Save Indian Farmers has been supporting the people living in Bundelkhand through drought-mitigation initiatives. Our program implementation partner – Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan has selected 5 villages in Jatara block of Tikamgarh district in the Madhya Pradesh region of Bundelkhand.
On 18th January 2018, I made a field visit to Nadia village, which is one of the intervention areas where our support program is in progress.
Under this program, Pani Panchayat committees have been formed with the active involvement of the village community. All members gather for meetings where they discuss issues they are facing and brainstorm solutions together. The Pani Panchayat also regulates the seed bank in which we have 3 variety of seeds – wheat, barley and gram, for this Rabi season. With the help of the Pani Panchayat, we are also able to repair non-functional hand-pumps, which are one of the major sources of drinking water in the villages.
Other than these initiatives, Save Indian Farmers has provided seeds such as spinach, chilly, tomatoes, potatoes, bottle gourd and brinjal, which are good sources of nutrients for their organic kitchen gardens. We have also done System of Wheat Intensification and System of Vegetables Intensification on the farmer’s fields for organic farming.
During my visit, I had conversations with a few farmers in the area. One of the farmers – Ram Sahay Kushwaha, is a small-scale farmer and has 10 members in his family including his wife and children. Agricultural work is the key livelihood source for his family; he augments it with manual labour during the non-farming season. He adopted SWI in his field and he is happy about doing organic farming since he uses less water than before and does not have to spend on pesticides.
Save Indian Farmers and Healing lives with the partnership of Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan are helping small and marginal farmers find a sustainable means of livelihood so that they don’t migrate from their villages and are able to live a self-sufficient and happy life with their family.
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About the Author
Prashansha Gupta was born in Banda District of Bundelkhand region. She works in Bundelkhand as a Reporting and Documentation officer, coordinating interactions between Save Indian Farmers and Parmarth.
