Title : Sarvathobhadram-organic initiative: cooperative model for resilient agriculture by adopting system of rice intensification
Abstract:
The assistance of the Sarvathobhadram-Organic-Farmers’ Cooperative helped small and marginal farmers customise, adapt, and customise the system to their unique needs. The Farmers Club, which has 50 members, was established in May 2020 with the goal of assisting farmers in converting to organic agriculture by adopting the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The club's goal is to promote entrepreneurship, a sustainable means of subsistence, and food security in the Anthikad Block Panchayat. By working with government agencies and utilising convergence, the project addressed climate change and resilience while maximising the programs available to farmers in panchayath. The transformation was sluggish initially, but it accelerated over time, indicating that farmers have variable levels of satisfaction based on a variety of circumstances. Very young rice seedlings are planted singly in a grid pattern in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a management strategy for irrigated rice production. The soil is kept moist yet well-drained throughout the whole growing season. Dewatering low-lying fields is the first step in rice farming in a wetland. Fields have typically been surrounded by permanent bunds. The movement of saltwater inward into their fields has been prevented by a network of barrages across the canal and at estuarine mouths. Locally, a system of pumping operations (inflow and outflow) has been designed to pump out excess water and, during times of shortage, to pump water from the river into the canal and ultimately onto the field. If saltwater from estuaries seeps into the field, water is pumped there using contemporary pump sets, which then routes through bunds. Farmers' organisations are working to achieve SDG13 on climate action, which calls for increased resilience and the capacity to adapt local solutions, in order to reduce the risks and tragedies brought on by climate change. This study investigates the adoption of organic farming using the SRI approach, the rise in output, and the effectiveness of the convergence method. The results demonstrate that SRI should be taken into consideration as a potential cultivation method for all farmer's groups as it also tries to identify various obstacles experienced by farmers throughout the paradigm transition from conventional to organic methods (Padasekharam).
• Explain how the audience will be able to use what they learn?
Together, farmers in the Kole wetlands work to stop reclamation and the degradation of the unique environment. This process of alternate dewatering and storage necessitates a great deal of forethought. The best method to accomplish this is to keep the wetlands under cultivation. Farmers in the area have created a rice-growing ecology that ensures food security. The Kole wetlands are also a seasonal home for a variety of migrating species. “Each contributes to the ecosystem’s protection and rejuvenation.”
• How will this help the audience in their job?
The group together owns approximately sixty-two acres of fertile land with good rainfall and irrigation infrastructure which was not utilized from last 17 years. Internal management rules were developed by the members themselves, who specified their roles and responsibilities. They began with activities such as crop selection, soil testing, seed testing, crop planning, and water budgeting and conservation measures, with instruction from Sarvathobhadram Organic and help from Krishi Bhavan (Agriculture office). The group addressed each stage in order to develop local solutions for farming.
Why Farmer’s Cooperative
Farmers’ cooperative societies have the advantage of collective action, which allows them to benefit from economies of scale by cutting their costs of obtaining inputs or renting services such as storage and transportation. They may also assist their members to become more resilient to economic and environmental shocks by involving them in decision-making processes that create more rural employment prospects or enable them to become more economically and socially empowered. Krishi officers play a critical role in technology transfer and the better use of convergence methods to get the program to the end users, the farmers. Location-specific need-based training stressing local challenges and issues is critical for bringing reasonable improvements to rural communities. Poor resource base and lack of finance, particularly for small and marginal farmers, offer a significant barrier to greater adoption.
• Is this research that other faculty could use to expand their research or teaching?
Yes. Research can learn the importance of Farmers Cooperative Model and importance of System of Rice Intensification.
• Does this provide a practical solution to a problem that could simplify or make a designer’s job more efficient?
Organic farming was a success in Thanniyam panchayath. Farms’ confidence in the local agriculture department has improved as well, and most farmers now benefit from government initiatives that use convergence. During covid, farmers regained their confidence, established hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, and regained their self-respect. After 17 years when farming restarted at Kole Wetland, a lot of preparation went into this system of alternate dewatering and storing. Re-using stored water boosts the productivity of the water that has been abstracted, usually in agriculture, allowing for the growth of “more crops per drop” while maintaining environmental preservation and conservation. Water is at the centre of the Circular Economy. Brown rice flakes and Puttu Podi are value-added products having high demand.
• Will it improve the accuracy of a design, or provide new information to assist in a design problem?
Organic farming contributes to the preservation and improvement of fertility, soil structure, and biodiversity, as well as being fine-tuned to meet local production conditions and market demands. They plan to build a warehouse and begin the process of obtaining organic certification next year, as well as a self-sufficient hamlet that provides healthy food to all. The satisfaction was reported using System of Rice Intensification (SRI) with regard to increasing
cropping intensity, increase the number of soil beneficial microbes, reducing cost of cultivation, ease in marketing of farm produce, selection of quality seeds, as well as insect biodiversity and preparation of Organic manures and pesticides.
List all other benefits.
- It involves decreased soil erosion and better water quality downstream as well as in the wetland.
- Compared to conventionally grown farm products, Organic Matta Rice cultivated at kole wetland offers a more nutrient-dense and morally-sound eating option.
- Farmers in the area have created a rice-growing ecology that ensures food security.
- Rice seedlings were transplanted onto puddled soil with a transplanting machine after 8-10 days. 2–3 seedlings per hill, shallow depth, optimal spacing (14 cm). It aids in increased yields and reduced weeding.
- The roots would absorb more nutrients and develop robustly and widely.
- Jeevamrutham is a less expensive organic fertiliser made from cow dung and urine that helps to protect plants from bacterial and fungal infections.
- Supporting small and marginal farmers in Thanniyam panchayath, Thrissur, Kerala, to modify, adapt, and adjust the system to their unique needs.
- A strategy was created to rebuild the community's agriculture from the ground up, bring in more money, and entice farmers to switch to organic farming after realising the dire circumstances of the paddy farmers.
- After 17 years, the majority of farmers renewed their operations after leaving behind hundreds of hectares of "cultivable wasteland."
- It’s the most difficult task. The wetlands are low-lying areas that are flooded for around six months out of the year, 0.5 to 1 m below mean sea level. Dewatering low-lying fields is the first step in rice farming in a wetland. It is connected to the sea by ponds and canals that are a component of the natural drainage system.
- At the Krishi Unnati Mela, an agricultural exhibition organised to inform farmers about the most recent technology advancements in agriculture, Rishaba Yagam, a flagship initiative, was introduced.
- The farmers’ produce was very valuable as it came during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- By providing SHG groups with 50,000 saplings, seeds, and organic fertilisers to begin their kitchen gardens, the effective model was reproduced in several wards of the block.
