INTEGRATED RURAL LIVELIHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Despite initiatives aimed at inclusive growth in the country, poverty persists because of limited access to productive resources, such as land, water, improved inputs, technology and micro-finance, as well as vulnerability to drought and other natural calamities.

IFFDC's rural livelihoods approach places people at the centre of development and focuses on building assets and skills, supportive policies, robust institutions and regulatory structures that both encourage growth and protect the most vulnerable, so that, women and men together can access new opportunities for income generation and employment for their sustainable livelihoods.

IFFDC is undertaking several measures in collaboration with IFFCO for increasing productivity, reducing input costs, value addition, marketing support etc. for enhancing livelihood of the marginalised community.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Project

State

District

Rural Livelihood Development Project

Odisha

Ganjam

Rural Livelihood Development Project

West Bengal

Alipurdwar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling

The focus is on promotion of available appropriate technologies for farming system development, water resource development, women empowerment, capacity building, skill development etc. that have not yet percolated to the farmers' fields. In this regard, the IFFDC is adopting 'Farmer-Centric' processes through training, extension, exposure visits and cluster approach to achieve economies of scale and for having a demonstrative effect.

Progress

  1. Under environment Development, 4,610 Papaya, Coconut and Areca Nut saplings have been planted.
  2. 06 Trainings for skill development on proper functioning & management of groups, Record keeping etc for SHGs have been organized.
  3. Provided 04 Masala Grinding Machines, 02 Rice Shellers and established 128 Units of Poultry (25 Chicks in each unit) alongwith feed, feeder box, Vaccination Kits and water pots to poor families for income generation.
  4. 70,000 fingerings of Rohu, catla and Silver carp species have been provided to poor families for fish farming in village ponds
  5. 2 Self Help Groups supported for raising Areca nut nursery of 1,900 saplings, encouraged 20 members to adopt climate smart agriculture i.e. multi-tier cropping system with Areca nut and Banana on 2 acres.
  6. 360 Kits  HYV Vegetable seed, 630 Kits  HYV Pulses & Oil Seed Crops Seed have been provided to the 990  farmers. Moreover, 520 Kits of IFFCO Water Soluble fertilizers & Bio-fertilisers have also been provided for increasing crop yield.
  7. Under Promotion of Nano Liquid Urea, 400 bottles of IFFCO Nano Liquid Urea have been provided to 400 farmers, which will be helpful reducing production cost, improvement in soil health and environment conservation.
  8. Under Water Resource Development, 25 Shallow tubewells, 02 Bore-Wells with solar system and 14 handpumps have  been installed.
  9. 3 Honda Pump Sets, 53 Spray Machines and 84 rolls of irrigation pipe have been provided to SHGs members for drudgery reduction.
  10. Under Environment Up-gradation, 04 Solar Street Lights have been installed and 22 Solar LED Lights have been provided.
  11. 08 Health & Awareness Camps and 18 Veterinary Camps were organized.

Outcome

  1. Due to increase in water availability in the nearby wells and tube wells, farmers are now able to provide 2-4 times more irrigation to their crops. New crops i.e. Cabbage, Ginger, Peas, Potato, Garlic, Areca nut, Banana etc have been introduced in the project area.
  2. Farmers have assured with developed water resources which helps in increasing additional areaunder irrigation. These resoures have also helped in cultivation of second crop thereby, the cropped area and cropping intensity also increased.
  3. All the project villages are institutionalized through Self Help Groups (SHG) by providing financial support for addressing immediate needs and setting up of Micro-enterprises
  4. Enhanced income of members through various Income Generation activities and Micro-enterprises is leading towards their self-reliance.
  5. Awareness generation has helped in minimising social evils and improving livelihoods of the community.
  6. Farmers have started cultivating High Yield Varieties (HYV) and cash crops for more production and income leading to better livelihoods.