Farmers Meeting
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As a part of our connect with village, we have been discussing various topics with farmers in the village and what best they can achieve from their farming. Presently, Almost all the farmers take only one crop in a year – rice. This requires them to work on their farm only for 4 months. In most of the cases, this farm yield is only sufficient for their own consumption. Extra yield is sold into the market which gives them cash only for month or so and helps them buy basic annual needs. After this, post Diwali period, farmers have to venture out for work (in most cases, male member of the family or in some cases both – male and females) leaving their kids either with only one parent or with grand-parents/ neighbors. This also means children not getting enough attention at home for the remaining period.
In our various discussion, farmers from some of the villages have understood importance of staying around in the family and village and earn through their own farms. This means, getting second crop in the field which would keep them occupied for few more months and also generate cash generating output from the same field. This would require further learning (than what they were doing already) and may little more moral and financial support.
Suhrid Foundation had arranged to take some of these farmers to a special workshop/ conference arranged by a nearby local industry named ASPEE (American Spring). In this workshop, agricultural experts from various places had come to guide and create dialogue with farmers in the region.
One of our teachers from the school, along with 9 farmers from our three villages were arranged to be brought at Wada for this session. Our team found this session very useful. Further interaction and guidance was planned by these experts to our farmers going ahead. We would keep engaged with farmers as well as these experts from ASPEE to this project further. Suhrid Foundation has also assured farmers for any temporary financial support required, if they participate in these contributing their time and money.
In this visit, Team Suhrid also visited BDO officer of Vikramgad to share the work we are doing and seeking possible support from his office to expand Suhrid Foundation kind of projects in other schools. We have shared our readiness to guide rest of the schools and villages, if required.
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