Sustainable Horticulture Trichirapalli, Tamil Nadu (Third Year)

Region: Trichirapalli, Tamil Nadu
Focus Area: Irungalur and Purathakudi villages in Lalgudi Taluk, Trichirapalli district, Tamil Nadu
SIF Partner: People’s Educational Awareness Service Trust (PEAS Trust)

SIF Field Visit by Aruna Rajsekhar

The goal of this project is to enable the marginal farmers of 2 villages in Trichirapalli district, Tamil Nadu to adopt sustainable horticulture methods and practices. 2022-2023 is the third year of this project.
Sustainable Horticulture Trichirapalli Tamil Nadu First-year
Sustainable Horticulture Trichirapalli Tamil Nadu Second-year

Watch the video below to see how this project was started and how our project director Aruna Rajshekahar got involved with SIF help our farmers. 

Activities done so far : 

1. To identify, select and finalize the list of 60 farmers in 2 villages.
2. To organize 5 days intensive, follow up, refresher &   one day exposures and field farmers schools to 60 farmers periodically to strengthen their cultivation practices with the help of experts & pioneer farmers.
3. To provide seeds for cultivation, support for nursery raising, support costs to raw materials, containers for the production and application of organic farm inputs.
4. To organize 5 days intensive training to 30 farmers (batch II of 2020-21 year who received seeds from the first batch of 30 farmers and 30 farmers who received seeds from the year 2 farmers) 

Activities Planned:

1. To organize 3 days follow up to year 1 and year 2 farmers to strengthen their cultivation and horticulture activities.
2. To identify and select 30 farmers from 90 farmers to train them intensively to make them model and pioneer farmers who will produce and sell  organic farm inputs,  herbal pesticides, insecticides, and crop tonics.
3. To organize the sale of this organic produce in a local city market on a regular basis.

Feedback from farmers:

• Active and eager participation in the program by beneficiaries from all three years
• Word has spread to neighboring villages and farmers are enquiring about the program and how to get seeds from the seed bank of this project.
• Farmers from year1 and 2 are continuing this path to sustainable farming, increasing the area of cultivation 
• With reduced costs and investment, farmers are seeing an economic benefit in the form of increased income
• Farmers are also seeing health benefits from consuming organic produce and a general sense of optimism
• Some farmers were previously tied to burdensome contracts with large retailers to supply produce at cheaper rates to repay loans from these retailers. Of these ,a few farmers have opted out of the arrangement to join our program, thereby enjoying some economic independence while being trained in sustainable farming practices.

Farmer Testimonial : “We have started using PanchKavya and other organic fertilizers. The produce is good. The plants are strong. The training that was given was very useful. Without the training it would have cost more. Now we will save seeds from this, no need to buy from outside. I am also growing tomatoes and other vegetables all through organic farming.”

Farmer Testimonial: “Hello my name is Vazthu. Through Save Indian Farmers I attend 5 days of training. They gave me tomato, brinjal, chilli, okra seeds. I grew these brinjals from those seeds using organic methods. They taught us how to grow these vegetables using organic methods. How to mix Panchkavya, Fish liquid, Earthworm mix was explained clearly. They also gave us the ingredients to make these things. We got good yield by doing this and we are currently selling this. Thank you to Save Indian Farmers for doing this, we hope they will continue to train us in this area in the future.”