| VILLAGE PHAGERA : Water Management and Vermicomposting Uplifts Rural Economy(As reported by the farmer below, whom we groomed) The need of human beings for food, water, shelter and other things depends on the environment around us. Our whole life is dependent to the environment. It directs our life and determines our proper growth and development. Good or bad quality of social life depends on the quality of our natural environment. There is a balanced natural cycle exists between environment and lives of human beings, plants and animals. As our primary Business is the agriculture and the land need to be prevented from the degradation. There is a high water demands for the cultivating of the fertilized land in our area (My native place Phagera and surrounding). The application of chemical fertilizers reduces land productivity and corps becomes dependent on periodic inputs of the chemical fertilizers. The soil fertility can be improved maintained thought use of organic input like decomposed organic manure/ Vermi compost on wards the environment to solve all the environmental issues. We, with the collaboration of the Green Shakti Foundation had started the mission for water conservation, harvesting and vermicomposting and they have been practicing it in different ways at different scales. GSF take part very actively to distribute messages and has initiate among common public to bring effective and positive changes. |
| Water Management In line to this, the idea of the use of water conservation and harvesting for crop production by farmers in our village was implemented. In our village we mostly produce the following cash crops in the area. i.e. Tomato, Capsicum, Ginger, Cucumber , Cauliflower , Cabbage, Potato etc The Benefit we are getting by adopting the water harvesting is as follows:- • The crops mention above requires water frequently, mainly at initial stage i.e. when to sustain the crop in the beginning. Hence the water is readily available for the crops. • By abundant available of water is helping us to develop the option for the growing the variety corps by which we could not get the more financial benefit (like cauliflower and capsicum etc.) • We have established two water tank in our village and the in the process of the establishment of these water tank/storage system, the local labor has got engaged and hence the financial benefit vested to us/farmer directly. • Our areas are also attractive to many farmers due to their high fertility levels, farmers has large number of the waste land available the same has been turn to the cultivated land because the readily water available for their crops . • Lack of water can often cause a decline in crop yields, and thus a reduction in income for farmers and an increase in the market price of products since there is less to go around. • As this system does not use large investment of labor to manage the water. Farmers do not to invest on the labor to manage the water for their crops. If anything is done at all, it is to leave the catchment area uncultivated in order to generate more runoff. • By adopting system of the water tank peculiarly for the cash crops this lead the potential for increasing cash income is a big factor affecting the adoption of rain water harvesting. • Today, the bovine industry is more specialized and most dairy cattle have been bred to produce large volumes of milk. The people of our area use to bred the cattle basically Cow, Buffalo to produce the large quantity of the milk , and the with Promotion of water harvesting the lacking of the drinking for cattle is get fulfilled and hence the supplementary source of income of Farmer has generated . • With the adoption of the harvesting for crop production, there is a clear evidence of increased farmers’income and poverty reduction. • Now farmers have been ready to undertake, at their own initiative, huge capital investment in rain water harvesting. • The farmer now has become independent and hence it helps us to reduce the unemployment of farmers and defiantly significant impact on the economy of the area. • The people for the rural area migration because often people will go to areas where water and its benefits are more prevalent. • • • This then depletes the natural resources of the new area, can create conflicts among neighboring populations, and takes workers away from the original area. Hence with the adoption of the water harvesting, the people have not been migrated. The source of income has been generated at home only. |
| Vermicompost The application of chemical fertilizers reduces land productivity and corps becomes dependent on periodic inputs of the chemical fertilizers. The soil fertility can be improved maintained thought use of organic input like decomposed organic manure/ Vermi compost. We have adopted the process to make Vermi compost in our village. The basic composting ingredients are animal manure generated on the farm and bedding. As we, simultaneously (along with farming) running the Dairy Business .The Dairy production has the potential to be profitable opportunity for the farmer. Vermi compost is made from bio- degraded wastes that he easily available .We use to breed the Cow, buffalo and other cattle and there is the efficient cattle manure available for the composition of the Vermi compost. We have build a tank around length of 15 feet long, breath & height is around 3 feet for the bedding the worm .We usually mix the cattle manure with using the various worms to create the heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding material .Normally Vermi composting and composting were carried out for the period of 60 days to 100 days .The maturity could be judged visually by formation of the granular structure of the compost at the surface of the tank. And after this the same is used is our farm to enhance the productivity of the corps. Since we are regularizing the concept of organic farming in our area in order to sustain the productivity of the land by making use of the Vermi compost, organic farmers need to have an intimate knowledge of the land and soil they work with. Hence the need of the training is sought in order to adopt the concept of the organic farming completely. It is important for potential farmers to become familiar with farming processes. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Green Shakti Foundation helping in financing the project to us. With the financial help of GSF, many awareness campaigns are also run at schools, colleges and other educational institutions to motivate students towards their environmental safety. The financial help which has given by the GSF ultimately empower us meaningfully. Awareness towards implementation of storage of water which has leads to ultimate changes in the life of the farmers. Being that our needs are many, this aid helps us greatly. May you be blessed for consideration and decision to understand us in our endless struggle to manage the needs of our family and society. However, the initial funding helped prepare and show with confidence for further funding from GoHP. Vinod Kumar Thakur Village Phagera P.O. Panesh Tel and Distt. Shimla |