SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Agriculture and allied activities play a major role in the varied programs of CHASS. The department is addressing the following issues.

- - Unorganised and disoriented farming community
  - Food scarcity and increasing dependency on market
  - Increasing unemployment
  - Non remunerative prices for cash crops and marketable surplus of commodities
  - Biodiversity imbalances
  - Soil erosion and degradation
  - Youth despondency to agriculture
  - Insufficiency in science & technology promotion and applications
  - Agriculture crisis in Kuttanad

Farmer Producer Company (FPC) and Farmers Clubs

We have two registered FPCs and 60 farmers clubs actively engaged in organic farming practices in the operational area of CHASS. Orientation/ Capacity building programmes are arranged for participant farmers in different agro-based subjects such as, sustainable organic farming, scientific agriculture practices, crop rotation, multi-cropping, intercropping and poly-culture

Interface with government departments

The Farmers Clubs have developed rapport with different departments in the agricultural sector and availed the benefits of their projects and programmes to the farmers. Rice Research Centre, Horticulture Mission, ATMA, State Coconut Development Board, KVK, VFVCK, agriculture offices etc. are the major departments having shared programmes and projects.

Marketing Initiatives (Nattuchantha and Sunday Markets)

CHASS initiated open markets for agriculture products at Changanacherry and Gandhinagar. The markets are functioning well and hundreds of farmers and families make use of the benefits. The farmers assemble here on all tuesdays and saturdays for marketing the agri-products and the people around the area are able to get fresh products at lesser price. In addition to this, 60 linked markets are also functioning at different locations for helping the farmers.

Kitchen Gardening - Veettumuttathoru Poshaka Thottam

Veetumuttathoru Poshaka Thottam promoted by CHASS since the past 20 years is still being practised by more than 5000 families in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Farmers are getting vegetable seeds/seedlings along with carry bags and organic manures from CHASS at a reasonable rate.

Haritha Samrudhi

Haritha samrudhi is a mission to develop and promote the agriculture based activities with the cooperation of government departments and agricultural officers of various regions. The aim of the programme is to provide chemical free food. 2819 families have collaborated with this scheme.

Samrudha Agriculture Nursery

Samrudha Agriculture Nursery Kurumpanadom is a demonstration farm and a plant nursery in support of the agriculture programmes being promoted by CHASS. The ultimate aim of Samrudha is to promote sustainable organic farming and to protect the interests of farmers. Samrudha is famous for its demonstration plots for coconut, rubber, plantain, banana, vegetables, roots & tubers, pepper, ginger etc. Samrudha has extended its service to more than 10000 farmers by way of awareness creation, model farm creation and supply of seeds, seedlings, grow bags etc.

Valarthu Koottam

The animal husbandry department of CHASS is named as Valarthu Koottam. Under this sector CHASS is giving technical as well as marketing support to the people for rearing domestic animals and birds for fetching supplementary income to their families. The service of one full time expert is made available for the effective implementation of this scheme