AID INDIA has come up with a nonprofit initiative Magasool to improve the lives of small and marginal farmers in the state of Tamil Nadu. This initiative Magasool, means yield in Tamil, and its focus lies solely in providing agricultural technological services to agriculturists in the state, in order to improve their agricultural yield, or to decrease their input cost. The services that are extended are first tested in an experimental farm, and then taken to a few farmers. Once significant impact is noticed over conventional methods, the technique is then taken to a larger section of farmers.
Magasool upholds as its vision, to deliver quality agricultural services to more than 5000 farmers over a period of five years and help them to achieve at least a 20 percent increase in their net income. The first of such services to be taken to the farmers was that of the system of rice intensification through paddy transplanter. This method of sowing is expected to increase the net income of farmers by at least Rs 2500 per acre per season.
Other such experiments in the pipe line are direct paddy sowing using drum seeder, chiseling for vegetable crops using chiseler, and the laser leveler. Techniques to improve productivity in agriculture and decrease input costs are required to be tackled on a service delivery mode. Transferring of such techniques to farmers involve continuous engagement with them in terms of training, follow ups, clarification on various issues and so forth. A onetime engagement schemes such as those handled by the government tend to leave the bulk of small and marginal farmers out of its schemes. This discrepancy is rectified amply by Magasool, which deals with delivering technological services to small and marginal farmers in order to increase their yield and reduce input costs.
Experimental tests are conducted frequently before the technique is implemented on small and marginal farmers. This is mainly because while various techniques claim to be successful, it is vital to first test in-house if there will be significant differences in income for the farmer, because of the adoption of the technique over conventional ones. Secondly, it has to be tested whether the technique is simple enough a service to be taken to a large number of small and marginal farmers.
Any technique implemented will be successful over a longer period of time only if the knowledge is built within the community, is what the authorities at Magasool believe. longer period of time only if the knowledge is built within the community. We hope to build capacity of community people who will serve as local service providers as well as earn a reasonable livelihood out of such services. Through Magasool, Aid India endeavors to build a community of people, who will serve as local service providers as well as earn a reasonable livelihood out of such services.
Valsala Menon: A writer by profession, a journalist by intuition and an author by passion. Has worked with several start-ups and acclaimed magazines and dailies and has explored several beats of writing. Formerly Associate editor, Ability Foundation, Adyar, and also Associate editor, Eves Times, a citizen centric magazine. Regular contributor to the Chicken Soup series, with work published in many. Currently penning down her first novel, she is always game for challenges in the literary space. Drop a mail : valsala.menon7@gmail.com