The majority of the population in our society is made up of farmers, and the economy depends upon agricultural production. Developments in agriculture will improve socio-economic issues among farmers. Rural development is impossible without considering agriculture. Hence, MANAVLOK is continuously working for farm and farmer development. Capacity building, input support, mechanization, value chain development through group farming, etc. are the core activities we are trying to implement in our various projects for agricultural development.
Climate change amplifies threats to food security, hunger, and malnutrition. It is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as floods and droughts, as well as heat waves that disrupt livelihoods.
MANAVLOK, with Foods & Inns and with the support of ADM Cares, is implementing a project on Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives for Small Holder Alphonso Farmers of Konkan. The villages from Konkan are Bagmandale, Ghudge, and Panchanadi, an area of Raigad District. The aim is to support smallholder Alphonso farmers to cope with climate change, become more resilient, and achieve higher quality output with limited input.
At present, there are more than 28,000 FPCs in India, which are largely promoted by NABARD, SFAC, and various state governments. The Government of India, in its 2019 budget, has announced the promotion of an additional 10,000 new FPCs in the next 5 years. These 28,000 FPCs are expected to work directly with about 36 million small and marginal farmer households (indirectly touching 90 million lives). With farmers new to self-management, marketing, and next-stage value-added roles as 'beyond producer-managers', their leadership (Board of Directors, CEOs, and staff) of about 250,000 people requires attention from all the stakeholders.
With the vast experiential learnings from our past projects regarding the milk industry, Dal industry, etc., MANAVLOK is supporting various FPCs and FPOs for setting up agro-based processing industry clusters. This will generate sustainable employment opportunities for the overall development of this industry by strengthening entrepreneurship and adopting the best scientific and innovative technological interventions by the group of farmers.
Will I be able to get a loan from the bank now? Last year’s Kharif crop did not go well; we have unsold grains and produce from this Rabi season because of the lockdowns. I could sell them now, but at a lower price, which will not help sustain our needs.
MANAVLOK has implemented several projects to improve the per-acre production and productivity of major crops in beneficiary villages. Along with ADM Cares, we worked for the enhancement of soybean production, productivity, and a better price for farmers. For climate-resilient and water-efficient cotton, we worked with TNC India.
Drought, flood, or any climatic disaster makes the farming community more vulnerable. This results in debt and losses. For this particular situation, MANAVLOK has been taken up to help the vulnerable farmers who are not able to buy basic needs (seeds and fertilizers) for the coming crop season (Kharif-Rabi Crop).
Agriculture is the main occupation in India. Two-thirds of the population is dependent on agriculture, either directly or indirectly. It is not merely a source of livelihood but a way of life. It is the main source of food, fodder, and fuel. It is the basic foundation for most of the Indian population’s economic development. Unfortunately, farmers didn’t get good returns for the conventional produce they cultivate on their farms. The reality of the agricultural sector is that even if production increases by 5%, prices fall by 50%.
The concept of “Farm Mechanization” for the “Accessibility of Farm Equipment’s to Small and Marginal Landholders” was sprouted while dealing with socio-economic issues among them. The system of agriculture manual labor outcomes ineffective production/yield crops due to inability of timely perform activity for instances late-sowing, late-weeding, late-harvesting, etc.
MANAVLOK works for the good health of farm animals by conducting different activities, like vaccination camps. We also provide help to farmers to raise their animals by providing them help during drought and scarcity times. We also successfully ran animal shelters during drought period. We are also conducting activities like hydroponics (the process of raising plants and fodder in water without soil).
This project is implemented in the Agriculture Department of the organization. Ropwatika is employed in 5 places, namely the organization’s headquarters at Ambajogai and the organization's sub-centers, namely Patoda, Pisegaon, Bhavathana, Poos, etc., where various saplings are available in this area under the nursery. We provide these well grown, healthy saplings to farmers at a very nominal rate.
Beed district in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra is a drought prone district with dry black soils suited to cotton. It is a hilly terrain with dryland ecosystems. The area has hard-rock aquifers which make groundwater relatively expensive to access.
In various villages of North Solapur taluka, a project is being implemented to support farmers in toxic-free, sustainable farming through group farming. Reduction of production costs, equitable, efficient, and effective use of water to achieve more profit, development of the onion value chain, etc. are underway.
Soybean sowing with BBF increases productivity, water stress tolerance, Maintaining a plant population has many benefits.
Considering MANAVLOK's large work for custard apples in the drought-prone Beed district, the available expert team and available infrastructure (MAGNET) signed an MoU as the Center of Excellence (CoE).
For the last 38–39 years, micro and small landholders were been helped through the Krishak Panchayat in a lending manner, but last year we took a break from this project. An agreement has been signed with Rang De, a non-banking financial institution, to provide financial assistance to farmers. Through this Kharip, help was allocated in 2023, including seeds and fertilizers for the farmers. INR 16,37,500 was distributed to 138 members of 26 villages.