Facilitating Sustainable Farming Solutions
in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh 

A griculture is the major source of income for the people living in the villages of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh. However, the migrants here are mostly employed in mining activities and energy plants. Because of water scarcity in the region, farmers face a lot of difficulty in farming, especially during summers. Small and marginal farmers who find difficulty in subsistence often abandon their lands and migrate to cities. We, under our HRIDAY (Holistic Rural Initiative for Development Action & Yield) Project, which is supported by LIC Housing Finance Limited, are facilitating Wadi models in five villages, namely Kota, Neghai, Chanchi Khurd, Dumar, and Gidhiya in the Sonbhadra district. As a part of the initiative, we have been training farmers on the WADI model. The farmers are mostly from marginal and tribal communities. The model presents a sustainable solution and makes farming profitable even on small plots.       

We trained 125 farmers in all the five villages in Sonbhadra district from 17 to 22 August 2022. We provided these farmers with 100 climate-suitable plants of fruits and organic fertilisers as handholding. The goal of the model is to enhance sustainability of farming practices and improve the livelihoods of marginal farmers through the promotion of horti-agri practices.

The process starts with identifying marginal farmers who have an interest in developing Wadi on their agricultural land. The Wadi model is suitable for farmers who have at least one acre of farming land with minimum water availability.

The model helps in increasing agricultural productivity through the promotion of appropriate technologies such as tree-based farming, sustainable agriculture, and adoption of water harvesting technologies. It helps in improving the socio-economic condition of farmers and reduces the incidence of migration. The selected farmers, whose lands meet the minimum requirement, are then provided with a full-day training by experts from the agricultural field on selecting land, measurement, pit digging, using organic fertilisers, plantation, saving plants from insects and animals, and maintenance of plants. The training includes demonstrations on farming lands.