Tumkur Region

Partner: Avishkar

Organic Farming

For Promotion and Popularization of organic farming for enhanced agricultural sustainability, our purpose for this project was to train and support 15 small and marginal farmers from 5 villages in Tumkur district to practice organic farming. Motivate them to adopt low cost, innovative and eco friendly methods for sustainable and organic farming systems for cultivation of food crops and vegetables. These farmers will further act as ambassadors for replication of similar practices with fellow farmers from nearby villages.

Project Objectives

To create awareness and adopt innovative and eco-friendly practices for organic farming systems in five villages and with 15 farmers
To enhance agricultural production and improve productivity of land through promotion of eco-friendly sustainable agricultural practices and tree based farming system.
To reduce cost of production and dependency on external inputs for production of vegetables and food grains.
To establish linkages of buyers, bankers, technical institutions with the farmers

Our Activities

We have been running following training activities for these farmers.

Innovative techniques of organic vegetable cultivation
Tree based farming – horticulture, forestry plants and fodder
Organic methods for soil fertility management
Non-chemical pesticide management
Bio pesticides and bio fertilizers, neem pesticides, pheromone traps
In situ composting techniques, vermicomposting, Japan composting
Adoption of green manure crops
Establishing live hedge fence / ecological fence
Water management – field bunding and trenches
Moisture management- ridges and furrows
Organic certification
Market linkage – establishing linkages with departments, bankers, buyers and technical institution

Our Progress so far

Activities
Villages covered	5
Meetings with Farmers	9
Training on Organic Farming	1
Collection of baseline and micro planning	15
Training on soil testing	1
Exposure visit to IIHR, Bangalore	1
Training on beekeeping	1
Demonstration on enriched Farmers composting techniques	6 farmers
Preparation and Application of Jeevamrutha	15 farmers
Establishment of vermicomposting units	14 farmers
Trench cum bunding	15 farmers
Solar Light Trap for pest control	1 farmer
Organic kitchen garden	3 women farmers
Azolla cultivation pit high protein and minerals fodder for cows	1 farmer
Cattle urine collection pit	3 farmers

Farmer’s Producer Organization

The objective of organic farmer’s producer’s organization promotion is to improve agriculture income of farming community by providing Organic agriculture inputs, services, popularizing the organic farming technologies, training and capacity building and direct market linkage to organic producers and consumers. Improving crop productivity, diversity and adopting post harvest crop/seed management, grading, storage and processing technologies. The proposed for formation of Organic Farmer Producer Organization (Organic FPO) in 30 villages of Tumkur and Koratagere talukas in Tumkur District with the financial assistance of Save Indian Farmers (SIF), USA.

Organic FPO Objectives

Organize the 250 organic farmers and bring them into the Organic farmers producers organization (FPO).
Provide organic agriculture input services to farmers on time and facilitate to sell organic produces on bulk basis to the reliable sellers.
Develop market linkages with wholesale traders, companies, production units to get premium price for the organic produce.
To train and exposure the farmers on organic agriculture practices.
To establish linkages with formal and informal institutions to mobilize the resources and knowledge for scaling up with large number of farmers.
To encourage farmers for value addition for organic agricultural produces.

Proposed Activities

Procurement of organic produces from organic farmers and marketing
Bulk purchase of seeds, organic fertilizers, organic pesticide and other requirements for organic farming.
Training and capacity building of to strengthening of organic FPO
Value addition, processing of organically grown produces
Marketing linkage between organic farmers and traders and retailers.

Our Progress on FPO

Meetings were conducted in 13 villages highlighting the importance of joining the organic FPO project and of organic farming.
Base line data collection process has been initiated and survey has been completed for 73 Organic farmers in 13 villages.
The training program of the CEO and staff members was organized at AVISHKAR office. Mr. G, V Raghu from ORDER organization Tumkur, attended as a resource person. The resource has been oriented the on importance of and need of Organic farming, objectives and need of the organic FPO, business activities of FPO and roles and responsibilities of the CEO and NGO etc.
The Organic FPO has decided to collect Rs, 1000.00 per member as share amount to become member for the organic FPO.
The Organic FPO inauguration and training program on organic farmers producers’ organization (FPO) was organized at Vaddarahalli, Koratagere taluka, Tumkur district.
One day exposure visit organized for organic farmers, to Sri Chandrasekhar natural farmer land Dabaspete and Krishimela at GKVK, Hebbal Bangalore. In Total 21 organic farmers participated the program.
Initiated small scale business activities such as marketing of organically grown vegetables.