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Towards Building a Farmer's Resource Centre :

The Livelihoods Training Resource Centre Experience

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Box : 1

Viability of Livelihood Training Resource Centre (LTRC): JKBT's Perspective :

JKBT has set up the LTRC in keeping with its belief that building Human Resources and the

efficient management of natural resources are both necessary for enhancing the livelihoods of

the farming community in Sikar. Capacity building of the local farmers is expected to achieve

agrarian reforms for moving towards JKBT's goal of improving the quality of life of the people of

Sikar. JKBT measures the viability of the centre as follows:

a) Social Sustainability

Since the LTRC has been set up with the purpose of transferring knowledge, skill and

technology to the agrarian community, through participatory demonstrations and training,

the 'non revenue' generating components of the LTRC include:

1. Infrastructure (road, building, temple, water structures etc.??)

2. Development of Human Resources

i) Capacity Building :

The cost incurred for capacity building programmes is measured in terms of the social

gains achieved by farmers being able to enhance their yields, earn better incomes through

agro based livelihoods and ultimately live a better quality of life; rather than calculating

the net financial returns on this investment.

ii) Demonstration :

The expenditure incurred for trying out new/improved varieties of seeds, experimentingwith innovative agriculture practices and setting up a dairy unit etc is seen as investment

for farmers to learn in a risk free environment.

b) Financial Sustainability

The LTRC is not viewed as a commercial venture. However in order to be financially

viable, the operation and maintenance costs are expected to be recovered through

various revenue generating activities such as:

1. Selling fruits from the orchards

2. Cow based integrated dairy farming

3. Nursery4. Floriculture and vegetable cultivation in the Green house

5. Fodder cultivation

It is time development thinking meets the 'real' needs of the community. Thinking out-of-the-box

is necessary to make a positive difference to society.

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Background :

Although 66% of the people in India are dependent on agriculture as the main source of their

livelihood, they are unable to earn enough for their living as our natural and human resources are

inefficiently utilized. In order to strengthen the economy by enhancing income from agriculture,

it is necessary not only to judiciously manage the natural resources, but also focus on the

development of the Human resources. Special efforts need to be made in order to educate the

farmers about sustainable agriculture practices, enabling them to make informed choices and

developing their skills for improving agriculture related prospects.

Farmers' Woes :

The agrarian community in Sikar district faces many challenges due to the harsh climatic

conditions, degraded sandy-clay soil, low rainfall and the highly depleted ground water table.

While working closely with the community, the JKBT team found that in addition to these

natural challenges, farmers in the area also face other problems.

Farmers suffer from lack of scientific information regarding innovations in agriculture and

sustainable farming practices.

Farmers are unfamiliar with technological interventions that could improve agriculture

yields at lower input costs.

The agrarian community residing in the remote blocks- Dhod and Piprali are unable to access

information support from agriculture centres such as the Agriculture Research Station (ARS)

and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) since they are located over 50 km away. They have even

lesser opportunities to visit model farms which demonstrate sustainable and gainful income

generating agriculture practices or interact and learn from progressive farmers. Their lack of

knowledge about modern farming practices adversely affects the already fragile economy.

Gullible farmers often fall prey to traders who persuade them to buy certain seeds and

fertilizers and follow agriculture practices which in fact benefit the traders rather than the

farmers.

Farmers still practice traditional agriculture which has high input cost and low returns. They

are therefore unwilling to invest more time and money on what they consider a losing

proposition.

The youth in this region do not foresee agriculture as an occupation that can provide them

with a secure future. They are therefore keen on migrating to cities in pursuit of better

economic opportunities.

The farmers in Sikar, own two heads of cattle on an average. However the poor and marginal

farmers have not adequately explored dairy farming as an economically profitable enterprise.

Towards Building a Farmer's Resource Centre :The Livelihoods Training Resource Cent re Exper ience6

Haribhai MoriSubodh Kumar

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After understanding the ground reality, JKBT felt that it was necessary to focus on harnessing the

inherent potential of the farmers and build their capacities for taking up sustainable farming.

When the JKBT team discussed this idea with the agrarian community, it emerged that thefarmers desired to have a place where they could discuss their problems, engage in participatory

demonstrations for learning about innovations in agriculture and explore new technology in a

favourable learning environment. JKBT, decided to set up a demonstration Centre at Kashi Ka

Baas village in response to this felt need. The LTRC aims to provide information, enhance the

traditional knowledge of the farmers and upgrade the skills needed for improved agriculture

practices and other agro-based activities such as dairy farming.

