Organic Village Project
Organic Village Project is being executed under Karnataka State Government's Organic Village Development Program in Tiptur and Turuvekere Taluk of Tumakuru District through the Department of Agriculture. This project is being implementing from 2010 in Patrehalli Village of Tiptur taluk ans Chikkashettykere village of Turuvekere Taluk covering 160 farming families.
The objective of the program is promotion of organic farming to minimize external inputs in farming, achieve sustainability and safeguard farmer community.
The activities promoted in the village projects are :
- Soil and water conservation to improve soil moisture.
- Plantation of forestry and hoticulture plants to improve agro-diversity.
- Vermicomposting and fodder development, cultivation and mulching with geen manure cops.
- Exposure visits to progressive farmers lands, training and awareness program
- Bee keeping (apiculture) ad vegetable cultivation
- Production and application of bio-manaure and bio-pesticides.
- Promotion and support organic farmer groups, organic product certification and create outlets for organic products.
Promotion of Mobile Vermicomposting Units
- Promotion of Mobile Vermicompost Production Units with technical guidance from Agriculture Department and financial support under Rashtriya Krushi Vikasa Yojana (RKVY) has been taken up in Tiptur and Turuvekere Taluk of Tumakuru District.
- Project has been taken to encourage small and marginal farmers to produce compost for self-sufficiency at suitable location, where farmer has access to raw materials like biomass and agriculture waste.
- Mobile vermicompost unit can be installed and shifted to any location to generate compost.
Savayava Bhagya Project
Organic Village Programs are being implemented in one village per hobli of the taluk under Savayava Bhagya Scheme initiates by Karnataka State Government from 2014-2015.
Savayava Bhagya Project is being implemented to promote organic farming activities and support farming community to grow healthy food by making use of locally available natural organic materials in agriculture system.
Savayava Bhagya project is being executed in three villages of Tiptur taluk, Tumakuru district and four villages of Arakalagudu Taluk of Hassan District.
Project aims at improving soil productivity and cultivation of healthy food crops using local resources like agriculture waste, biomass, bio-manure and liquid manure by reducing external inputs in farming activities.
Farmers trainings and exposure visits are conducted for implementation of different compost production, green manure, liquid manure and bio-pesticides preperation activities.
Organic farmers groups are formed and registered under the project for implementation, management and certification of organic farming area covered in the project and regular monitoring of progress
Organic Certification
As part of this project, organic farmer group promoted covering all organic farmers and land of these farmers practicing organic farming has been certified by certification agency designated by the agriculture department.
Project implementing agency, the organic farmers groups is required to maintain all the records of farming activities and an internal control system envisaged under the project. Group Organic certification had been given under conservation stage for the year 2014-2015 and 2017-2017.
NABARD-UPNRM Project
Integrated Floriculture Farming System (IFFS) project is being implementing in six villages of Sira Taluk, Tumakuru District under NABARD-UPNRM program. IFFS project is intended to improve the living standard and income of the poor and small farmers through cultivation, production and marketing of Jasmine (Kakada) flowers along with inter crops like vegetables and short duration flowers.
Each farmer has been supported to cultivate 100 kakada flower plants in 10 gunta of land along with intercrops, fodder crops on border and rearing of two sheep.
The project is being implemented through promotion of Flowers Growers Sanga (FGS) containing 5-12 farmers groups.
Each participant farmers is trained about integrated floriculture farming system like ptiing, spacing, planting and integrated pest and disease management in kakada flower crops Inter-crop cultivation, fodder crop cultivation around the plot, stall feeding and rearing of two sheep. Inter crops like vegetables, short duration flower crops and sheep rearing activities to generate some income to the family for the first 12-18 months and this would help them to meet their loan interest and project operational expenditures.
100 farmers have been supported to take up IFFS activities through loan amount of 25lakhs INR. Each participant has been given a loan amount of Rs. 25000/- through Flower Grower Sanga and all 100 farmers has taken kakada flower cultivation in 10 gunta of land, inter crops like chilly, brinjal, onion, tomato, bhindi and chrysanthemum are cultivated. Fodder seeds and grass grown as border crops and two sheep are purchased by each farmer.