Presented by – Sejuti Basu; Manager – Research & Advocacy; PRAGYA Presented at - Mountain Agriculture Assistance Service – Launch Meet hosted by PRAGYA 7 August 2014 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

1. Mountain Agriculture Assistance Service
Presented by – Sejuti Basu; Manager – Research & Advocacy; PRAGYA
Presented at - Mountain Agriculture Assistance Service – Launch Meet hosted by PRAGYA
7 August 2014 | India Habitat Centre New Delhi

2. Empowering
mountain
communi0es
–
the
journey
so
far…
A
non-­‐governmental
development
organisa2on
established
in
1995
addressing
the
development
needs
of
fragile
ecosystems
and
deprived
indigenous
peoples
in
the
most
remote
&
difficult
areas
in
the
world
that
lie
in
the
shadow
of
policy
&
development
a=en2on.
Natural
Resource
Management
Enterprise
&
Livelihoods
Development
Appropriate
Technologies
Rights,
Welfare
and
Social
Development
PROGRAMME
AREAS
Biodiversity
conserva2on
and
sustainable
land
&
water
management
Development
&
infusion
of
technologies
for
energy,
water,
sanita2on,
healthcare
Improving
incomes
for
marginalised
groups,
facilita2ng
suitable
alterna2ve
livelihoods,
economic
enablers.
Improving
access
to
rights
&
effec2ve
poli2cal
par2cipa2on.
Improving
gender
equity,
access
to
basic
services.

3. Empowering
mountain
communi0es
–
the
journey
so
far…
•
Conserva0on
of
Himalayan
herbs.
Facilita2ng
cul2va2on
of
medicinal
plants
by
Himalayan
farmers.
Farmer
coopera2ves
and
industry
linkages.
•
Research
&
advocacy
on
appropriate
land
&
water
management
prac2ces
for
high
al2tudes;
demonstra0on
of
suitable
prac2ces
PRAGYA
INTERVENTIONS
•
Farmer
capacity
for
climate-­‐adapted
agriculture.
Reclaiming
wastelands
for
agriculture.
•
Disaster
management
system
&
applica0on
for
high-­‐
risk
Himalayas
(preparedness,
relief,
rehab).
•
Weather-­‐proof
food
stores
and
seed
reserves
for
food-­‐
security
and
drought-­‐recovery.
ISSUES
• Diminishing
herbal
wealth
and
increasing
ecological
stress
• Increasing
environmental
threat
due
to
climate
change
• Threat
to
livelihood;
increasing
stress
on
common
property
resources
• Small
&
marginal
farmers,
pastoralists,
women,
elderly,
children
face
the
brunt.
Key
Achievements
21
wastelands
reclaimed
providing
20+
hectares
for
cul2va2on
and
increasing
produc2vity
>320
hectares
of
exis2ng
agricultural
land;
community
kitchen
gardens
benefi]ng
1500+
rural
households;
7
seed
banks,
9
food
godowns

4. Empowering
mountain
communi0es
–
the
journey
so
far…
Head
Office
-­‐
Gurgaon
(NCR)
Leh
(Jammu
&
Kashmir)
Keylong
(Himachal
Pradesh)
Kaza
(Himachal
Pradesh)
Reckong
Peo
(Himachal
Pradesh)
Joshimath
(UYarakhand)
Rudraprayag
(UYarakhand)
Tawang
(Arunachal
Pradesh)
Loca0ons
36
Resource
Centres
across
13
districts
in
6
Himalayan
states
•
Recognised
as
Scien2fic
&
Industrial
Research
Organisa2on
(SIRO)
by
DSIR
–
Govt
of
India
•
Resource
Ins2tu2on
for
promo2ng
Farmer
Producer
Organisa2ons
under
SFAC
–
Dept
of
Agriculture
&
Coopera2on,
Govt
of
India
Interna0onal
plaudits:
Jammu
&
Kashmir
Leh;
Kargil
Himachal
Pradesh
Lahaul-­‐Spi0;
Kinnaur;
Chamba
UYarakhand
Chamoli;
Pi7horagarh;
U7arkashi
Arunachal
Pradesh
W.
Kameng;
Tawang
Sikkim
W.
Sikkim;
N.
Sikkim
West
Bengal
Darjeeling

