Tata Steel Foundation in collaboration with National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development(NABARD), has identified Seraikela and Kharsawan blocks of Seraikela-Kharsawan district to anchor the WADI project, which educates communities on the judicious use of available land, water, and manpower resources of selected tribal families in environmentally sustainable and socially equitable ways. The project was started in the FY 2016-17 and has been running successfully for six years and today, the number of Wadies sanctioned has recently crossed 500.
In addition to that, the Foundation (erstwhile known as Tata Steel Rural Development Society) started promoting the SRI (System of Rice Intensification) and line transplantation since the year 2014-15 with an aim to increase the production and productivity of paddy of farmers in its operational areas. During the FY 2019-20, a total of 4,815 acres (belonging to around 5,240 farmers) was covered under SRI.
Scope of the Programme
The WADI project, in its way forward, intends to contribute towards building the capacities of the beneficiaries through regular meetings, training, and exposure visits. New wadies ranging at 130 acres will be established within and around the Seraikela-Kharsawan blocks. Additionally, the SRI project aims to extend and popularise farm mechanisation to reduce the cost of cultivation and provide a one-stop solution on agricultural equipment (small tool hubs) at the village and gram panchayat levels.
Core objectives of Sustainable Agriculture:
WADI Project Intends to:
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Put waste fallow lands to use by encouraging plantations.
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Increase incomes for the beneficiaries.
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Uplift the poor by regularising income.
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Make the farmers aware of their opportunities for growth.
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Empower women.
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Develop ownership & social recognition.
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Establish processing units and outlets for the marketing of the product.
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Achieve social and financial inclusion for the WADI families.
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To enhance quality of life for tribal communities through provision of basic services like health, sanitation, etc.
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Safe drinking water etc. in all the villages covered under the project.
SRI Project Intends to:
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Promote the project to reach 12,500 farmers in the next three years.
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Cultivate second crops like oilseeds, pulses, vegetables, and other viable new crops to increase farm income by using residual moisture.
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Carry forward the outcome of the project with government departments and agencies to scale up the interventions through a network of farmers.
Programme Accomplishments
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A total of 7500 farmers and 25 Community Resource Persons (CRP) from 106 villages have been trained on scientific cultivation practices and the use of pheromone traps, yellow cards, and bio-fertilizers to optimize yield and reduce cultivation costs.
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Trainings have been organised in collaboration with the government agriculture department and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
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Various capacity building training programmes on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Nutrition Management (INM) have been organised with special focus for community resource persons (CRPs) and farmers.
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Leaflets and flip charts have been developed on WADI and SRI and distributed among the farmers to provide awareness and knowledge on-the-go.
The Reach
Number of farmers reached
7,500+
Number of villages impacted
106
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