AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture is an important sector of Indian economy as it contributes about 20 % to the total GDP and provides employment to over 65% of the population. Indian agriculture has registered impressive growth over last few decades. These days, India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice, the world's major food staples. India is currently the world's second largest producer of several dry fruits, agriculture-based textile raw materials, roots and tuber crops, pulses, farmed fish, eggs, coconut, sugarcane and numerous vegetables. Despite this, agriculture sector is constrained every year by challenges such as (a) loss of arable land (b) Population growth (c) Climate changes (d) Inadequate management practices and (e) Right prices on produce. Green revolution, a few decades back brought drastic increase in crop production through impressive investment in agriculture sector.

But, with the rapid growth in urbanization, industrial setting, construction of roads, railways, residential buildings, offices and shopping centres, forests and cultivable lands are being acquired every year resulting loss of cultivable lands and forest lands. All these together adversely affect climate change that eventually decreases food produce year by year. On the other hand, population growth is accelerating. Food security for the growing population has become very challenging. Under the above circumstances, both central and state governments will have to make policies and will have to invest money at large scale in agriculture sector so that not a single person die out of hunger and the environment as a whole become suitable for health living.

We as a civil society organization are indirectly shouldering government to make favourable and impactful improvement in agriculture sector through investment sourced from different CSRs, International and national level agencies. Agriculture promotion program where natural resource management and works for food security have been done. It identifies and deliversolutions that provide the farmer community with machines and tools, high yielding seeds, natural organic manure, training to farmers through farm field schools, solar irrigation pump sets, vermin compost pits, intensive vegetable cultivations, green house nursery, renovation of ponds and wells, livestock rearing etc. It has constituted Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), Farmers Development Samitis (FDS), and Village Development Committees (VDCs) and handholding support provided for linkages, networking, marketing, packaging and bargaining with traders etc.

Holistic Rural Development Programme (HRDP) supported by The HDFC Bank Ltd. implemented in 15 villages of Bachhwara block of Begusarai district in Bihar. Green and clean environment focus tree plantation, nutrition garden, orchard development, intensive vegetable cultivation and use of solar energy for street light, irrigation pump and cooking. Holistic Rural Initiatives for Development and Yield (HRIDAY) supported by The LIC Housing Finance Ltd. implemented in 08 villages of Rajmahal block in Sahibganj district in Jharkhand state. Mitigating soil erosion, soil development, nutrition garden, and use of solar energy for street light, irrigation pump and cooking are promoted. Ponds and wells are renovated for maintaining the ground water table.