Agriculture is the backbone of the country, and it contributes a significant figure to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Along with its allied sectors, agriculture continues to be the largest livelihood provider in India. According to the statistics by the central government, it contributes 16% of the overall GDP and accounts for employment of approximately 52% of the Indian population. If that is the dependency on agriculture, then who needs to be strengthened the most in the country? Indeed, it is our farmers.
There is a huge dependency on farmers and that means there has to be timely and adequate provisions being made to them such as fertilizers, seeds, pesticides and by making available affordable agricultural credit /crop insurance.
One big step in taking our farmers to the next level is to acquaint them with and educate them about the modern techniques of farming, which will help them increase ethe production output. It means awareness and training of sustainable agriculture, in terms of food security, rural employment, and environmentally sustainable technologies such as soil conservation, sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity protection, are essential for holistic rural development.
The Adani Foundation too believes in this philosophy that empowering our farmers will strengthen the nation. That is why it has been tirelessly working with farmers to upgrade their skills and equip them with organic techniques, so that they can earn a higher amount sustainably out of their lands or take up different agribusinesses, in the process empowering farmers.
Take for instance a small farmer from Chhattisgarh’s Parsa village, Budhimaan. He has been an organic farmer for the past few years. He was struggling until he was made aware that adopting sustainable methods of farming will prove to be a game changer for him and also increased his yearly income.
“I am happy with the support and training received by Adani Foundation in order to turn me into an organic farmer. It is heartening to see the support and help being extended to strengthen us and make our lives better. Additionally, organic manure production is also encouraged, which in turn aids successful organic farming which results in increase in production,” he shares.
The Foundation makes sure that the improved cropping practices and crop diversification is enhancing the life and livelihoods of farmers. The ‘Wadi’ model of orchard growing is being adopted by farmers, where two or more crops are grown to minimize biological and marketing risks. Scientifically cultivated lac yields increased production, bringing in more profits at minimum expense.
Another farmer Dinesh, who has benefited from the Adani Foundation’s help, also agrees that the decision to adopt innovations in agriculture such as eco-friendly farming methods and discontinuing chemical fertilizers and moving to organic farming after recognizing the negative impact of various harmful farming techniques, has proved to be beneficial to him.
“Initially, it looked like a risk and there were many fellow farmers who dissuaded me. But I stuck to my decision, and it has reaped great rewards for me. The crops that are grown using chemical fertilizers are sold at a lower rate as compared to organically grown crops. Hence, we make up for the lesser quantity produced with the earnings we get. In fact, we make 1.5 times more profit,” he says.