Partnering with Civil Societies: Enhancing Food Security of Farmers in Chhattisgarh

Introducing the SRI method of crop cultivation in some regions of Chhattisgarh, PRADA N, in partnership with other NGOs and the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, has been successful in extending the technology to thousands of families, to ensure yearround food sufficiency and increase soil health and fertility

S mall-holder farmers are crucial for India’s rural economy. They constitute about 78 per cent of the country’s farmers (according to the Agricultural Census 1990–91). About three-fifth of the holdings was marginal or sub-marginal, and about onefifth were small. However, the sub-marginal holdings—comprising 40 per cent of all holdings—commanded only 9.8 per cent of the total agricultural land area. Between 1971 and 1991, the percentage of holdings, smaller than 1 ha, increased from 51 to 62 per cent.

These households do not follow a systematic approach and do not have an appropriate land-use plan to make each piece of land productive. The pressure of food insecurity forces the farmers to grow paddy on all kinds of lands, including the upper reaches, in spite of the very limited water holding capacity of such lands. These lands can provide more sustainable returns through horticulture and other activities. The challenge, thus, is to produce more paddy from the low and mid low-lands, ensuring year-round food security and to help farmers gain confidence about diversifying into horticulture in the upper reaches. Diversification in farming is necessary to be able to cope with the adversities of climate change.

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has emerged as a potential tool to address this challenge. SRI is not a standardized, fixed, technological method. It is a set of principles by which to approach cultivation.