Scaling Sustainable Farming Practices for Smallholder Farmers

Main questions raised and responses:

How to enable agri mechanisation amidst small-scale farmers: 

Agri-entrepreneurship model has been developed – they are groomed with the help of TCL on a village level

How to link them to market? 

The best way is to aggregate the farmers’ produce through FPCs or producer groups – ITC procurement or even Mandi 

AE plays a role in mobilisation and collecting the produce from the farmers. 

Farm mechanisation in Jhum cultivation – Nagaland, which is practiced in sloppy topography: 

The use of small tools is more relevant in this area 

How can climate-resilient crops be promoted in 0.5- to 2-acre landholding plots? Raigada is a rainfed-dependent agriculture, and the landholding is less than 2 acres. 

• Solution to this will depend on many factors: Rainfall received, irrigation sources,and  changing climatic conditions
• Mixed farming, where there are allied activities such as livestock rearing, will also help in the prospect of bio-inputs in both direct and indirect ways—an increase in the soil’s carbon holding capacity. 
• Farm Ponds can be a good way to conserve water for the off-season. 
• Pulses and millets are a good source of 
• Bio and organic mulching 
• Foliar application of nutrients 
• Ridge and furrow system 
• A systems approach to farming can increase climate resilience 
• Low-cost models – Orchards are a good option for long-term income source 
• Pot irrigation – Matka paddhati – effective irrigation
• Select the crops based on the availability of water sources 
• Minimum use of chemical fertilisers

Can earthen pots be replaced by plastic bottles in matka paddhati irrigation?:

It is not encouraged, as this can disrupt the preservation of microbes, carbon holding capacity, and heat under the soil. 

In red laterite soil, there is a termite problem during dry mulching. How to tackle this?: 

Neem leaves or Neem Oil or neem extract can be mixed in bio-mulching in mulching. Look for the termite colony and burn the site to control this. This can also be done as a preventive measure. 

Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria basiana (both fungi) can be used 

Can you share information bout sustainable farming practices in your areas? This will be very helpful for us to learn. 

Ibtada: We work in very arid areas. Some crops we grow are Bajra, Pigeon Pea (legume crop good for soil fertility), Mixed cropping – legume + non-legume, gravity-based drip irrigation model

Insights: 

• Place-based solutions are important, especially for NE organisations 
• Cross-organizational exchange also happened between Pavitra and Shakti organisations