Tech inputs boost Thane farmers' income

Mohan Kirkira, who began with a wadi (plantation) on 2 acres of land in Thane district of Maharashtra 10 years ago, now earns Rs 20,000 from fruit crops, Rs 9,000 from vegetables and Rs 1,40,000 from sale of mango grafts every year.

"From a boy doing stray jobs with sand traders, my life has transformed dramatically," Kirkira says.

Kashinath Yesu Gavit has a similar story. He began with a 2-acre wadi, and now owns 5 acres with an annual income of over Rs 1,30,000. These success stories are the result of an initiative by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, a body promoted by Bharat Agro Industries Foundation.

It began its work in in the tehsils of Wada, Jawhar and Mokhada in the tribal belt of Thane district 10 years ago, when the region was in the news for deaths due to malnutrition and rampant migration.

"The reckless denuding of forests in the area had deprived the local tribals of their traditional livelihood," said Kishor Chapagaonkar, principal programme director at MITTRA and a long time BAIF staff member.

MITTRA started development programmes in the region with a holistic approach, encompassing alternative land use opportunities and a more comprehensive farming approach .

The programme, started in 1993 in 52 villages of of Jawhar tehsil of Thane, revolving around five Js "" jana (people), jal(water), janvar (cattle), jameen (land) and jungle (forests).

Wadi, which is a horticulture cum forestry programme, is the front runner of the development process. It involves reshaping the land through contours and trenches, digging and filling of pits, plantation of fruit and forestry saplings, water resource development, intercropping and aftercare of plants.

According to Vijay Deshpande, joint programme director, a participant family in a wadi programme can begin with a 1 acre land and plant. There are 3,500 families taking part in the programme at present.

About 60 trenches are dug in a 1-acre plot to plant cashew, mango and papaya trees. These are selected for their fast yielding capacity. Deshpande says an investment of Rs 25,000 "" made over five years "" can bring returns of Rs 25,000 per year.

MITTRA gives training and technical knowhow for planting, nursing and harvesting. It also acts as an agency to channelise the available finance options from the governments or global funding organisations, Deshpande said.

Thus, the MITTRA projects in Thane have received funding from schemes of the state and central governments as well as European Union and KFW Germany through Nabard. Chapalgaonkar says Rs 15 crore of EU funding has come over the last few years and KFW has committed Rs 65 crores over 11 years out of which Rs 32 crore have been released.

MITTRA has worked out channels for those who are landless as well. Cashewnut processing and pickle making units have been created to absorb them.

According to Sudhir Wagle, additional chief programme co-ordinator, the Amrai Adivasi Sahakari Samstha ( a co-operative formed by the tribals) has been posting a jump of 100 per cent in turnover every year, as it expects to touch Rs 80 lakh this year.

For more, visit www.srtt.org/MITTRA.html