Five villages in Maharashtra will be selected under this project.

� The villagers should convene Gram Sabha to unanimously pass aresolution to participate in the project.

� The proposal should be submitted to Agrowon with relevant details.

� These proposals will be scrutinised. The shortlisted villages will bevisited and then selected for the project.

� Women will play an important role in the project. Therefore, villages withTanishka Women's Dignity Forums will be given priority for selection.

� If needed, lottery system will be used. Agrowon will be the finalselection authority.

� Joint funding by Agrowon and Israel-based VitalCapital for agricultural development in villages.

� The project will be run professionally

� Return on investment is expected at regularintervals

� Legal contracts by Agrowon and Vital Fund will bedone in consultation with the villagers.

� Once a specific village is selected, experimentsrelated to community farming will be conducted. Allstakeholders in the process are expected to participateactively.

� The activity will be preceded by training and workshopsthat will enhance the skills of the participants.

� Everybody's participation in the finaldecision-making is important.

� The 'Smart Village' will completely transformthe image of the village and give a thumpingboost to its economy. Every farmer will getbetter crop returns and financial stability

�Monitoring of the farming process, right fromcultivation till the sale of the farm produce inthe markets

� Guaranteed cultivation will get underway

� Improvement of financial condition of farmersand better living conditions for their families

�Wiping out of unemployment

� E-governance will provide speedy andtransparent services

� Better connectivity and communicationfacility with the help of WiFi in the villages

� Strengthening of basic facilities like roads,education, drinking water and healthcare inthe village

� Conservation of green cover and ecosystem

Selection of villages

Participation Funding

Nature of the project

BENEFITSOF THE PROJECT

Criteria for selection of Smart VillagesCome together, talk aboutit, seize the initiative!

Watch the specialprogramme onAgrowon SmartVillage at 6 pmtoday

Last date to send theproposal:

September 15, 2015

� Israel-based Jethro company's officials will study the village's naturalresources, rainfall, weather, types of the soil, crop system and themarket needs to finalise the nature of the project.

� Various options including dairy business, poultry, fisheries,horticulture and vegetables will be considered. Decisionson standalone or combined businesses will be takenafter considering feasibility and market needs. Thevillagers will also be involved in this decision process.

� Health, education, communication infrastructure alongwith roads, electricity, water supply will be upgraded byroping in the government.

www.agrowon.comWednesday

September 2 ,2015