Mumbai40 minutes ago
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- In Jawhar, farmers planted 2.7 lakh trees and cultivated 1000 acres of soil.
With the participation of private and philanthropic organizations, the Wadi model has achieved remarkable success in the Jawhar Agivasi region of Palghar. The initiative has enhanced food security, enabled income generation, provided health care facilities and significantly enhanced the livelihood of over 2000 farmers by imparting technical knowledge to improve the quality and quantity of agricultural produce. The initiative has been launched by Tata Motors in association with BAIF Institute for Sustainable Livelihoods and Development (BISLD).
Since inception, these farmers have planted 2.7 lakh trees as part of the initiative and enriched around 1000 acres (265 hectares) of soil. Through participatory planning with tribal communities in three village panchayats of Jawhar, this wadi model has been a resounding success and will now be rolled out to other areas around Palghar. So far, under this model, 60 fruit trees, mainly mango and cashew, are planted in 1 acre of non-consumptive land of each participating family. And 250 to 300 forest trees (tea, fodder and other species) have been planted.
Organizations have developed 6 nurseries in Jawhar to provide saplings to every family. Farmers were entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the plants. Government is also helping under MNREGA scheme to earn wages for various works.
Environmental requirements are also met
Environmental needs such as tree planting, soil enrichment, water resource development, moisture enrichment and improved nutrition and quality of life are also addressed through this model. Also, agricultural production consolidation, processing and marketing initiatives have improved the capacity of farmers. Landless families have also benefited from small scale industries like seedling and fruit tree nurseries, fertilizer production.
2000 acres of land will be made fertile
Meanwhile more than 2000 farmers have been identified as proposed beneficiaries. Five lakh more trees will be planted. Through this effort, 2000 acres of infertile land will be made fertile. Every farmer will be registered to develop sustainable means of viable livelihood, said Chief Sustainability Officer SJR Kutty.
