The Chorao Farmer participated in a day-long workshop organized by Botanical Society of Goa in association with the International Centre-Goa with part sponsorship by NABARD to address biggest issue that farmers face in achieving profitability: Marketing of their produce.
Experiments at our Club over the last have shown that it is possible to sell produce profitably if a long-term strategy to employ non-conventional methods is put in place. To illustrate and share our experiences for the benefit of other farmers in Goa, the process of this approach was explained. The example that we used was of our popular “AAMche Mancurad Mangoes” experiment, which was described by Mr. Premanand Mahambare, President of the Chorao Farmers’ Club of Chodan-Madel and Mr Jaganath Pai who is a mango-growing member of the Club.
See coverage here (via TargetGoa)
Nine members of the Chorao Farmers Club attended the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Organic Farmers Association of India (OFAI). This conference was held on the farm of Shri Sarvadaman Patel (also the President of OFAI), who has been practicing Biodynamic farming on his 40-acre farm near Anand, in Gujarat.
Sarvadaman-bhai takes visitors around his biodynamic farm
Conference hall created within a bamboo grove
The conference was held over a 3-day period and covered both lectures as well as practical demonstrations that helped farmers exchange ideas and learn new techniques in a hands-on manner. Topics covered included the impact of climate change on agriculture, the role of organic farming in the context of changing climate, pest management, making growth promoters etc.
Interactive session on pest-management
Besides the conference, there was also an exhibition area where farmers had stalls and were able to exchange or sell their products, seeds and demonstrate new techniqies too. Our farmers set up a stall and sold our locally available seeds as well as farm-produce.
Chorao Farmers Club's Stall at the "Pradarshani"
Since we were near Anand, we ensured that we visited the Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) Factory. Here we saw their museum that documents the growth and history of AMUL. We also saw the plants that make the various Amul products.
Over the last two and an half years, the Chorao Farmers Club has been trying to research, through practical experience, different models of farming (crops and methods) to arrive at more sustainable models for agriculture in Chorao (Goa).
As a part of this process we decided to visit Wardha, where we had heard local farmers practice a model of mixed farming (called swavalmbhi sheti) that produces about 30 crops in just one hectare of land despite low water availability. This meets their grains, pulses, vegetables, oil and fibre requirements which was extremely interesting to our members Namita, Gita, Shilan, Sunita and Pallavi.
Seeing is believing - 30 crops from 1 Ha in one season
The visit to Chetna Vikas in Gopuri village in Wardha was organised by Miguel Braganza of OFAI and funded through TERI and the Toyota Foundation.
Subhash Sharma explains the benefits of contour planting
We also visited a commercially successful large scale farm (owned by Mr. Subhash Sharma) to study the practices employed there and collected seeds that we plan to use for a similar experiment by our farmers in Chorao this winter season.
After talking with several folks we’ve put together a set of steps that we think can be taken in order to maintain our trees better. Those interested in reading about it can download the file here