5. IYFF
–
catalysing
pro-­‐ac0ve
measures…
“Raising
the
profile
of
mountain
farmers
and
suppor2ng
them
through
an
enabling
policy
environment
will
benefit
both
mountain
people
as
well
as
popula2ons
living
in
lowlands
who
benefit
from
their
products
and
services…"
-­‐
Eduardo
Rojas-­‐Briales,
FAO
Assistant
Director-­‐General
“The
Interna2onal
Year
of
Family
Farming
(IYFF)
2014
presents
an
opportunity
to
focus
a=en2on
on
the
merits
and
challenges
of
family
farming
in
mountain
areas.
In
mountain
areas,
family
farming
has
for
centuries
contributed
to
sustainable
development,
thanks
to
its
small-­‐scale
character
and
low
carbon
footprint.”
-­‐
Rosalaura
Rome,
FAO
Programme
Officer

6. Food
security
in
the
Himalayas
–
the
concerns…
85%
Himalayan
farmers
are
small
or
marginal
farmers
having
high
vulnerability
to
climate
impacts
Over
97%
households
depend
on
agricultural
and
allied
ac2vi2es
for
livelihood;
suffer
from
low
farm
incomes
and
leakage
of
farm
revenues
17.6
million
ha
lands
with
pH
value
less
than
5.5,
hence
inconducive
physical,
chemical
and
biological
a=ributes;
low
farm
produc2vity
Exploita2on
and
unsustainable
landuse;
Erosion
of
fer2le
top
soil
–
upto
58.47,
16.46
and
10.62
kg
/ha;
loss
of
available
nutrients
(N,
P
and
K)
Low
technology
infusion,
tradi2onal
techniques
with
low
efficiencies;
poor
access
to
post-­‐harvest
facili2es
leading
to
crippling
losses
Loss
of
landraces
and
changing
cropping
pa=erns;
chronic
food
insecurity,
hunger
and
malnutri2on
hotspot

7. Mountain
Agriculture
Assistance
Service
–
the
vision…
Ins0tu0onalizing
a
network
for
agriculture
assistance
services
and
con0nual
technical
guidance
Strengthening
&
enhancing
outreach
of
exis0ng
state
services
Assis0ng
grassroots
farmers
to
adopt
climate
smart
farming
prac0ces

8. Aiming
to
reach
out
to…
Himalayan
smallholder
farmers
Women
Youth
in
the
Himalayas

9. Bringing
together…
Na2onal,
regional
&
local
research
ins2tu2ons
Government
agri-­‐
extension
bodies
Weather
monitoring
sta2ons
Local
farmer
associa2ons
NGOs
District
Departments
Financial
ins2tu2ons

10. The
pathways
for
collabora0on…
Weather
monitoring
&
predic2ons
Weather
Sta0ons
Soil
Tes0ng
&
Management
Water
management
Crop
varie0es
&
techniques
Soil
produc2vity
enhancement
Controlled
irriga2on
Crop
advisory,
improved
farm
opera2ons
Agri
Clinic
ICT
enabled
Agri-­‐
Decision
Support
System
Agri
Advisor
Trained
local
youth
extension
workers
Progressive
farmer
Trained
farmer
experts
for
local
adapta2on
research
Small
Farmers
Farmers
with
near-­‐at-­‐
hand
access
to
support
services
M A A S
N e t w o r k
M e m b e r s
Capacity
building
Agri
Business
Centres
Agri
enterprise
facilita2on
&
post
harvest
processing
Grassroots
extension
services
Farm
research
Par2cipa2ve
adap2ve
research

11. The
way
ahead…
Concerns
•
Small
holders
&
low
farm
produc2vity
•
Poor
soil
quality
&
changing
cropping
pa=erns
•
Low
farm
income
&
leakage
of
farm
revenues
•
Chronic
food
insecurity,
hunger
&
malnutri2on
•
Low
capacity
for
improved
agricultural
methods,
low
efficiencies
•
Lack
of
support
for
agriculture
development
&
adapta2on
•
Poor
penetra2on
of
extension
services
•
Inadequate
facili2es
for
weather
monitoring,
soil
tes2ng
Mountain
Agriculture
Assistance
•Ins2tu2onal
network
for
mountain
agriculture
•
Local
agri
advisory
services
•
Par2cipatory
farm
research
for
climate
adapta2on
•
Farmer
co
opera2ves
&
enterprises
•
Facilita2ng
agri-­‐
enterprises
•
Marke2ng
linkages
•
Farming
of
nutri2ve
crops
•
Educa2on
&
community
management
of
nutri2on
Outcomes
Adop2on
of
new
farming
techniques
by
farmers
(nutri
dense
farming,
precision
farming
etc.)
•
Employment
avenue
for
educated
youths
•
Food
secure
communi2es
•
Enhanced
awareness
on
nutri2on
requirements
•
Flourishing
agribusiness
and
self
dependent
of
famers
•
Learnings
transferred
from
lab
to
field
•
Be=er
dissemina2on
of
informa2on
to
farmers
•
Reduced
burden
of
malnourishment
&
related
diseases/disorders

12. Thank
you!