Running Sustainable School

Aim of the Project:

To bring changes through action, among the farming community from chemical based, environmentally degradation agriculture practices to eco-friendly farming techniques and methodologies at proposed progressive farm through which rehabilitate and rejoin the working/school drop outs to mainstream of education.

Vision of the project:

To ensure adaptation of sustainable and economically viable agriculture practices which would in turn leads to environmental friendly bio-diversity improvement through this farm based intervention.

Scenario of Sustainable Agriculture

Farming communities had been practicing sustainable agriculture practices which were got from their ancestors but as the time pass and his greediness to get more in short period through high yield variety who would consume more chemical fertilizers pesticides have had bad impacts on the food chain and sustainable food security. But trend has now been slow changing and government mind set also been changing ad showing more interest towards sustainable agriculture. Even after Government of Goa has made Sustainable Agriculture policies and through which trying to motivate the moss farming community from Chemical based cultivation to organic base farming.
Organic farming is gaining momentum all over the world as it offers a means to address food self reliance, rural development and nature conservation. The common thread in this approach is the sustainable use of bio-diversity, in terms of contributions to the agriculture. Peoples consciousness towards; healthy food, ecology and pollution free environment through conventional farming and organic farming. At present about 22.81. Million hectares of land area is under organic farming in the world and expected market of organic food is to touch $31 billion.

Main Objective of the proposed project

1. Up-grade the skills and methodologies of sustainable farming among the farming communities and youths
2. Impart the skills oriented training to the Youths and farming members on various sustainable agriculture and other allied skills for self employment and self sustainability
3. To enhance knowledge of farmers on improvement of soil fertility and land productivity To reduce the dependence of farmers for most of the inputs like seeds, manures and plant protection material by sourcing local resources there by reducing the cost of cultivation
4. Judicious use of precious water sources and maintenance of production level
5. To Improve farmers income through production of quality produce
6. To increase the rural employment opportunities to prevent migration to urban areas
7. To equip the farmers to effectively mitigate the drought prone areas
8. To bring about suitable institutional changes in teaching and research on organic farming and providing marketing facilities.
9. Ensure conservation and regeneration of Indigenous varieties of food and vegetables suited to the ecological niche.
10. To Integrates the on farming seed conservation through participation of Targeted families
11. Promote bio-pesticides and disease management
12. To extend the horticulture promotion programme for economic gains.

Project Beneficiaries

Youths from different sectors and farming communities.

Proposed Project activities

To conduct sensitization trainings on various sustainable agriculture activities
Promote organic manure (vermi compost/compost) production and application
Promote bio-pesticides and green manure
Fodder production for enhancement of animal husbandry activities
Nursery development and distributions
Horticulture promotion (Cashew, Mango, Coconut, Spices, Vegetables etc).
Promotion of Kitchen Garden
Developing organic products marketing networks and linkages
Promotion of Community Seed banks and seeds storage devices

Strategies to be adapted:

Participatory planning, implementation and management will be adopted in the proposed project. Where people would involve in all the phase of project implementation. Strong Local institutions build up from the beginning of the project including Self Help Groups (SHGs), Women federation, and Association of Organic farmers to promoted organic based crops, vegetables and fruits which would be greate demands in coming days. Linkages and networks with grassroots level institutions to taluka and district level government and other farmers cooperative societies to ensure effective growing, storage and marketing of food grains and vegetables.

Outcomes of the project:

Farmers would be trained up on sustainable organic farming every year
Increase production of Vermi/compost organic manure production per year in the villages
10-15 families will be adapted sustainable methods of agriculture practices every year
Reduction of cost of cultivation for the farmers and improvement of crop yield
Increase of organic food productions
Increase of Horticulture plantation
Improved health status of the children
Reduction of Chemical Fertilizers usage to grow crops.
There would development of Human resource of farming communities on various Sustainable agriculture skills