Jaivik Pathshala...
Farmers in our target villages
are vulnerable due to fragile ecosystem, lack of access to inputs, lack of
appropriate technology and lack of access to market. Conventional farming has
been followed for more than two decades, which usually has deleterious effects
on the soil fertility due to imbalance and improper use of agrochemicals
leading to a gradual soil decline as well as in the agriculture productivity
coupled with the increase in the cost of crop production only. Taking the above mentioned
problems into cognisance, Agrarian Prosperity Program, Palkot initiated organic
farming in its target area as it is environmentally sound, resource-conserving,
economically viable, socially supportive and commercially competitive.
Organic farming is the
agriculture system which aims at cultivation of the land in a way so that the
soil is kept dynamic with living organism and in good health, with keeping environment
clean, maintaining ecological balance and providing stability to the production
level without polluting soil, water and air. Organic farming promotes
sustainable food production, eliminates the use of costly agrochemicals thereby
reducing the cost of agriculture production and hence, affording the
opportunities to earn more. Furthermore, innovation in farming system,
especially the diversification into high value commodities and value-added
possessing activities may bring improvements in the productivity of farm
household. So based on this above concern, Agrarian Prosperity Program organised
an On-farm Orientation training program for women farmers, where 21 women farmers
participated and privileged to learn
on things with the help of biological process and specially work with living
organisms, in other words we can say that it involves large scale application
of bio-systems for economic and efficient bio-processing of material to produce
value added bio-products where, earthworms producing a by-product called vermi
Compost. Also they very much privileged to made a vermi bed there by their own
during the practical exercise and know more about the key benefit of Vermi
compost: -
Increased
water holding capability & microbial activity in the soil.
Higher
nutrient levels and availability of those nutrients to the plant.
Increased
decomposing of residuals.
Increased
Humus levels.
Less
compaction leading to better aerated soils.
Decrease in
plant and soil susceptibility to pest and disease.