<p><b>Project Theme: </b>Economic Justice/ Small Holder Agriculture </p>
<p><b>Project Period: </b>1st July 2014- 31st June 2015</p>
<p><b>Project Name: </b>: Developing Resource Persons and material for promoting sustainable agriculture</p>
<p><b>Project Location: </b>National , special focus on Bihar and Odisha</p>
<p><b>Budget(Annual): </b></p>

<p>
Small and marginal farmers with operational holdings below 4.0 hectares (ha) constitute 93.6% of the operational holdings covering 62.96% of the operational area in India as per the 2001 Census. These smallholders have their own identifiable disadvantages and vulnerabilities in terms of their socio-economic background in the Indian context as well as access to agricultural support systems and services from the State. The dominant policy discourse terms small holder agriculture as unviable, inefficient and unproductive... . The CSA works in building community resource persons/field staff and equip them with proper resource material. They in turn can provide trainings to farmers and help them to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. CSA’s work in Andhra Pradesh on Non Pesticidal Management has spread into more than 35 lakh acres and CSA won Best Rural Innovation Award in ‘2nd Bihar Rural Innovation Forum’ in 2014. Similarly, the ‘Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture’ model in Maharashtra has won Best Rural Innovation Award in ‘Maharashtra Rural Livelihoods Innovation Forum’ in 2014.
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<p><b>About the Project:</b> This project aims to increase the income and food security of small and marginal farmers, specifically women through promotion of sustainable agriculture practices. The project intend to popularise sustainable agriculture practices among small farmers specifically women farmers for increased sustainable production and lesser negative impact on environment. Further, the project intends to influence the policy makers and key stakeholders for increased agriculture investment for sustainable agriculture practices. </p>
<h3>Expected Results: </h3>
<ol>
<li>Identify the training needs of the Oxfam India partner organisations in two states.</li>
<li>Developing training modules and organizing training for the resource persons. </li>
<li>Developing resource material in the form of handout/pamphlets on four crops. </li>
<li>Developing an illustrative hand book on sustainable agriculture. </li>
</ol>
<h3>Achievements so far:</h3>
<ol>
<li>Tracking agriculture investment done through RKVY scheme in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to analyse whether the benefit of PPP (Public-Private–Partnership) promoted by this agriculture scheme is reaching small farmers.</li>
<li>Documentation of Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture Practice promoted in Andhra Pradesh by non government organisations and expanded by Andhra Pradesh Government to understand sustainability and replicability of these practices.</li>
</ol>