From Distress to Empowerment Kirankumar Vissa Association for Indias - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Indian Farmers: From Distress to Empowerment

Kirankumar Vissa

Association for India’s Development www.aidindia.org; kiranvissa@gmail.com

AID’s 3-Pronged Approach

RELIEF

FROM

DISTRESS BETTER INCOMES & SUSTAINABILITY MAKING GOVERNMENT WORK

Assisting Farmer Suicide Victims: Sugunamma, Anantapur dist., A.P. Rs.25,000 helped her buy 5 sheep for livelihood

• 1. Relief to Farmers in Distress

Support to Disaster-Affected Farmers

Fodder for sheep-rearers during Drought

Drought in Andhra Pradesh, Floods in Telangana & Tamil Nadu, Cyclone in West Bengal & Odisha

Submerged crops due to Floods

Leveraging Broader Support for Farmer Suicide Families

 Working through a statewide network, Rythu Swarajya Vedika  Mobilized support from various sources: Telangana Women

Writers’ Association, Hope for the Needy, software engineer group, Mana Bhumi Foundation, Gati Logistics, I4Farmers IMPACT:

 Leveraged Rs. 20 lakhs (~$30,000)  Helped 380 farmer suicide families in 1 year

Organic Farming in Sunderbans, West Bengal

Dileep Mandal, completely organic farm Archna Munda grows 8 to 9 varieties

• f vegetables
• 2. Enhancing Incomes & Sustainability

1st All-Women Farmers’ Cooperative formed in A.P. by AID partner

Millet Initiative as response to Drought

Farmers shift to Millets from Groundnut mono-crop

R&D on Processing Unit

Sugunamma from Anantapur district Rs.25,000 helped her buy 5 sheep for livelihood

2010

• Value Chain and Enterprise Approach
• Establishment of Processing Unit

2012

• Working with hundreds of farmers in 4 blocks
• Best quality whole grain millets processing

2016

• Processing capacity increased from 50 to 300 tons/yr
• Break-even & crossed Rs.70 lakh Turnover

Millet Enterprise: Journey from 2010!

SCALING EFFECT

A.P. Govt. “Comprehensive Revival of Millets” Program 6 districts, 440 villages, Covering 1 lakh acres

New Enterprise to Develop Machines

Millet Machines & Tools company launched

MOBILE &WOMEN FRIENDLY

New Improved Grading Machine already on market

• 3. Making Government work for Farmers

 Brought farmer suicides & agrarian crisis into public debate

– building pressure on government and civil society to act IMPACT

 700 Farm Suicide Families get Govt support of

• Rs. 6 lakh each due to our efforts ~ 6 Million Dollars!

Advocacy Example: Tenant Farmers

 Working on Tenant Farmers’ issues, Drought and other

disasters, Crop Insurance, Women Farmers

 Increasing numbers of Tenant Farmers  No Recognition to Tenant Farmers, No Bank Loans, Crop

Insurance or Rythu Bandhu

 Past 4 years, we are campaigning for government to

include Tenant Farmers in all support systems IMPACT

 1 Million Tenant Farmers included in Annadata

scheme (A.P.) of Rs.15,000 per family incentive

Kisan Mitra Helpline to prevent Farmer Distress

• Working with Dist. Collectors in 3

districts of Telangana

• Adilabad, Vikarabad, Mancherial
• Helpline managed by Centre for

Sustainable Agriculture (CSA)

• Follow-up of each call until resolved
• More than 10,000 cases till date –

60% already resolved

• Going beyond individual issues to

target systemic solutions

How Your Support Helps

 $50 per month:

Help 3 children from farmer suicide families go to college

 $100 per month: Help 10 farmers shift to

sustainable agriculture

 $2500 per year: Support one district coordinator

• f Kisan Mitra helpline

Let us Collectively tell our Farmers “Anna Data Sukhi Bhava” O Giver of Food, May you prosper!

Resources

 www.aidindia.org/agriculture/

 www.rsvonline.org  Facebook: kiranvissa  Email: kiranvissa@gmail.com