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Author: Rituparna Bhuyan
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: October 24, 2005
URL: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=154196
Baif: Foundation provides tips to 300 farmers in surat, bharuch for round-the-year harvest in small plots of land
Tangjibhai Samabhai Chaudhari of Kimdungra village in Mandavi taluka of Surat district was a desperate man a few years ago. With only 0.1 hectare for cultivation, Tangjibhai was looking for a job to support wife and three daughters when field workers of Pune-based Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) met him and changed his life.
Today, he is one of the 300 SMART farmers in Surat and Bharuch districts of Gujarat, thanks to the BAIF initiative.
An acronym for Sustainable Multi Species Agricultural Resource User Trial, SMART is an activity under the Transfer of Technologies for Sustainable Development project undertaken by BAIF in Surat. In simple words, SMART is an intensive farming strategy taken up in very small plots of lands.
''It's somewhere between large commercial farms and kitchen gardens,'' explains J N Daniel, chief scientist at BAIF Development Research Foundation, who was involved with the designing of strategies for SMART farming.
The concept is not new, only the BAIF has customised it using available local resources. ''Based on the inputs, we designed the model and later modified it with more inputs from the field staff. The model was finalised in consultation with the farmers,'' Daniel said.
He said the farmers were following traditional farming techniques in their small plots resulting in low returns. But using the SMART way, they can go in for a combination of vegetable, pulses, fruits and medicinal plants on the same plot. ''Using this technique, we are able to maintain the fertility of the soil, which otherwise may take a drastic dip due to intensive farming,'' Daniel said.
SMART farming is most suitable for plots of land between 10 and 20 gunthas, and 20 different types of species can be planted in the area. On an average, the profits generated from 0.1 hectare usually ranges between Rs 6,000 and Rs 11,000 per year. But what is significant is that the SMART farming technique can be used for round-the-year harvesting.
The initiative began a few years ago with only 20 farm sites that grew to 300 in about 30 months. In addition, 95 farmers who were not part of the project, also adopted the model on their own. Most of the SMART farmers usually sell their own produce, while their family works on the farms.
If water is available for irrigating 0.1 hectare and a family can devote adequate time, SMART framing can generate employment for a family of two throughout the year.
Impressed by the encouraging results of SMART, Surat district collector has recommended replication of the model in the entire district covering 1,000 families.
Some links:
Tree-based farming
http://www.baif.com/r&d_tree.htm
Planting material available in Pune
http://www.baif.com/products.htm
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