The Livelihood Training Resource Centre (LTRC) :

Vision:

JKBT envisaged setting up a resource centre which would build the capacities of the local

agrarian community in order to enhance their economic and ecological resilience. An 18 acre

plot of land was identified at Kashi ka Bas village (Jamnalal Bajaj's birthplace) in order to be

developed as a Livelihood Training and Resource Centre (LTRC). Exposure visits to the LTRC

would allow farmers and other stakeholders to see on-field demonstrations of sustainable

agriculture practices such as crop diversification, intercropping etc. and also attend training

programmes. The LRTC demonstration plots would test the performance of new, improved seed

varieties so that farmers could see the results without undertaking the risk of failure. Farmers

would see the results of using water efficient irrigation devices such as sprinkler and drips. A

model dairy farming programme with indigenous cows would demonstrate this alternate

livelihood option and also promote cow based organic farming. Training programmes would

focus on providing information and developing skills e.g. choosing the appropriate cropping

pattern based on market trends, carry out resource planning for their farms, financial

management and best practices for dairy farming etc. Building the capacities would enable

farmers to make informed choices. Training programmes would also give farmers the

opportunity to interact with experts in the field and learn from the experiences of successful

farmers. JKBT believes that farmers who follow improved agriculture practices would earn

better incomes and over time be able to break the vicious circle of poverty.

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Process :

1. Needs Assessment :The team held dialogues with the farmers to understand their needs. This was crucial for

ensuring that the LTRC was able to address the needs of the target community. Engaging

with the community also ensured better participation in the demonstration experiments

and the training programmes conducted at the Centre.

2. Setting up the LTRC :

When the JKBT team reached the proposed site, they found that the plot earmarked for

the centre was fallow land where nothing had ever been cultivated. The plot had only

been used for grazing cattle. The first task therefore was to get the field ready for

cultivation. The team also worked on preparing the development plans and the budgetfor setting up the Centre as envisioned. The LTRC started functioning in April, 2010 with

the plantation of demonstration plots for new crop varieties and better horticulture

practices. Dairy farming was also initiated with a few cattle. However the LTRC is still a

centre in the making and is steadily working towards building the capabilities and skills

of the local farmers and other stakeholders towards agrarian reforms.

3. Programmes :

Several training programmes on a variety of subjects relevant for the agrarian

community have been conducted at the Centre since its inception.

a) Sustainable AgricultureField trials and demonstrations for innovative agriculture practices, and use of new

technology were first tried out at the Centre. Farmers replicated these in their own

fields, after receiving training inputs from resource persons at the LTRC. Some of

the activities carried out at the Centre are:

Trial/demonstrations of new and improved varieties of crops

Demonstration of micro irrigation systems such as Drips and Sprinklers

Development of nursery for horticulture saplings

Demonstration of horticulture plantation

Demonstration of sustainable agriculture practices

Demonstration of water conservation structures

b) Dairy Farming for Sustainable Economic Development :

A dairy unit with indigenous cows has been set up at the LTRC in order to promote

the concept of integrated dairy development and demonstrate 'Best Practices' in

cattle management. A total of 30 indigenous breeds of cows like Gir, Sahiwal,

Tharparkar, Nagauri etc. are being reared at the Centre for farmers to see and choose

from. JKBT is focussing on encouraging women to take up dairy farming. Through

this unit, JKBT also promotes the cattle-centric farming system as a sustainable

agro based livelihood which generates more income for the farmers.

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c) Promotion of Horticulture with Drip Irrigation System :

Fruit species have been planted on a 2.5 acres plot of land at the LTRC in order to

demonstrate that growing such species is possible even in such adverse climatic andsoil conditions. Species like lemon, pomegranate, mango, wood apple, papaya etc.

which have been recommended by ICAR for this semi arid zone, have been selected

for this purpose. A Drip irrigation system has been installed for irrigating the plants.

Sustainable agriculture practices like Integrated Pest Management (IPM),

Integrated Nutrient management (INM), Intercultural Operations, pruning,

Irrigation Management, different crop combination and Intercropping pattern in

orchards have all been demonstrated at the Centre.

d) Nursery Development :A well-stocked plant nursery with healthy saplings of a wide variety of fruits and

vegetables has been raised in the green shed at the LRTC. This allows farmers easy

access to fruit saplings which they would otherwise have to purchase from distant

places. A total of 3500 papaya saplings, were planted at the LTRC during the year

2010 and 2011.

e) Field Demonstrations for promotion of integrated Cropping pattern :

New and improved crop varieties of:

Kharif crops like pearl millet (bajra), green gram (Moong), sesame (til),sorghum (Jowar) and groundnut.

