Ahimsas Extended Arms
Mass suicides of farmers kept increasing rapidly around the country due to the reasons stated below:
Farmers play a very important role in India. They take the responsibility to feed the entire populations which exceeds Billion in number. But, in turn the farmers do not get any justice. They are treated unfairly. Life to them has only been full of hardships and toils.
To relieve the farmers in distress and to alleviate their miseries, AHIMSA ventured into the field of Agriculture. A revolving fund was generated for this purpose.
Initially Farmers Clubs were formed consisting of 20 members each and were given awareness in the commercialization of Agricultural crops, to cultivate at a low cost by changing the traditional farming method and using innovative, advanced modern technology, rotation of crops, intercropping, etc without affecting the fertility of the soil, thereby increasing the Nutritive value of the crops and increasing the yield. Unlike in the traditional farming methods, income generation is assured from the first month onwards.
AHIMSA also helped bridge the gap between the farmers and consumers thereby enhancing the revenue for the farmers and ensuring the consumer to receive non-adulterated, high quality food items for reasonable rates without middlemen.To achieve this end there is an expert team consisting of Agricultural Scientists, Agricultural Engineers, and experts in Soil Science, Water Management, Pest Control, Food Processing, Forestry and Marketing.Our AHIMSA Farmers Clubs have been doing their cultivation of Agricultural produces, Horticultural produces, Herbal Plants, Jatropha Cultivation and Animal Husbandry. The details of group members benefitted through Ahimsa agri division are furnished here under:
|
SI No
|
Year
|
Farmers
|
Jatropha
|
Agri-Crop
|
Horticulture Crop
|
Herbal
|
Flowers
|
Milch animals
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
2015-16
|
1,16,813
|
79,292
|
1,98,650
|
1,32,028
|
24,816
|
1314
|
4210
|
|
2
|
2016-17
|
1,18,233
|
79,312
|
2,05,563
|
1,40,070
|
24,992
|
1402
|
4645
|
|
3
|
2017-18
|
2,18,535
|
79,354
|
2,44,767
|
2,12,045
|
25,307
|
1464
|
4765
|
|
4
|
2018-19
|
2,29,535
|
79,354
|
3,32,767
|
5,12,045
|
25,307
|
1524
|
5188
|
For the purpose of the benefits of the farmers engaged in Contract Farming, AHIMSA made a mutual agreement with Canara Bank. 96 beneficiaries got benefitted through that agreement for cultivation of 1640 acres of lands. From Bank of Baroda and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Banks, 62 farmers were benefitted
The era of globalization, the concept of ‘Contract Farming’ is an effective way to co-ordinate and promotes production and marketing in agriculture. “Contract Farming can be defined as an agreement between farmers and processing or marketing firms for the production and supply of agricultural products under forward agreements, frequently at predetermined prices.” The main feature of Contract Farming is that the buyer/contractor supplies all the material inputs and technical advice required for cultivation to the cultivator. This approach is widely used, not only for tree and cash crops but also, increasingly for fruits and vegetables. AHIMSA has identified the poor landless agriculturallabourers in all over Tamil Nadu and for their livelihood support; AHIMSA has acquired 3500 acres of lands in Kariapatti and Aruppukkottai in Virudhunagar District and doing ‘Contract Farming’. The AHIMSA Youth Club-Madurai Division has taken over the works and does it better progress. Meanwhile, AHIMSA Youth Club-Chennai Metro has also been doing cultivation through ‘Contract Farming’ in 3,000 acres of lands acquired in Chengam. By these unique farming activities, more than 470 poor families benefitted including 172 Narikoravah people and 238, Adi-Dravida people and 61 other Backward Class people. At the same time, AHIMSA Youth Club, Vellore Division has taken over 220 acres of lands for Contract Farming and cultivate multi crops. Totally 80 Primitive Tribes have been benefitted from this. By these innovative approaches, we have achieved our goals such as poverty alleviation, Food Security and this farming method stands as a model project in our nation.
The Empowerment of women through Self Help Groups(SHGs) would lead to benefits not only to the individual woman and women groups but also to the families and community as a whole 3through collective action for development.
The concept of promoting more and more Women Self Help Groups has not found the purpose of eradicating the poverty – In AHIMSA Women’s Clubs, they are producing nursery plants and sell them to the AHIMSA Farmers Clubs(AFCs) and others. Meanwhile they are engaging themselves to the Bio-Fertilizer Production, Farm Maintenance, collecting agri produces etc., for their regular income generation. The WSHG handling so many traditional occupations as cottage industries (i.e. pichla preparation, doll making, appalam, vadam etc.) ultimately does not get any amount for their way subsistence. As the products finished by them does not reach the consumer directly because of too many middlemen operation in the process of marketing. Hence nothing remains for their survival after putting effort and hard work unable to repay even the small working capital raised as loan from Banks.
Now we have also planned to create Industrial motivation among the women by selecting suitable women candidates based on their educational qualification and ability for giving skill development training in Industrial activities. AHIMSA is ready to help those women to start Industries with 35% Industrial subsidy from the Government.
The present day youth of our society are more dynamic in their thoughts, more aspiring to come up in life, packed with vigour they should be molded by means of proper training and guidance, fitting to their qualification and caliber, to protect their interest and indirectly to the Nation’s strength. The need of the hour is to convert the youth to multi-skilled and employable force which boost employment opportunities and generation of self-employment. AHIMSA identified the youth, encourages, guide and train the unused manpower and creates entrepreneurs. The Youth are grouped in clubs where they assist the Farmers clubs; reduce the time consumed by traditional farming methods by utilization of advanced technology, assist in the marketing of Agricultural produce, increases revenue of farmers and youth by value addition of agricultural produce and so on.
By giving training to the selected members of youth club under building construction, they were involved in low cost building construction works under the Central Government scheme “Home for all by 2022”.This project was welcomed by Government Departments and public with good appreciation.
Smart Village Scheme had already been successfully launched in Mudikarai Village, KalayarkovilTaluk in Sivagangai District. A fresh proposal under this scheme has been sent for Hanumanthapuram village, Chengalpattu Taluk in Kanchipuram District.
|
SI No
|
Group
|
2014-15
|
2015-16
|
2016-17
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Farmers Club
|
10174
|
10536
|
11768
|
13605
|
14221
|
|
2
|
Womens’Club
|
12688
|
13196
|
14281
|
17182
|
17914
|
|
3
|
Youth Club
|
3827
|
3943
|
4324
|
5335
|
5931
|
|
4
|
FPO
|
2
|
5
|
6
|
9
|
11
|
|
5
|
Total Groups
|
26689
|
27675
|
30786
|
36122
|
37083
|
|
6
|
37083
|
518642
|
558517
|
607422
|
739981
|
747281
|