Sewa International

HARELA
(Himalayan Agriculture Rejuvenation and Enhancement of Livelihood for Agri-preneurs) – Uttarakhand

Sewa International, in collaboration with ONGC and Eklavya foundation initiated organic farming based HARELA (Himalayan Agriculture Rejuvenation and Enhancement of Livelihood for Agri-preneurs) project in Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. This project was started in late 2018 with targeted interventions aimed at increasing farm incomes of the farmers in 20 villages each of Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Dehradun by 25%-30% by providing market access and specialized trainings. Effectiveness of the interventions is to reduce input cost and ensure supply of healthy soil and chemical free food to consumers. The project aims for sustainable changes in farming practices that maintains soil health, sustainable agro-ecosystems and humans. This project gives an opportunity to farmers to get food and nutrition security and improve crop yield with organic farming in a sustainable manner by using 3Ts – Training, Tools and Technology. And the most important environmental aspect of the project is to foster organic practices ensuring ecological balance and preserving biodiversity without degrading the soil and water resources of the Himalayan region.

The project is designed to impart knowledge and enhance competency level of farmers in organic farming and practices, certification process, organically produces more crops, achieve more sustainable yields and the way forward for self-employment in 3 districts - Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Dehradun of Uttarakhand. The programs include setting up of demonstration farms, training cum resource centers to train the farmers and setting up nurseries to provide quality seedlings. The initiative also provides PGS Certification (Participatory Guarantee System) to the farmers who complete the training program. The training module incorporates the following key areas of focus: land development, seed treatment, weed control & pest management, preparation of organic manures, vermicompost, bio pesticides, harvesting measures- grading, packing, marketing strategies and etc.

Activities

Demonstration of Farms:

one demo farm in each district – Chamoli, Rudraprayaga and Dehradun in order to promote organic farming through technical capacity building of all the stakeholders including human resource development, transfer of technology, promotion and production of quality organic and biological inputs. The organic demo farm is well-equipped with land development, fencing cover, installation of water tank and piped water connection, drip irrigation system, training hall, poly/net house, poly tunnel, vermi compost unit, soil health management and etc. The major activities being carried out at the demo farm are;

Organic Research & Extension
Nursery Development
Horticulture Development & Production
Production of Organic Fertilizer/Manure, Organic Pesticides/Bio weedicides
Production of High Quality Seeds, Saplings and Vegetables/Crops
Organic Production and Selling

Training cum Resource Centre:

Selecting farmers from 20 villages of each district – Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Dehradun to get training on organic farming at the Demo Farm. Training in organic farming practices is being provided to enthusiastic farmers, institutions, organic growers who are young adults trained and certified by Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) running by Sewa International. The following subjects essentially considered for a 8 days training session to each batch are,

Concept of Organic Farming
Soil Health Management
Mulching in Organic Farming
Water Management
Crop Planning & Management
Nutrient Management
Pest & Disease Management
Weed Management

Nursery Development:

Developing demo farms into nursery to produce seedlings and grafts. The main purpose of this initiative is to save the time, money and efforts of the farmers to raise quality seedlings. In nurseries plants often grow inside poly tunnel/house designed to protect young plants from harsh weather while allowing access to light and ventilation.

PGS Certification: Under PGS Certification all the farmers covered under training program are allowed to register under Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India) a certification process initiated by Department of Agriculture & Farmers welfare, Government of India.
Hub for Farmers’ and Research Scholars’ Exposure Visit: Demo farm centres are being used as Hubs for exposure visit by the farmers, research scholars and members of NGOs/CBOs to learn about the process, techniques and tools used in the organic farming. Students, scholars, agri-experts of universities, educational institutions, are often joining the demo farm centres for advanced studies in organic farming.

Milestones at a Glance

Organic Demo Farm Centre at Pokhari in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand

Total area of agricultural land is 8640 square feet.
Demo Beds have been prepared along with micro-irrigation system and weed-control mechanism for sowing of crops.
Green Manure, Cover Crops and Crop Rotation Systems have been adopted.
Vegetables and flowers being growing through nursery and demo beds are radish, beans, corn, tomato, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum. Brinjal, rai, ginger, peas, garlic, rice, okra, soybean, gahat, tor, lobiya, cholayi, rajma, black gram, chilli, mandua, marigold and etc.
Set up Soil Testing Lab to evaluate soli quality, specifically pH, soil nutrient and organic matter levels for management of soil health.
Sowing of seeds and harvesting both Rabi and Kharif crops.
13 villages have been mobilized for organic farming practices.
268.5Kg organic vegetables produced and sold in the market was worth Rs. 8,520/-.
Over 310 women farmers got training so far on adoption of organic farming practices.
36Kg high-quality seeds sowed at Demo Farm Centre and distributed farmers at subsidized rate.

Organic Demo Farm Centre at Haat Village in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand

Total area of agricultural land is 6480 square feet.
Demo Beds have been prepared along with micro-irrigation system and weed-control mechanism for sowing of crops.
Green manure, cover crops and crop rotation systems have been adopted.
Vegetables being growing through nursery and demo beds are radish, beans, corn, tomato, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum. Brinjal, rai, ginger, peas, garlic, rice, okra, soybean, gahat, tor, lobiya, cholayi, rajma, black gram, chilli, mandua, norangi, ramdana and etc.
Sowing of Seeds to produce both Kharif and Rabi crops.
13 villages have been mobilized for organic farming practices.
1156.5Kg organic vegetables produced and sold in the market was worth Rs. 41,687/-.
Over 340 women farmers got training so far on adoption of organic farming practices.
110Kg high-quality seeds sowed at Demo Farm Centre and distributed farmers at subsidized rate.

Organic Demo Farm Centre at Bhatowali Kaswali, Manduwala, Dehradun

Total area of agricultural land is 86,400 square feet.
Fencing materials purchased but installation of fencing is not yet completed.
Training hall is ready to conduct the trainings of farmers
Mobilization of farmers is going on in adjacent villages.
9Kg seeds sowed on a trial basis.

Sewa International, First Floor, Plot 8,
Site 11, Near SD Public School,
West Patel Nagar,
New Delhi - 110008

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