Rabi crops like wheat, chickpea, mustard

Seasonal Cereals

Fodder species like Lucerne, barley and oats,

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Vegetables like peas, brinjal, chilly, tomato, garlic, onion, potato, radish,

fenugreek, spinach, carrot, okra, sweet potato etc

Spices like coriander and fennel and medicinal plants like Aloe vera,

Ashwagandha and Isabgul were also grown for the purpose of demonstration at

the Centre.

f) Sustainable Farming Practices :

Demonstrations of sustainable farming practices are carried out in order to

motivate farmers to adopt these practices in their own fields and enhance their

productivity. Some of the practices being promoted are:

Using organic matter such as cow urine, Neem leaves and Akra (calotropis

procera) for improving the crop yield

Setting up compost and vermicomposting units

Growing Adu, Karonda, Neem and Poplar for bund and border plantation.

Promoting hedge fencing for bund plantation. This creates a favourable micro

climate which provides protection from extreme temperatures, cold and hot

winds, and also works as natural pest control measure.

g) Demonstrations of sustainable technology :

Successful demonstrations were also held for the promotion of micro irrigationsystems such as drips and sprinklers, rain water harvesting, farm pond, and

installation of a biogas unit. Training programmes for farmers were conducted at

the Centre to promote improved and appropriate technology.

h) Training Programmes :

These programmes provide a platform for sharing information and training for

developing technical skills among the agrarian community. The themes included:

1. Sustainable Farming Practices :o Package of Practices (PoP) for Kharif and Rabi crops

o Integrated Nutrition Management

o Integrated Pest Management

o Intercropping and mixed cropping etc.

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2. Training programmes on Dairy farming :

o Improved animal husbandry practices such as preparing balanced nutritious

cattle feed consisting of a combination of green and dry fodder

o Proper health care and vaccination regime for the cattle

o Construction of improved cattle sheds with innovatively designed mangers

and water troughs for providing water when required by the animal.

3. Leadership Development :

Special programmes focussing on the formation and management of SHGs and

Farmers' Clubs and building skills for financial management were conducted

for developing Leadership qualities. Various Farmers' Groups from ATMA, the

Horticulture Department, and the Agriculture Department etc. came to LTRCon Exposure Visits.

Table : 6.2 Training Programmes (2009-2011) An Overview

No. Subject

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Promotion of Horticultural crops

Promotion of organic farming

Efficient use of water through usingMicro irrigation systems

Package of Practices (Kharif and Rabi )

Crop diversification (from traditional to sustainable

farming)

Dairy development and Management

Women's Empowerment through promotion of

Self Help Groups

General Awareness and motivational trainingPromotion of Farmers Club with NABARD

Understanding Government schemes

Income Generating Activities/Alternate livelihoods

Soil and Water conservation measures

Integrated Nutrient Management

Promotion of Biogas as an alternate energy technology

and for organic farming

Demonstrations and Field Day

6

3

2

6

2

4

7

63

4

5

4

2

2

3

Number ofTraining

Programmes

No. ofParticipants

135

70

40

180

55

350

380

14060

160

95

60

30

40

70

80

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Outcome :

The 18 acre plot of land which was totally barren till 2009 has been transformed into a

resource centre for farmers with on-field demonstrations, dairy farming and training

activities. The land use pattern in the following table indicates how the given plot of land

has been developed by JKBT.

Sustainable agricultural practices, water efficient irrigation technology and indigenous cow

based dairy farming have been successfully demonstrated.

Looking at the success of the model Dairy farm at LTRC, farmers have been inspired todiversify their livelihood portfolio.

Till August 2011, a total of 1865 men and women farmers have received training at the LTRC.In addition the centre has welcomed 1191 visitors since inception.

LTRC has also started generating income, thus initiating the process of working towards itsfinancial sustainability. Although the initial investment in such a venture is high, it isimportant to view this initiative on the basis of its social returns on the investment (see Box1).The JKBT team is confident of achieving a break-even status in the near future.

Table : 6.2 LTRC Land Development : Distribution of Activities

(A Small plot of land outside t he LTRC premises is also included in t his calculat ion)

No. Activity Land in Acres

1.

2.

3.4.

5.

6.

7.

Orchards

Fodder / Agriculture

Demonstration (crops, medicinal plants etc.)Road, Tube Well and emple

Building and Cattle Shed

Poly and Green House

Fodder Plot

2.50

6.00

2.002.00

5.00

0.50

1.25

Table : 6.3 LTRC : Income Generat ion (2010-12)

No. Year Income in Rs.

