July 5, 2012

Promoting Resilient, Adaptive, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices in India

The Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) is promoting a new Crop System Intensification agenda. The agenda demonstrates the significance of promoting sustainable agricultural practices and protecting resources through a community and farmer based approach.  WOTR recognizes that managing food security and sustaining livelihoods while protecting natural resources is not possible through simply having higher crop density.  Instead, both the article and video released by WOTR highlight the negative effects that can result from believing higher crop density is the only answer. They also show which sustainable approaches are most beneficial.

 

The video and article produced by the WOTR introduce the Crop System Intensification initiative and its overall approach to sustainable development via promoting sustainable agricultural techniques.  CSI aims to achieve all four of WOTR’s main goals, which include: 

                • Promoting low external inputs
                • Increasing land productivity
                • Indigenous seed use
                • Reducing costs of cultivation

It is WOTR’s belief that informing the farmer and community members themselves on better sustainable agricultural and resource management techniques allows them to produce resilient and productive crops while still preventing land degradation and water waste.  Connecting and combining a variety of information for the farmers, such as weather conditions, water budgeting and more sustainable agricultural practices could benefit food and nutrition security, market demands, and improve overall livelihoods. This belief of taking a holistic approach to landscape management and working directly with farmers and communities to improve practices, techniques, and approaches to rural agriculture resonates strongly with the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative.

WOTR is a non-for-profit NGO founded in 1993 operating currently in 5 Indian states – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand. WOTR provides capacity building and advisory services to developmental practitioners from 23 other Indian states as well as, occasionally, from 27 countries. Read the full article here.

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