August 2018 Newsletter

Dear supporters,

The rainy season seems to be off to a good start in 2018. The India Meteorological Department predicts a stellar monsoon in most regions of India this year, with rainfall expected at 97% of the average. However, will the rains bring true respite to the farmers ravaged by the erratic weather patterns of the past few years? Farmers are in a fight for survival, and governmental and nonprofit organizations need to focus on innovative and proactive solutions in order to “cash in” during such monsoons rather than play “catch up”.

At Save Indian Farmers, we are striving hard to educate and work with farmers on different initiatives, with sustainable agriculture and water conservation as our focal points. Here is a summary of our activities in the past quarter.

Project Hydroponics

Implementation Partners: Manavlok and People’s Institute of Rural Development

Details: Hydroponics

Hydroponics refers to the method of plant cultivation without using soil. This system requires less water and space in comparison to traditional soil-based gardening. Each hydroponic unit will generate ~300 kg of fodder for cattle per day. Our project page has been updated with detailed goals and specifications.

Drought-Resilient Farming

Sponsor: Healing Lives

Implementation Partner: Parmarth

Details: Bundhelkhand

Following Phase 1 of the project, which included the formation of Pani Panchayats and seed banks, Phase 2 is in progress with desilting work in Bangayan and community kitchens in Kodiya. Two earthen bunds have been constructed to retain runoff from a 60-acre catchment area in Nadiya. Additionally, drinking water is being supplied through a water tanker to 402 families in Bangayan and Kanti.

Project Uttarakhand

Partner: UANA

In April 2018, a survey was carried out for 8 days in 8 villages by a UANA coordinator. From the survey, we learned more about the challenges that make farming untenable for most of the rural population. The key issues cited by the villagers were the menace of wild animals like wild boar, monkey, langur, bear, leopard and peacock, scarcity of water, lack of technical know-how, lack of access to mechanical implements, lack of connectivity to small towns and unawareness of government schemes for their welfare. In spite of these odds, 25 farmers agreed to be a part of our pilot in this region.

400 black cardamom and 650 citrus plants were distributed in July; seeds for vegetables will be distributed by early September. 1100 fruit saplings of lemon, orange, mosambi, lychee, apple and big cardamom were planted in July in the villages of Dabralsyun, Gahli, Chamsyul, Dinda Kathoor, Syalna, Dangi and Kyar Tripni.

On June 4th, work commenced for the construction of a water conservation pond with a capacity of 1,50,000 litres. Most of the labor is provided by volunteers from local NGOs and villagers. The target for completion is October 2018.

Microfinancing

Partner: Rang De

Details: Microfinancing

State	Beneficiary Organization(s)
Uttar Pradesh	Parmarth
Madhya Pradesh	Parmarth, VAMA
Orissa	Social Action for Rural Community
Telengana	Sarvodaya Youth Organization
Andhra Pradesh	Dharani Farmers’ Cooperative
Karnataka	VILD Foundation
Manipur	Self Employment Voluntary Association

Many of our donors are interested in contributing to individuals and organizations in certain Indian states. You can see our state-wise microfinance activities in the chart below.

You can also view the profiles of individuals awaiting funds on our project page and specify the same when you make a contribution.

Project Jal

Sponsors: Asia Initiatives, India Development Services

Implementation Partners: Sankalpa, Jnana Prabodhini, REDS, Man avlok

Other Partner: Paani Foundation

Details: Borewell recharge

State	District	Borewell recharges (Apr-Jul 2018)	Partner
Andhra Pradesh	Ananthpur	51 completed	Sankalpa
Andhra Pradesh	Prakasam	9 completed	Need for People in Rural Areas Foundation
Karnataka	Various	29 completed	Sankalpa
Maharashtra	Beed	9 completed	Manavlok
Tamilnadu	Erode	30 in progress	Sankalpa

Through Jnana Prabodhini, SIF adopted 13 villages from severely drought-affected districts of MH for the 2018 Paani Foundation Water Cup contest. Over 48 volunteers participated in the water conservation efforts and covered an area of over 120,000 sq.m. This will save an estimated 13 crore liters of water after just a single bout of rain.

Sticks to Grow

Implementation Partners: Manavlok, Mr. Ankush Gawande

Details: Drumstick plantation

In this season, around 30,000 trees were planted in Beed and Parbhani districts in MH in May and 20,000 trees in the Prakasam district of AP in June.

Desilting of Nilona Reservoir

Implementation Partner: Deendayal Bahuuddeshiya Prasarak Mandal

The main source of water for Yavatmal city (population: 1 lakh) is the Nilona reservoir nearby. Built in 1969, this reservoir has run dry completely and has never been desilted. Save Indian Farmers is excavating 20,000 cubic meters of silt, which is highly nutrient-rich soil that can be delivered to farms. Not only will this yield better crops for farmers, it will also conserve 200 lakh liters of water in a single monsoon season.

Recent Events

June 09, 2018 – Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, New Jersey

The musical fundraiser turned out to be an extremely successful event that set several new records for Hidden Gems, with 1000+ seats sold, support from 31 sponsors, and monetary and service donations garnered from several anonymous donors. Volunteers from Save Indian Farmers and Karma Junction dedicated their efforts to make this musical extravaganza an event to remember for a long time. The event got support and acknowledgement from not only the local audiences, but also superstar Rishi Kapoor himself:

June 06, 2018 – Panel discussion with Asia Initiatives, New Jersey

SIF team with Dr. Geeta Mehta, President and Lynn Bernabie, Jr. Board Member of Asia Initiatives

Hemant Joshi and Mahesh Wani from the SIF team were invited as guest speakers for an event organized by Asia Initiatives (AI), one of SIF’s partner organizations. The event was held at Ronin Gallery in New York City. Mahesh and Hemant presented details about two current SIF projects to the audience – Water Cup and Kitchen Gardens. Their presentation received a very positive feedback from the event attendees.

May 2018 – JEI Learning Center, Central Jersey

Usha, the owner of the JEI learning centers in Edison and South Plainfield, NJ offered SIF an opportunity to conduct an awareness campaign at their centers. SIF volunteers set up a booth for the entire month of May and interacted with kids as well as their parents to talk about the issues affecting farmers in India and discuss the work SIF is doing to help impacted farmer families. At the end of the month, the students made presentations on the three topics they learned about – water conservation, organic farming and food waste.

Upcoming Fundraisers

August 18, 2018 : VatVat, a Marathi play based on the scripts of the legendary P.L. Deshpande on at the Village Theater and Art Gallery in Danville, CA (SF Bay Area). Details can be found here.
August 18, 2018: A musical fundraiser with Art and Beat at the Jo Ann Magistro Performing Arts Center in East Brunswick, NJ. A live musical extravaganza featuring legends Kavita Krishnamurthy and her husband Dr. L. Subramaniam to celebrate India’s 71st Independence Day. Details can be found here.

Farming in the News

Save Indian Farmers was featured in Toofan Alaya, Aamir’s Khan’s Marathi TV show focussing on water conservation initiatives in Maharashtra.
The Hindu explains Rhythu Bandhu, a farmers’ investment support scheme in Telengana.
A piece in the New York Times about agroecology references zero budget natural farming efforts in Andhra Pradesh.
An article on CBS News reminds us that farmers in countries like United States too are not immune to the kinds of challenges faced by farmers in underdeveloped and developing nations.

We have updated our Partners page on the website and added an article on rainwater harvesting to our knowledge base. We would like to sincerely thank all our donors and well-wishers for your support – you may reach out to us anytime at info@saveindianfarmers.org with your ideas and suggestions.

Warm regards,