Small farmers in Odisha’s disaster struck areas are finding new ways to ensure food and nutrition security for their families, and to cope with climate change impacts.
Vegetable gardens and rice-fish farming initiatives are helping farmers meet the required food, nutrition and income needs of the farm families.

Farmers of fragile agro-ecosystems have developed some unique integrated farming systems, to make their farms more resilient to factors like changing climatic conditions, declining soil fertility levels and decreasing farm income. While many NGOs have promoted such improved systems, it is time to reckon these systems as units of planning for large scale adoption.

Original Source

SRI practice which originated in Madagascar, is spreading far and wide as farmers are finding it beneficial. There are innovations being tried out in different soil conditions too. For example, farmers of Sindanur taluk in Karnataka with black cotton soils sow 5 kgs paddy mixed with 20 kgs of fine sand.

People’s Science Institute carried out the first trials of the System of Wheat Intensification (SWI) during rabi 2006-07. Starting with systematic research trials on farmers’ fields, SWI practice has now spread to many Indian states, through the efforts of PSI and other voluntary organizations.

More number of paddy farmers in flood prone areas in Kailali district are adopting SRI method. With SRI, farmers are able to raise rice plants which have withstood storm, wind and flood, thus making it a climate resilient crop. SRI is therefore perceived as god’s gift to those who are under constant threat from floods.

Farmers in Tamil Nadu are finding SRI method ideal for conserving traditional seeds of rice. Despite constraints, farmers are choosing SRI practices suitable for them and moving ahead. Support to overcome these constraints is necessary for large scale adoption.

Norman Uphoff, Professor Emeritus of Government and International Agriculture at Cornell University, served as director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD) from 1990 to 2005. During this time he became acquainted with SRI in Madagascar, and realized that “something unusual was going on” as farmers obtained average paddy yields of 8 tons/ha instead of their usual 2 tons. Recognising the huge potential benefits, he has been working ever since in favour of tests, evaluations, and of understanding SRI.

Farmers in West Bengal are adopting SRI and reaping benefits. A CSR initiative proves that the corporate world
can play a meaningful role in addressing development issues like food security.

An innovation needs support to survive. The same innovation can make a revolution, provided it gets the recognition and support from the government. The Bihar government has shown how an innovation when transformed into a revolution can influence food production.

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative, SSI, an innovative set of agronomic practices, that leaves reduced ecological footprint, is catching up very fast among the sugarcane growers in India. The SSI will most likely become the standard planting method owing to its yield advantage, reduced use of water and other inputs. Coordinated efforts of various sectors will accelerate the process of upscaling SSI.