1.

2.

2010-11

2011-12 (till August)

Grand Total

51500

59000

110500

TotalIncome

CropsMilk Nursery

42000

36000

78000

24000

8535

32535

117500

103535

221035

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Livelihood for vulnerable families : An eight member family, belonging to a drought

affected area has been employed permanently to manage the operation and maintenance of

the Centre. While four adult members of this family work on the demonstration plots, the four

children have been able to pursue their education in the local school in the vicinity. With a

secure livelihood and better access to milk, vegetables and food grains, the nutrition levels of

the family have greatly improved after coming to LTRC. Another family headed by a single

woman has also benefitted after the woman was employed to manage the cattle at the LTRC.

Promotion of Horticulture : The success of the horticulture demonstration plots, have

motivated farmers to shift to horticulture. Farmers will earn a cash income from horticulture

once the fruit trees mature. The demand for saplings of fruit trees has seen a significant risesince the centre was set up. 90 farmers planted 2250 papaya saplings in their fields, covering

45 acres of land in 2010-11. In 2011, a total of 110 farmers have already planted more than

4000 saplings by the month of August. As a result of LTRC's capacity building efforts, 9650

fruit saplings have been successfully planted by 34 farmers in 71 acres of land under the

horticulture development programme. More farmers are shifting from the high cost

traditional cropping pattern to more sustainable and profitable agriculture practices such as

the development of fruit orchards.

Promotion of indigenous cow-centric farming : There has been a significant shift in the

outlook of farmers who earlier believed that cows were reared only for the purpose of milk

production for domestic consumption. Farmers who have visited the Centre and seen the

benefits of rearing indigenous cows and those who have undergone training on best cattle

management practices, vermicomposting, organic composting and use of biogas slurry in

farming, now look at dairy farming as both an income generating enterprise and also a means

of generating better incomes from agriculture through cow-centric farming.

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Expanding the Livelihoods portfolio : Earlier families were dependent on agriculture as

their only livelihood option. Thanks to JKBT's multi-pronged efforts such as creating the

platform of SHGs, facilitating the purchase of indigenous cows through providingfinancial support for women members and providing learning opportunities for best

cattle management practices at the LTRC; the number of women farmers taking up dairy

farming has risen from just 22 in 2010-11 to 195 by August 2011. By expanding their

livelihood options and taking up dairy farming, these women farmers have reduced their

risk.

Expanding Outreach : LTRC is a resource centre for all farmers and those involved in

improving rural livelihoods. Many farmers belonging to villages not in the JKBT project

area, have also benefitted from the LTRC. They have adopted the innovative designs ofmangers and water troughs, constructed biogas and started cultivating fruit species on

their own. Thus the learning has spread far beyond the ambit of the JKBT programme

villages.

Extending JKBT's Learning :

In order for a Resource Centre to become viable, it has to become financially self-

sufficient. The LTRC is already producing fodder, milk and cereal grains. It also

generates biogas and compost.

Intercropping should be carefully planned so as to generate quick cash income. JKBT's

practice of planting papaya in between the fruit species of mango, lemon and Sapota has

proved to be a beneficial strategy. This is because Papaya generates quick regular

income even before the rest of the trees begin to fruit.

Integrated packages including demonstrations and training in the context familiar to the

farmers are necessary and better accepted by farmers in order to promote a new

technology or agricultural practice.

Developing an extension service at the village level to support farmers enables them to

shift to taking up sustainable farming practices.

Although new varieties of seeds are demonstrated at the Centre, demonstrations at the

village level, ensures greater acceptability by farmers.

Roadmap for the Future...

As we write this LTRC is still in the initial stages of progressing towards its goal of becoming a

meaningful Resource Centre for the agrarian community. JKBT has designed a systematic

monitoring system and developed a set of indicators for measuring the success of the centre after

several rounds of discussions with staff members, farmers and experts in the field.

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Monitoring System :

In order to monitor the progress of how the learning from the activities at the LTRC is

being implemented in the field the following parameters were agreed upon after

much deliberation:

1) Changes in the livelihood patterns would be tracked by:

o Collecting a baseline profile of visitors and farmers who received training at LTRC.

o Regular follow up for collection of data on cropping patterns and practices adopted

by farmers.

o Assessment of the data maintained by JKBT and the farmer

2. Maintaining a proper data and information system. A record of the Seasonal analysis of

demonstrations at LTRC should include input cost, PoP and net income.

3. Documenting and widely disseminating the learning derived from the practices adopted

by the LTRC and the farmers.

