While 60% of India's population is directly dependent on agriculture, its contribution to the country's GDP is only 20%, indicating overdependence, unemployment and underemployment in the sector. With more than half the country's populations' direct dependence on this sector, we believe that there is a need to bring paradigm shift towards agriculture and its numerous tangible and intangible benefits.
Today in India, 1 farmer commits suicide every 41 minutes. If this situation has to change, we need to make focused investments to rebuild future for India’s farmers.
We run several different projects in various parts of the country to help farmers, widows and their families to increase their crop yield, start or expand small Businesses and sustain life in tough situations. Our major areas of focus are: Water Conservation, Rainwater harvesting, and helping widows of farmers who already committed suicide.
We also have farmer helpline to counsel the farmers/relatives to give them new hope to live and earn their livelihoods. Below is a list of all our projects that we have completed or are in progress.
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Problems faced by farmers and their families
In recent years, India has achieved tremendous growth in the technology and service sectors. However, in all this development, small villages and farmer families seem to be left far behind. The farmer suicides create a tremendously negative and stressful environment for the children growing up in these villages. Moreover, these traumatizing events adversely affect their education and overall growth.
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Key Initiatives
Project Kisan Mitra
Kisan Mitra is a one of the ambitious projects undertaken by SRDF to Save Indian Farmers. we are work with famers on creating awareness and guiding farmers to use best agricultural practices, thus increasing their crop yields. We plan to deploy the team of local experts who have proven with their pilot phase that farmers who take strategic approach to farming, can benefit monetarily and grow eco-friendly crops.
The focus of this project is education – utilizing current technological like Messages, IVR calls and sharing agriculture, Weather and market price information in regional languages to help farmers learn better produce storage techniques, crop rotation, water irrigation, money management and understanding their product market prices.
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Sustainable Agriculture
The sustainable agriculture initiative focuses on raising awareness, education and promoting eco-friendly tools and techniques to reduce capital costs, increase productivity and profits, and improve soil quality.
Opening banks of indigenous seeds, promoting organic farming techniques, promoting hardy and alternate crops like drumsticks, promoting inter-cropping techniques, community kitchen gardens, promoting fruit and vegetables cultivation and hydroponics are just some of the activities conducted as part of our Sustainable agriculture initiative.
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Water Conservation
Cultivation of second and third crop in a year leads to good income augmentation of farmers and empowers them to come out of poverty, restricts migration and improves their standard of living. For year-long agricultural cultivation, regular supply of irrigation is a must. We have identified small tributaries in our six blocks, where we build check dams to conserve millions of litres of water. This water is supplied to the farms through drip or flood irrigation thus making acres and acres of land cultivable and beneficial for farmers in the geography.
Our water conservation initiative focuses on various watershed management techniques such as bore-well recharge, canal repairs, wells, reservoir de-silting, digging trenches etc to make irrigation water available year-round to farmers in drought affected areas of India.
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Kitchen Gardens
Nutritious food intake is needed for healthy lives, but economic status of the families acts as hurdle in accessing nutritious food in their regular diet.
Enhancing Productivity & Yield
SRDF works closely with farmers to help them increase their yield and productivity. We help them find the best crops, inputs and practices that meet the unique needs of their farm.
Water Management & Micro Irrigation
Water plays a critical role in optimising farming and SRDF helps farmers better manage limited water supplies and harness micro irrigation to replace inefficient flood irrigation. In the year 2018, we aim to install new micro irrigation systems in over 550 ha area.
Promote Sustainable & Organic Practices
Sustainability is key, and SRDF helps farmers adopt sustainable, organic practices to supply the highest quality of produce to markets and protect their natural resources for the future. This includes System of Rice Intensification.
Enhancing Productivity & Yield
SRDF works closely with farmers to help them increase their yield and productivity. We help them find the best crops, inputs and practices that meet the unique needs of their farm.
Promote Sustainable & Organic Practices
Sustainability is key, and SRDF helps farmers adopt sustainable, organic practices to supply the highest quality of produce to markets and protect their natural resources for the future. This includes System of Rice Intensification.
Facilitate Formation of FPO
SRDF acts as a catalyst and support in organising farmers and establishing their own Farmer Producer Organisation. We aim to cumulatively facilitate formation of 20 such FPOs by 2021.
Strengthening FPOs in Governance
Whilst FPOs are managed by farmers themselves, SRDF plays a critical role in supporting the Governance of these organisations to ensure their long — term sustainability.
Promotion of Crop & Livestock Insurance Scheme Information
SRDF promotes available crop & livestock insurance schemes and circulates information among farmers to help raise awareness and uptake Insurance policies for crops and livestock.
Creating Linkages with Service Providers
SRDF connects farmers with various local service providers who help support farmers in registering for various insurances.
Counselling and Livelihood Management
The main objective of this counselling and livelihood management is to provide counselling services to farmers and their families in distress and empower them to earn a better livelihood by helping them avail various government schemes and by adopting better farming techniques.
Adopting widows of farmers that committed suicides and helping them earn a sustainable livelihood, counselling farmers and their families through our Kisan Mitra hotline are some of our projects under this initiative.
What We Did Last Year
- 5000 people received healthcare services through 7 operational projects in 5 remote villages and slums
- Over 70% of the total beneficiaries covered in the reporting period were women and children
- More than 1000 school going children benefitted from School Health Programme
- 2 multi-speciality camps were conducted in remote rural areas, meeting the immediate healthcare needs of 3000 people