JOIN USPlanting seeds of prosperity
A green revolution of sorts is happening in around 17 villages of Shiggaon taluk of Haveri district. Conceived as a project to increase sustainability of the existing farming system with the introduction of tree component– fruit trees, forestry trees, fodder species and biomass yielding species, tree-based farming system (TBF) has changed many a lives in the district.
Introducing trees into the exisiting farming system proves to be a source of extra income and also bodes well for the soil health. Through this initiative, farmers are being motivated to plant at least 40 different fruit species and 400-500 forestry plants of diverse species per acre in their own farms.
The initiative, a brainchild of the BAIF Institute for Rural Development-Karnataka (BIRD-K) contributes to overall agro-biodiversiy and also enhances the local ecosystem. Horticultural trees start bearing fruits in great numbers from the fifth year of plantation and farmers start earning additional income of anywhere between Rs 8,000-10,000 per acre from the sixth year onwards. These plants are usually planted all along the field bunds and in even in fallow lands.
What more, you can also expect to get biomass and fuelwood after the fourth year of plantation. This biomass in turn, is used to prepare compost, reducing the
dependency on chemical fertilisers. It has been found that a family can achieve self-sufficiency in fuelwood within 5-6 years, which reduces the pressure on the forest and mitigates the effects of global warming and climate change.
As a part of the project, grading of TBF plots is also carried out. The grading is based on the number of plants surviving, plant protection, soil and water conservation, fodder cultivation. In the last grading drive, 72 per cent of the plots were graded as A and remaining in the B and C category. A grade TBF plot is the one with 80 per cent survival of horticulture and forestry, fencing, fodder on the bunds soil and water conservation measures. So far, 19,889 farmers in 489 villages have implemented this concept in 8860 hectares of land.
Reaping benefits
The activities of the project officially began in 2008 and farmers were provided with inputs like horticultural and forestry seedlings and fodder seeds. Training
programmes were conducted for the participants and they were also given exposure visits. Initially, farmers were reluctant to plant trees amidst their cropping lands. But after some awareness programmes, they all warmed up to the idea and in the first year, 32 farmers adopted TBF in their farms.
On an average, farmers are earning Rs 10,000-15,000 per acre from the sale of fruits borne out of this project. Irfan Kamadolli, a small-time farmer from Hirebendigeri village adopted TBF in 2010 in a space of two acres and he sold fruits worth Rs 30,000 during the last season. He has also planted 100 melia dubia (kad bevu) seedlings on his own and self-graded the mango produce of his farm in 2014. Growing maize as an intercrop in his TBF plot, he hopes to get a good harvest and a good income in the future.
Shivanand Hosamani from the same village planted mango saplings in three acres of his farm in 2011 and his efforts have already started to bear fruits, literally. Currently, you can find on an average, 90-100 fruits per tree in his farm. If these success stories don’t convince you, then visit the farm of Gudlishettar in the vicinity. His farm is teeming with 315 trees of mango, lemon, curry leaf, chickoo, guava and various other forestry plants.
Shankar, a medium-scale farmer from Kadalli village has adopted TBF in three acres and around 124 plants have survived. The intercrop plants in his farm include watermelon, ridge gourd and horse gram and his forestry plants include teak, silver oak, casurina melia dubia and glyricidia. He was even awarded as the best farmer during a Krishi Sinchana programme organised in February 2015.
Encouraged by the results and impacts, Deshpande Foundation, a funding organisation in Hubballi has extended financial support to additional 500 acres in the adjacent villages. “TBF is a proven model and farmers should line up to get the technical know-how,” says Dr Neelam Maheshwari, director, grants making, Deshpande Foundation.
This ingenious initiative has certainly brought cheers amongst the farming community and created opportunities for greater avenues. Here’s hoping the system grows by leaps and bounds and ushers in a new beginning in the farming sector.