Maharashtra Prabodhan Seva Mandal – Bombay Province - Jesuit West Zone Ecology Platform

Area of Operations (as a Nodal Centre)

ANRM Projects at a glance:

NABARD’s farmer producer organization
Vanikaran (reforestation and afforestation) and parasbaug (kitchen garden)

MPSM’s Model of Development

MPSM works with the tribal communities of Maharashtra whose developmental context is characterized by small landholdings, low farm productivity affected by climate change, landlessness, lack of alternate rural livelihood opportunities and seasonal distress migration.

While some natural resources have been historically available to these communities, climate change and resultant degradation of soil, forests and water coupled with their limited access to institutions and infrastructures, result in extreme vulnerability today.

A two-pronged strategy of climate adaptation and mitigation is imperative for these communities to sustain. This requires scientific management of resources, climate-smart agriculture, and communities with strong institutions which are able to implement collective action and create social safety nets.

Through its 6 core program areas, MPSM strives towards an integrated effort at nurturing scientific management of natural resources, climate-smart agricultural practices and building women-led institutions of business and governance, which can be mobilized for socio-economic security. To initiate a future generation into this movement of change, MPSM’s interventions have also focused on education.

Agriculture

Photo 2: Seed Treatment – front line demonstration (FLDs)

MPSM promotes sustainable agro-ecological practices through extensive agricultural extension. The primary method of establishing farmer buy-in for the use of non-traditional sustainable methods is through frontline demonstrations. This enables participating farmers to make an informed decision on adoption of a new technique. This year, 104 demos were conducted on 12 demo plots across 4 blocks of Nashik for 5333 project beneficiaries.

Dashparni Ark — Photo 3: Preparation of Dashparni-ark – used as growth regulator

No Of Farmers In Frontline Demos — Figure 2: No. of farmers who adopted the techniques demonstrated in frontline demonstrations

Yellow Stick Cards For Pest Management — Photo 4: Use of yellow sticky cards for pest management

Package Of Practice — Package of practices for sustainable agriculture

Prabodhan Centre for Research

Through its research wing, Prabodhan Centre for Research, use of Azolla, an aquatic fern as a biofertilizer for paddy was also studied. Preliminary findings show that the application of Azolla was effective in making Nitrogen available in the soil and mixed application of Azolla and vermicompost resulted in lesser hollow grains of paddy than in control plots.

PCR is right now working on the project of enhancing soil fertility and productivity by studying beneficial microflora, identification, isolation and consortium building.

PCR has MoUs with St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai; K J Somaiya, Vidyavihar; LCRD, Ahmedabad.

PCR is working in 4 clusters with 62 farmers in the above mentioned project.

Azolla In Standing Rice Crop — Growth of Azolla in the standing crop of rice.

Natural Resource Management

Water

In tribal villages, situated along hilly terrains, availability of water throughout the year continues to be a challenge. This year, our donors – Kimplas Piping system Ltd. (Norma Group) and the Infant Jesus Shrine, Nashik enabled us to respond to the women of two villages – Wagyachibari, Peint and Sawarde, Mokhada who routinely undergo the drudgery of fetching water for domestic use from distant sources.

While piped systems for domestic water supply existed in these villages, they were dysfunctional because of lack of electricity to power the pumps. Solar-powered pumps and high-quality piping systems were reestablished through villagers’ shramdaan, making water available to about 200 families and their livestock. Women-led committees continue to run and maintain these systems.

Solar — Use of alternative source of energy

Forest and biodiversity management:

Vanikaran and Fruit Tree Plantation

Distribution Of Forest Saplings — Distribution of forest saplings

71250 Forest and fruit tree saplings were distributed in 4 blocks of Trambak, Dindori, Surgana and Peint as a nascent step towards the objective of regenerating degraded forests and local biodiversity, arresting soil erosion and increasing water retention capacity of the soil, promoting better soil and human health while contributing to climate action.

Type Of Individual Enterprises Established

Micro Enterprises Set Up — Type of micro-enterprises set up by different producer groups

Village Organization – Promotion of Collective Enterprises

The various producer groups are also represented at a village-level Village Organization (VO). Alongside management of funds and governance of producer groups, these bodies also establish and manage collective enterprises which serve the villagers and the profit may be reinvested or utilised for collective purposes. 10 collective enterprises were set up this year and on an average, they made a profit of about Rs. 4300.

Convergence Of Govt Schemes On Livelihood Development

Farmer Producer Company

To sustain the efforts of the interventions undertaken to increase farm productivity and to establish alternate livelihood sources, market linkage is essential. Under NABARD’s PODF-ID fund for promotion of FPOs, MPSM took on the role of a promoting agency in 2018 to promote its first Farmer Producer Company (FPC). FPCs collectivize small farmers and leverage economies of scale for value addition and marketing, thus providing the small farmer with negotiation power in the market.

MPSMs first FPO – Himai FPC, Dindori completed two years in 2023. Mobilization of village organizations in Harshul cluster, Trambak to form an FPC in Trambak also began this year.

Himai FPC

Shareholders: 150 + 150 (in the process of registration)
Business Activities:
Input Sale – Paddy Seed, Mango sapling
Procurement – Paddy
Sale – Rice, Onion, jowar, wheat, nagli
Turnover: 1425350.00

Himai has created its own brand for residue-free Indrayani and jeera rice and is positioning itself within the rice value chain as it gears up to establish a rice mill.

Paddy Procurement through farmer producer organization in Dindori

Paddy Seed Sale — Paddy seed sale at farmers’ doorsteps

Shareholder Mobilization Meetings — Shareholder mobilization meetings

Health and Nutrition

Parasbaug

To address undernutrition, a parasbaug or kitchen garden programme was held in three blocks of Trambak, Surgana and Peint. Along with distribution of a 115g seed packet containing 12 different types of vegetable seeds, training was also provided on layout, planting and care of a vegetable garden which is grown on the unused land around the house. 5090 vegetable seed packets were distributed.

Vegetable seeds were primarily distributed because vegetables contain various micronutrients that are lacking in a typical millet or cereal heavy diet of tribal communities

Backyard Vegetable Kitchen Garden — Backyard vegetable/ kitchen garden

Follow up of Parasbaug in Khairaipali village, Trambak block

Sample size – 20
Average no. of months of yield – 3.5
Average annual yield – 56 kg
Highest average yield – Okra and Bottle Gourd (13kgs)

The beneficiaries perceived that on an average, they saved about Rs. 1160 by consuming from their own kitchen gardens rather th buying vegetables from the market.