4. Developing an Exhibition Centre.

5. Maintaining a Seed Library.

6. Maintaining a Herbarium with production data.

7. Rearing a bull from a high quality genetic stock in order to encourage the community to

keep such bulls (as per a revenue model), for the purpose of improving the breeds of the

indigenous cows.8. Calculating the economic value of indigenous cow based dairy farming holistically. This

would including calculating the economic value of generating biogas, electricity, slurry,

cow based pesticides and Vermicomposting. Also calculating the medicinal value of

various Panchgavya products including distilled cow urine.

9. Demonstrating the benefits of cow urine - Amrut jal, Amrut mitti etc.

10. Recording the income generated from Border plantation.

11. Strengthening linkages with Government and other resource agencies for supporting

training initiatives.

12. Conducting Vision Building exercises and revisiting the vision statement annually for

accommodating emerging needs. Indicators of Success

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Indicators that could measure the success of the LTRC include :

The number of visits that a farmer makes on his own to seek information and guidance

would indicate the level of motivation of the farmer and his faith in LTRC.

The total number of Visitors and Trainees who have attended the training programmes

would indicate how useful the centre is believed to be by the target group.

The total number of young farmers who have attended Training programmes for

sustainable and integrated farming would indicates their willing to consider agriculture

as a gainful and sustainable livelihood option.

The adoption of new and innovative PoP (as recommended by the LTRC), on their own

farms, would indicate their acceptance of the new knowledge and their willingness to

adopt this in the field.

The successful replication of demonstrated agricultural practices on the field would

indicate that knowledge is being transferred from the centre to the field.

The change in the cropping pattern of the area as per the recommendations of the LTRC

would indicate that farmers are indeed accepting the new ideas promoted by the LTRC.

The farmer's ability to take risks and follow a market driven agriculture pattern would

indicate that s/he is able to ensure subsistence needs and has the ability to experiment.

The agrarian mindset is slowly accepting Agriculture as an industry.

With new varieties first being tested at LTRC, the famers do not have to bear the risk of

crop failure or low production in their fields. Thus risk reduction in the programme areacan be viewed as an indicator of the success of the centre. The number of farmers who

are now following indigenous cow based farming would indicate the success of the

programme.

The total number of fruit saplings taken by farmers from the LTRC Nursery would

indicate their willingness to adopt horticulture.

The reduced dependency of farmers on buying saplings from the market would indicate

that the LTRC Nursery is the preferred agency for supply of healthy saplings.

LTRC is constantly evolving in response to the needs of farmers and other stakeholders, whointeract, experiment and learn about agrarian reforms at the centre. Having participated in the

journey farmers are more inclined to accept modern farming practices and diversify their

livelihoods portfolio by taking up dairy farming.

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Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Trust (JKBT)

Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Trust (JKBT) was established in 1963 in Sikar district, Rajasthan, inthe memory of Shri Jamnalal and his father Shri Kaniram Bajaj. Since 2008, JKBT has beenworking with the community in Sikar for creating an empowered, enabled and gender justsociety which appreciates the need for the judicious use of natural resources. JKBT adopts anintegrated livelihoods approach which aims to improve the overall quality of life of theagrarian community and vulnerable sections of the rural society. While the developmentinterventions primarily focus on community empowerment and enhancement of livelihoods,efforts are made to improve the community's access to useful information, safe drinkingwater, improved healthcare and alternate energy. Special efforts are being made for enhancingthe knowledge and skills of the agrarian community through focused capacity building

programmes. Community participation and needs based innovations are the basic tenets ofJKBT's developmental interventions.

Kamalnayan Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation (KJBF)

Kamalnayan Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation(KJBF) was set up in 2003 by the Bajajfamily, as a tribute to Shri Jamnalal and his sonShri Kamalnayan Bajaj. KJBF's fieldoperations started in July 2009 with the aim of developing natural and human

resources and promoting their efficient and judicious use in order to improve the

quality of life of the rural community in Wardha. KJBF works in a participatorymanner towards enhancing sustainable livelihoods by promoting need specific agro-

based interventions. In order to reduce agrarian stress, KJBF provides the necessary

technical guidance, financial and hand-holding support. KJBF facilitates the process

of developing and managing natural resources sustainably and enhancing agriculture

based livelihoods by improving access to irrigation, promoting sustainable

agriculture practices, mitigating the risk of crop failure and reducing the cost of

cultivation in an integrated manner. In order to expand the livelihood options of the

community, KJBF supports them to undertake horticulture, Dairy farming and

Micro Enterprises. KJBF works towards making the community self reliant bybreaking the vicious cycle of poverty.

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