Vedanta University Project helps farmers
October 15th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.
The Vedanta University Project has launched a new livelihood initiative, SAFAL (Sustainable Action for Farmers’ Livelihood) for the farmers in the periphery of the project area near Puri.
… the initiative has now taken a concrete shape with the formation of 28 farmers’ SHGs involving 500 people from eight villages. The main objective of SAFAL is to divert the farmers from the non-remunerative paddy paradigm and induce them to undertake cash crop cultivation. It will ensure more income for them and hence, a better life. At least 1,500 farmers from 15 villages are going to benefit from it, according to the project management.
SAFAL seeks to include more and more local farmers in its ambit and encourage them to switch over to floriculture, horticulture, nursery, etc, through SHGs. The Vedanta University Project of the Anil Agarwal Foundation will provide all forward and backward linkage support to the SHGs to make the initiative successful.
For this purpose, the project has tied up with ACCESS, a national level NGO, as a technical service provider. ACCESS will impart knowledge and skills on high-yielding cultivation practices to the farmers and be instrumental in arranging any other necessary support including bank credit and market linkage. This is expected to result in a 150 per cent increase in the income of at least 75 per cent of the targeted farmers’ households.
… Giving details of the initiative, GM, PR & CSR, Vedanta University Project, Prashant Hota said, “The success of SAFAL will not only benefit the targeted farmers’ families, it will also motivate people in other villages to adopt similar activities both in farm and non-farm sectors to augment their incomes.”
Project Director Sanjeev Anand Zutshi, Head, Commercial, C Joseph and Deputy Director, Agriculture Range Office, Puri, B N Swain were present at the meeting along with officials of ACCESS, members of newly formed farmers’ SHGs and a number of local villagers.
Entry Filed under: Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri- Khurda area (1),CSR in Puri,Vedanta University, Puri