Agriculture & Livelihood

Implementation of various interventions in the field to mitigate the effect of the salinity ingress. Building the capacity of the small and marginal farmers to combat salinity ingress. Enhancing the efficiency of irrigation through promotion of Micro Irrigation System (MIS), Laser Irrigation, and Furrow Irrigation.

Problem statement

CSPC through its agriculture and agri-allied interventions helps in creating sustainable livelihoods for marginalised rural families, encouraging them to lead a life of self-sufficiency and self-respect. CSPC believes in creating agency for the farmers to enable them overcome the challenges faced. For instance, salinity in water and being rain-fed region hinders optimum cultivation of land.

By facilitating market linkages, CSPC helps farmers leverage their productivity and income; adopt sustainable agricultural practices, minimise external dependencies and connect farmers with markets through their Farmer Producer Company (FPC). The FPCs also help farmers avail government schemes and subsidies. The programme encourages the farmers and rural community to work collectively to own, control and manage the development models, encouraging farmers to bargain better prices for their produce.

Geographical area of interventions

In response to the challenges identified, CSPC has designed its livelihood interventions. The interventions are spread in 3 blocks across three districts- out in Talaja (Bhavnagar), Rajula (Amreli), and Waghodiya (Vadodara) blocks. Direct implementation is being carried out by CSPC team in these three locations.

Field Interventions include

Soil & Water Testing

With extensive use of chemicals, the quality of soil has deteriorated, adversely affecting the small and marginalised farmers. This has led to low yield, loss of biodiversity, and desertification of farming lands. To support the small and marginal farmers, CSPC promotes soil testing and water testing as a part of its interventions. This activity is carried out thrice a year.

Building the Capacity

Workshops, trainings and exposure visits are being conducted for skill development and improve knowledge levels in agriculture and allied livelihood activities which help increase their overall household incomes. The technical trainings help farmers in improving their farming practices such as crop diversification and introducing sustainable farming practices.

Irrigation Practices

Due to lack of rainfall during monsoon, the farmers depend on alternate sources of water for irrigation of the farm
land. Access to water for irrigation is a challenge as it is a salinity prone geography. To support the small and
marginal farmers to combat salinity ingress, CSPC supports them by enhancing the efficiency of irrigation through Micro Irrigation System (MIS), Laser Irrigation, and Furrow Irrigation

Furrow irrigation is a water conserving method. It is used to irrigate cotton fields by farmers. As the groundwaterlevels are low, farmers use this method to irrigate the crops.

Vermicomposting

Soil fertility is relative to its exposure to harmful chemicals, which results in depletion of the quality of soil. To ensure farmers use the non-chemical alternatives in the early season of the cropping thus making it sustainable in the long run. Farmers have been engagingin vermicomposting technique. This technique is an improved version of the traditional method of vermicomposting as it can be done in smaller area, manure decomposes uniformly and at a faster rate, earthworms can be added which results in amino acid creation and it also gives a by-product Vermi-wash.

Crop Diversification and Farming Practices

CSPC has helped improve the livelihoods of farmers by boosting farming methods, crop diversification and by introducing innovative farming practices. These sustainable solutions help farmers to get maximum yield with minimal inputs.

Farmers Producer Company

CPSC mentored FPCs to help shareholders, comprising small and marginal farmers, gain access to a fair and just market for their produce without the interference of middlemen. Based on the principle of cooperation and self-help, these FPCs also enable farmers to learn of effective cultivation and bargain for better prices for their produce as a unit.

Agri-allied activities

Livestock forms the main source of income for many households in the intervention blocks. Farmers with small landholdings rear livestock to improve their livelihoods, and diversification of income. Pastoral communities need advice when it comes to rearing, treatment and best practices around livestock. As a response to this concern, CSPC facilitated training of animal rearing farmers. Sustainable animal husbandry activities such as deworming, improved feeder, chaffing the feeder, silage and reduction in intercalving period are also being facilitated in the field.