With a view to increase the net income of farmers, provide alternate livelihood options to locals, develop a training cum demonstration site and to train, capacitate and motivate the locals to become a lakhpati kisan, 23 acres of land at Loyongkel , Karra block of the district was converted into Integrated Livelihood Farm.
This piece of land was earlier used only during the Kharif season and that too only for producing rice and was left fallow for the rest of the year or used for pasture. The non-cropping or lean period forced the farmers to migrate to other areas seeking employment as wage labourers.
The state of affairs demanded proactive intervention and what followed was a prolonged discussion and pondering culminating in the setting up of integrated livelihood farm popularly known as Kisan Pathshala.
Shashi Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner, Khunti and the brain behind this project said that the Integrated Livelihood Farm was started as pilot project at Karra block was intended to provide, inter alia, gainful employment, increase income of the farmers and familiarize them with new technical know-how.
It is an integrated effort towards convergence to bring maximum models of various departments under one umbrella, redistribution for better integration of technology and species amongst farmers, hub and spoke model collectivization and the distribution centre to ensure value addition and training cum residential centre to train the local farmers for on field replication.
Ranjan further said that no doubt the farmers are hardworking but they need to be exposed to new cropping patterns, new technologies , new equipment and processes and Kisan Pathshala with all its wherewithal will definitely prove to be a game changer.
The Integrated Livelihood Farm through farm livelihood concept focuses on expanding existing livelihoods options and tapping a plethora of new activities in farm sectors. The emphasis is on planting high yielding varieties that are highly nutritious and high profit earning. Strawberry, Dragon fruit, Avocado, Cheeku, Apple, etc are some of the examples that have made much headway and are in great demand in the market. Custom Hiring Centre has been set up to promote farm mechanisation and to address the gap of timely availability of tools and implements for farm operations. Apiculture is also being promoted. Focus also on better management of livestock through proper housing, improved feed practices, preventive animal health care facilities like deworming and vaccination. The setting up of processing units, packaging and branding and marketing are important components.
The Integrated Livelihood Farm was formally inaugurated by Hemant Soren , Chief Minister of the state who seeing huge potential in the concept as expanding livelihood and increasing the income of the farmers announced that 100 Kisan Pathashalas will soon be opened in different parts of the state. Acting swiftly, 17 areas were identified for the setting up of Kisan Pathshala in the first phase.
The affairs of the Farm are being handled by the Farmers Producers Organization (FPO). The local farmers of the area have been given responsibility of running the Farm seamlessly and taking all the important decisions. The administration has confined its role to that of a facilitator and intervening only when the situation demands.
The Integrated Livelihood Farm with its diversification in cropping pattern, amalgamation of allied components is not only supplementing the income of the farmers but also opening up new vistas of income generation for the farmers and concomitantly containing undesirable seasonal migration.