|
| |
|
|
| |
| Home>>Programmes>>Sustainable
Agriculture |
|
Since 1987, RASTA has been
focusing on sustainable agriculture as one of the focal point
of intervention as the livelihood of the 95% of the inhabitants
of the region are from agriculture and moreover the farming
sector has been facing major problems like diminishing productivity,
increased incidences of pest and diseases, lack of availability
of appropriate technologies at farmer level and weak extension
services. RASTA has undertaken a number of activities especially
awareness generation, research and extension, infrastructure
development activities to support farmers. |
|
RASTA has constructed two Summer Check
dams in river Karayi that support irrigation in 800 acres
of Paddy cultivation in summer seasons besides recharging
of ground water and regenerating river banks in more than
2.5 km length.
|
- 50 Women groups have started taking land on lease and
cultivating various crops like rice, banana and vegetables.
- 20 Decentralized nurseries that support healthy planting
material supply to farmers of the region.
- Supported 50 tribal farmers to extent scented rice cultivation
to 150 acres in Wayanad district in 2005
- Demonstrated a technology that increase rice productivity
by 60 to 80% through System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
method in Wayanad district through a farmer participatory
Research methodology. Within one year 100 farmers adopted
the SRI methodology rice cultivation.
- 715 families supported for purchasing milch cows, that
provides a daily income of Rs.60 to each household besides
generating 7,50,000 kg of cow dung in a year as input to
farming.
- Developed Bio-control agents application technology for
controlling the quick wilt disease of black pepper through
a participatory technology development process and replicated
to 1500 farmers in the region.
- Popularized the Azolla cultivation in artificial tank
methods to 10000 farmers in the region.
- Established a pathogen detection and bio-control agent’s
production laboratory at RASTA, which serve 5000 farmers
every year.
- NADEP model compost tank having 4 tone production capacity
per year constructed at 2100 farms between 1996 and 2005
|
| Watershed
Projects |
Due to unscientific land management
practices in the hill slopes erosion became on of the major
cause for degradation of soil fertility. Farmers who came
from the plains did not practiced soil conservation measures
in slopes. RASTA undertook watershed based development project
in 6 watersheds in Wayanad district since1994. Each project
was implemented for a period of five years.
Major activities undertaken in the watersheds are
- Earthen bunds and trenches to check run off water in
8875 acres of land.
- Rain water-harvesting tanks of 7500 ltrs to 10000 ltrs
in households.
- Supply of good planting materials of Black pepper, coffee,
Grampu, Wetiver Grass etc.
- Fodder grass on Bunds
- Supply of milch cows for the poorest families
- Support compost tanks
- Income generation activities such as Mushroom cultivation,
food processing
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
