How to increase productivity in small farms through Multi Layer (Machan) Farming with TCL
About the Solution
This guide by the Trust Community Livelihoods (TCL) teaches you how to build a simple “machan” (trellis) structure to grow like four or five different crops—think tubers like ginger on the ground, spinach underneath, and gourds climbing up top—all in the same footprint. It’s the ultimate hack for maximizing productivity. The canopy even creates a micro-climate that’s a few degrees cooler, letting you grow stuff like coriander in the summer when market prices are highest. It’s a super efficient, climate-smart use of space, land, and water.
Trust Community Livelihoods (TCL) is a non-profit organization registered in 2011, working to improve the lives of the rural poor in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Its core mission encompasses promoting community-based livelihoods, ensuring quality primary education, and supporting migrant entitlements across Bahraich and Shrawasti districts. In its second decade, TCL has strategically adopted Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and integrated livestock, particularly goats for ultra-poor households, to build resilience against climate change and provide symbiotic, diversified income sources alongside traditional farming.
They can be reached via:
Phone: +91 522 4013085
Mail: contact@trustnetwork.org.in
Training
Category – Implementation, Capacity Building, Handholding, Knowledge Documentation & Resources, Monitoring Evaluation & Learning, Demonstration
Sub-Category – Multi-Layer Machan Farming
Duration – N/A
Group Size – N/A
Willingness to travel – Yes
Languages Supported – N/A
Certification – N/A
Assessment – N/A
Mode – N/A
Institution / Trainer – Trust Community Livelihoods (TCL)
Schedule – N/A
Short Description –
Audience: Goat rearers, Trainers, Community Resource Persons, Development Practitioner
Objectives:
- Increased incomes in small landholdings
- Capacity to grow 5 types of vegetables in a year
- Increase incomes by INR 40,000-50,000 in 0.5 bigha land
- Prevent pests and reduce impact as a result of market changes