June 2023 Newsletter

Dear Subscribers, 

Since 2012, we have expanded into Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bundelkhand (MP) and Uttarakhand with some of the successful ideas like borewell recharge, drumstick plantation,Organic farming & Community Kitchen Garden. 

We have also partnered with more NGOs, applied for corporate grants and have increased the reach and scale of our fundraisers. We are successfully working on rural skill development as well as counseling farmers and their families and children to empower them with knowledge. 

Read below for updates on our latest activities.

SIF Plant sale, New Jersey

SIF hosted a Plant Sale fundraiser on May 13, 2023 at Dawn to Dusk wellbeing center, South Brunswick. 

Our volunteers worked for almost three months to grow saplings for a wide variety of plants including Moringa, water melon, curry leaves, Indian chillies, Thai basil, bell peppers etc. This event was a great success due to the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and support from generous donors like you. 

SIF would like to thank all of you for your tremendous response for the SIF Plant Sale fundraiser. We are grateful that you chose to donate to our cause.

Help us support more farmers, make a donation!

SIF Success Story from Bundelkhand

We are happy to share that two Jal Sahelis from SIF’s women farmer empowerment initiative in Bundelkhand received the “Swaccha Sujal Shakti Samman”.

Mrs. Sharda Devi from Lalitpur district and Mrs. Geeta Devi from Jhansi district were felicitated by Hon’ble President of India and Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti respectively on 4th March 2023. They have been working tirelessly for rejuvenation of water bodies and Natural Resources Management.

Get Involved with SIF

Every event and every project that we run, is a result of the hard work and dedication of our Volunteers. We simply couldn’t do what we do without amazing volunteers like you. 

If you want to get involved with SIF, please fill out the online form.

Volunteer for Save Indian Farmers

Project FARM, Jharkhand

SIF Project FARM with our partner JVP (Jharkhand Vikas Parishad) is focused on training & providing facilities to the marginal farmers to improve their food and nutritional security. 

Hundred marginal farmers are being trained to make kitchen gardens, improve nutritional contents with organic manure, seed treatment and improved seeds of pulses, vegetables & cereals. They are also learning about benefits provided by various government schemes and how to apply for them. 50 farmers are expected to enhance income by improved vegetable cultivation and 10 farmers are expected to improve kitchen gardening.

Farmer’s Producers’ Organization, Tumkur, Karnataka

SIF and our partner Avishkar aim to improve agricultural income of farming families, training for water conservation and organic farming including soil and seed distribution, soil testing, poultry, training. 

We now have 197 members in FPO and counting. In the current year, we plan provide 10 farmers with cows and distribute fodder to 15 farmers.

We also supported 40 flood affected farmers and are training new farmer members in Vermicompost and organic farming techniques.

Sustainable Horticulture, Tiruchirapalli district, Tamil Nadu

2022-2023 is the third year of this project. With the help of our partner PEAS TRUST, we aim to train and enable 60 marginal farmers from the 2 villages to adopt sustainable horticulture methods and practices. 

In addition to this training, extended training is provided for farmer beneficiaries from the previous 2 years on seed banking and distribution.

We have seen increased interest from farmers in the village to join this project. Farmers who engaged with us for last two years are continuing on this path to sustainable farming, increasing their area of cultivation.

With reduced costs and investment, farmers are seeing an economic benefit in the form of increased income. They are also seeing health benefits from consuming organic produce and there is a general sense of optimism. In total, about 120 farmers are being trained and have benefited from this project.

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 practice.

Beej Swaraj, Banswara, Rajasthan

SIF and Vaagdhara’s seed conservation project is an important step to achieve farmer self-sufficiency. This program has evolved to rejuvenate the traditional approach of community-managed seed system with modern-day scientific knowledge to strengthen the overall farming system.

Seed storage and seed exchange have enabled farmers to cultivate using their own seeds. This reduces dependence on a few private companies. 

Farmers are being taught to use mixed cropping and choosing crops that are suitable for their families, weather and soil conditions (instead of mono culture or market demands)

Project Savera, Giridih, Jharkhand

Project Savera with Savera Foundation, is focussed on Training & Sustainable Development of marginalized farmers in 10 villages of Khijuri & Tisri Panchayat in Giridih district of Jharkhand state. We aim to increase the farm yields for 100 farmers in this area with a sustainable source of income that continues to rise with little or no hand holding in future. Members of 8 households will have a sustainable source of water for irrigation and domestic use.

Community Kitchen Gardens

SIF along with partner NGO Parmarth has been working with Women Self-Help Group formation to establish a unit of Community Kitchen & Nutrition Garden. The project also provides seeds, plants, coupled the vegetable & fruits (Food) production activities for establishment of a unit of CKG. Project helps in providing training and promoting organic farming methods, soil fertility improvement techniques, organic pesticide preparation etc.

We are currently in the Phase 4 of this project and are helping 45 family beneficiaries/148 Households

Seeds and plants of vegetables grown in winter season like tomato, cabbage, brinjal, radish, carrot, spinach, coriander etc. and vegetables grown in summer season like lady finger, ridge gourd, pumpkin, bottle gourd, bitter gourd etc. were made available for the community nutrition garden by SIF. 

Yours Sincerely,

Jitendra Karkera
President, Save Indian Farmers
www.saveindianfarmers.org