Farm livelihoods
NRLM focuses on stabilizing and promoting existing livelihoods portfolio of the poor through vulnerability reduction’ and ‘livelihoods enhancement’ through deepening/enhancing and expanding existing livelihoods options and tapping plethora of new opportunities in farm sectors.
Agriculture plays an pivotal part in the development of Rural households. Farm livelihood Play a central role in realizing the NRLM policy objectives. Production decisions at farm household level determine the current availability of agricultural produces well as future production potentials; rural areas play a prime role in two of the Millennium Development Goals: reducing poverty and hunger and ensuring environmental sustainability.
Karnataka considered a miniature of India as it exhibits most of the features of India in climate, soil types, rainfall, crops grown, and a variety of natural resources. Karnataka agriculture is one of the essential attributes of the Karnataka economy. Its relief, soil conditions, and climate conditions jointly contribute to growing crops. Agriculture is considered to be one of the main occupations for the inhabitants of Karnataka. The agriculture system forms the backbone of economic development of Karnataka. It contributes 37 % of the total State Domestic Product. Karnataka is well known for vegetable and floriculture production and is a major silk-producing state in the country. The fisheries sector in Karnataka is now emerging as one of the most important sectors in allied agriculture activities in the state. Farm activities include agriculture (crop production), plantation, animal husbandry (milk, meat, egg etc), forestry & logging and fishing.
Farm livelihood is one of the thematic areas under KSRLPS. Works for strengthening of the rural community by making them to adopt multiple livelihood actives and by reducing the gaps percent in the Agriculture outreach in the state thereby increasing household income.
NRLM focuses on stabilizing and promoting existing livelihoods portfolio of the poor through vulnerability reduction’ and ‘livelihoods enhancement’ through deepening/enhancing and expanding existing livelihoods options and tapping new opportunities in farm sectors
Some major activities done by Karnataka farm livelihood are as follows:-
1. Sustainable Agriculture /Agro Ecological Practices: Sustainable agriculture includes popularisation of sustainable agro ecological principles and practices for field crops and plantations through popularization of non-pesticidal management in plant protection. It covers range of crops grown in different project locations by SHG members. The focus has been to teach and transfer scientific rationale behind each of interventions in soil, water regime management, seed, pest management and storage practices.
2. Custom Hiring Centre: Farm mechanisation has been promoted to address the gap of timely availability of tools and implements for farm operations. Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) has been set up initially with small farm tools to address the issue and to reduce womens drudgery from the Community Investment Fund (CIF). this also brings Technological Progress: With growing mechanization of agriculture which may be the result of technological reform (e.g., Green Revolution in India), the input structure of the farm sector changes.
3. Farmer Field School:- A farmer field school is a Group Extension Method based on adult education techniques. It is a school without walls that teach necessary Agro-ecology/1ivestock and management skills to Mahila Kisans in their farms. Traditional top-down technology and information transfer systems may play some role in agricultural development, but intensive capacity building is required for creation of independent learned farmers.
4. Community Resource Person:- We believe a community-led approach is essential in bringing about any real transformation in the lives of MahilaKisans. Therefore, we aim to build a strong knowledge base within the community by empowering interested individuals as Community Resource Persons (CRPs) through intensive training in sustainable agricultural practices and biodiversity conservation.
5. Seed Bank:- The community seed bank is not just a store where seed is kept for distribution or marketing or a sophisticated storage facility which has temperature and humidity control. It is a system in the process of community agriculture which includes village level facilities, a garden or field where traditional varieties are safeguarded. Through this system, farmers have played a key role in the creation, maintenance and promotion of crop genetic diversity.
6. Non-Pesticidalidal management:-Non-pesticidal plant protection approach in Sustainable agriculture additionally improves the quality of food produced in terms of taste and other phytosanitary indices. Promoting backyard ruminants and non-ruminant practices has increased nutrition intake and additional income to the households.
7. Agri Nutri Garden:- To support supplemental food and nutrition in underprivileged families in rural areas, Sanjeevini-KSRLPS promotes a Kitchen garden/Agri Nutri garden to grow a variety of short and long-duration crops and orchard plants for a steady supply of greens, vegetables and fruits.
Organic Village Cluster
- Development of Organic Village Clusters:- Organic farming is the method of crop and livestock production that involves much more than choosing not to use pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormone
- PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System of India):- is a quality assurance initiative that is locally relevant, emphasizes the participation of stakeholders, including producers and consumers and operates outside the frame of third-party certification. PGS India’s system is based on a participatory approach, a shared vision, transparency and trust. In addition, it gives the PGS movement a National recognition and institutional structure.
- Organic village clusters;- 20-25 farmers would form local groups at village level and one cluster would be formed by covering 5-7 villages. Nearly 8500 ha area would be brought under the PGS organic program.
Sub Component (3)
- Livestock:- Livestock is another important subcomponent of Farm livelihood intervention that strongly complements Sustainable Agriculture where, the focus is on better management of livestock including ruminants (dairy, goatry, piggery) and non-ruminants (backyard poultry, duckery) through proper housing, improved feeding practices through balanced and supplementary feeding, preventive animal health care facilities like deworming and vaccination.
- KsheeraSanjeevin :- an exclusive MoU signed with KMF for developing 150 existing women dairy cooperatives and societies, 300 women dairy producer groups covering 6000 households.
Sub Component (4)
- Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP):- Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) has tremendous potential to increase source of earnings of marginalised tribal community especially during the lean months. Activities like collection of NTFP are traditional occupations though production of all these has declined due to lack of scientific knowledge, lack of credit, and market imperfection. These bottlenecks have been addressed in targeted households with interventions on trainings on scientific processing, storing, packaging, branding and marketing. Sanjeevini-KSRLPS has partnered with ITDP, TRIFED and similar agencies to introduce improved packaging of practices and developing “Van Sakhi' as community cadre for sustainability.
Sub component (5)
- Integrated Farming Cluster:- To enable rural poor to have multiple sustainable livelihoods, an impetus will be brought on promotion of sustainable livelihoods through Cluster based Integrated Farming approach where a cluster comprising of 2-3 adjoining villages covering about 250-300 households, will be developed in the existing intervention areas on the principles of identifying opportunities for (i) improving, (ii) intensifying, (iii) expanding and (iv) integrating the existing crop (field crops, horticulture, plantation etc.), livestock (dairy, piggery, goat rearing, poultry, duck etc.), apiculture and various NTFP based livelihoods which complement each other.
Convergence with other Departments: - Inclusive and integrated farming ecosystem would require leveraging resources, both knowledge and financial, from different sources. Convergence with MGNREGA, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, different missions (Horticulture/Apiary etc.), Ministry of Food Processing among others need to be explored. There are 32 different government departments which offer different support and services in rural livelihood landscape.
All these activities are being conducted by active women who are selected as community resource persons.
Named as Krishi Sakhi , PashuSakhi , Van Sakhi, MatsyaSakhi, mCRP- Agri are posted in there respected area.
