South Vihar Welfare Society for
Tribal (Ashray) is working with dedication in the field of Rural and Social
Development sector for the past 17 years. The work of Ashray has been
acknowledged by the World Bank and
the UN (FAO) and also the organization has received many awards for its
outstanding work. We have been a part of ATMA, Birsa Agriculture University
(official member), Nabard and many other agriculture and allied
sectors in the dissemination and execution of work in the sector of
agriculture and its allied sectors. The thematic area of work for the
organization is Combat Human Trafficking and Livelihood Promotion. Under
the Livelihood promotion area a lot of work has been done in the
mobilization of farmers, SHGs, adolescent girls, training and capacity
building of the farmers, women and adolescent girls, promotion of
sustainable
agriculture, farming and animal husbandry, provision of linkages with banks
, schemes and employment. Ashray till date has created 150 Self Help groups
( 2250 Members), 30 adolescent girls group through Balika
groups (age group 12 – 18 yrs. with 450 members), 20 youth clubs (360
members), 15 farmers clubs (300 members), 10 Village Development Committee
with 90 members in the districts of Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega and
Bokaro. Each group has its own goals and objectives of group formation. The
various groups work efficiently under the supervision and monitoring of
Ashray, in practicing farming, utilization of livestock and
establishing linkages for the generation of employment and securing
livelihood. The organization has made popular the practice of SRI (System of
Rice Intensification) for the increase in yield and income of
the farmers. It provides the beneficiaries with complete solution whereby
provision of technical tools and goatery, piggery is also a major part. We
have provided our farmers with the training on vermi-composting
and organic farming with the point of sustainability and inculcating the
sense of care for environment and people. Watershed Management is a very
important aspect that the organization thrives to promote and
the organization has successfully constructed pond, dug-well, waste-water
structures, CCT, gabion structure etc. to ensure the availability of water
for sustained agriculture. Keeping into consideration the
problems in agriculture in Jharkhand area which is mostly due to the
complete dependency of irrigation on rainfall which is mostly erratic in
nature and the climatic change is making the situation worst where
the poor farmers are suffering great loss in this sector. Thus, to increase
the yield in a sustainable manner, Ashray has initiated and popularized the
SRI (System of Rice Intensification). Several research
studies demonstrated that SRI can sustain and enhance rice production and
productivity with better management of existing resources. In additions, SRI
has several other benefits such as consumption of less water,
low external agrochemicals, resistance to external biotic and biotic factors
and low emission of greenhouse gases. Despite of few challenges to encourage
the poor farmers to adopt this methodology, SRI has grown
popularity among the progressive farmers of the coverage area of Ashray
mostly in the Namkum Area of Ranchi, due to its high productivity and cost
effective nature. Ashray has struggled to train the farmers/SHGs
in the same and slowly has been able to bring in confidence among the
farmers to grow crops using SRI and organic farming. The Farmers and SHGs
have been practicing and benefitting from SRI, which has increased
their yield. The SHGs under the direction of Ashray -South Vihar Welfare
Society for Tribal have been practicing community farming as well. “Food
Security” and “Food Sovereignty” is our major focus and thus
Marua and Mahua kheti is our priority and we promote our beneficiaries to
cultivate traditional crops. Rabi crop cultivation is also promoted by our
team. The organization promotes exposure visits for its beneficiaries.
Many farmers have been able to get training and have been motivated to
practice new ways to increase income through increased yield. The Integrated
Nutrient Management (INM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
are important for the organization and it imparts training of the same.
Innovative and latest low cost latest technologies are being made available
to our farmers and SHGs so as to make them updated with the
new environment friendly equipment and finally bring in a sustainable high
social impact in the lives of the rural people. Thus, education and training
are vital to our working mechanism where many farmers have
been taken to various agricultural institutions to get the best and latest
knowledge and to practically understand the implementation of a few
technologies. Scientific inputs are a must in the learning to increase
the yield. Thus training enables the building of capacity of the farmers to
achieve our final objectives which are broadly as follows:
1) To
enhance sustainable rural livelihood.
2) To conserve and
promote sustainable utilization of water resources.
3) To promote
sustainable utilization of arable agriculture and pasture land resources.
4) To enhance food security and food sovereignty.
Ashray
strives until sustain in a mission mode to make the services available to
the marginalized people for improving their livelihood through sustainable
agricultural and livestock rearing practices whereby building
their capacity to lead a dignified life is ensure and promoted.