Watershed development

Integrating various land and water resources activities in a compact and concentrated area by incorporating animal husbandry also, these activities include insitu moisture conservation, surface water harvesting, agriculture development, on farm and off farm activities, training for the capacity building etc.     

Entry point activities:- to create trust and rapport building with the community.

Water resources: - to increase water resources activities like wells recharging, renovation of defunct tanks, construction of percolation tanks is undertaken.

Agriculture extension: - horticulture activities like grafted mangos, tomato by telephone process, ginger, garlic, and turmeric, are introduced and encouraged.

(No cost pest management- Gram crop is vulnerable to the pest attack of Heliothis. By spraying neem leaves extract on gram crops the larvae die of starvation since the neem spray acts as a repellent, to prepare the neem spray leaves are collected, crushed and soaked in water for 24 hours and extracts is sprayed in such a way that all parts of the plants are fully sprayed.) 

Animal Husbandry: - development of watershed is not possible without focusing on the animals depending on the bio-mass of the watershed, conduct day long health camps in co-ordination with the departments /organizations engaged in animal husbandry work to treat animals and medicines, vaccination, surgery and gyneac problems are addressed.

People participation: - the programme envisages participatory approach of the people.

Impact: -

1.      Increase in land productivity, with the increased fertility and the conservation of the moisture.

2.      The yields increase to the extent of 50 –70% is desirable.

3.      Water table in the wells will improve to a great extent.

4.      With the increased fertility and availability of water the cropping patter will change giving more yields and earnings to the farmers.

5.      Reduction in soil erosion.

 Water Resources Development

Identify potential areas Using remote-sensing technology

Construct check dams and install lift irrigation schemes on the water bodies.

BIOGAS        

This programme aims at

1.      Fuel wood savings,

2.      Reduction in the drudgery of women in collecting the fuel wood

3.      Saving in cooking time

4.      Improvement in women’s health

5.      Making environmentally friendly cooking device available to the women.

The focus of this project is on village organizations, capacity building and bringing in empowerment among various tribal groups. While community organizations, capacity building, group formation and empowerment of the women are conducted.

Women income generation programme

Try to get women in making furniture from Lantana wood,

Training and Human Resources Development

Government Relationship

Financial Transparency, programme management and monitoring

Vermiculture in India

In the past ten years an organization in India has prompted over 2,000 farmers and institutions to switch from conventional chemicals to the organic fertilizer, vermicompost. Noted for its ability to increase organic matter and trace minerals in soil, vermiculture has been the primary focus at Team RESCUE, an organization which has initiated both commercial and educational ventures to promote vermiculture.

The organization currently produces 20 tons of vermicompost annually. Its real achievement, however, has been in raising awareness among farmers, researchers and policy makers in India about regenerative food production methods. The group is directly responsible for 20 farmers and horticulturists adopting vermicomposting. These converts have begun secondary dissemination of the principles they were taught.

Education and Demonstration

Nearly 20 farmers have reduces their use of chemical fertilizers by 95% by using vermicompost as a soil amendment for growing grapes, pomegranates and bananas. Similar work is underway on mangoes,  oranges, limes, strawberries and various vegetable crops.

The organization has also created a program which trains housewives and home gardeners to produce their own vermicompost from household and garden waste. The aim of this work is to increase awareness about regenerative practices.

What is Vermiculture?

Through the simple act of eating, earthworms promote bacterial growth, enhance soil structure and hasten the decomposition of organic matter. However, due to different feeding habits, not all earthworms are suitable for vermiculture. Earthworms are divided into two groups: humus formers and humus feeders. The first group dwell on the surface and feed on nearly 90% fresh organic materials and 10% soil. They are generally red in color, have a flat tail and are also called epegic or detritivorous worms. It is these worms that are harnessed for vermin composting. The second group, the humus feeders, are deep burrowing worms that are useful in making the soil porous and mixing and distributing humus through the soil.

Preparing Vermicompost

Materials- Breeder worms, a wooden bed and organic wastes. The bed should be 2 1/2 ft. high x 4 ft. wide x any length desired. Plan on applying two parts worms for every part waste.

Sieving and shredding- Decomposition can be accelerated by shredding raw materials into small pieces.

Blending- Carbonaceous substances like sawdust, paper and straw can be mixed with nitrogen rich materials such as sewage sludge, biogas slurry and fish scraps to obtain a near optimum C/N ratio of 30:1/40:1. A varied mixture of substances produces good quality compost, rich in major and micro nutrients.

Half digestion- The raw materials should be kept in piles and the temperature allowed to reach 50-550C. The piles should remain at this temperature for 7 to 10 days.

Moisture, temperature and pH- The optimum moisture level for maintaining aerobic conditions is 40-45%. Proper moisture and aeration can be maintained by mixing fibrous with nitrogen rich materials. The temperature of the piles should be within 28-30OC. Higher or lower temperatures will reduce the activity of microflora and earthworms. The height of the bed can help control the rise in temperature. The pH of the raw material should not exceed 6.5 to 7.

After about a month the compost is ready. It will be black, granular, lightweight and humus-rich. To facilitate separating the worms from the compost, stop watering two to three days before emptying the beds. This will force about 80% of the worms to the bottom of the bed. The rest of the worms can be removed by hand. The vermin compost is then ready for application.

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Telephone +919412955220 Postal address Ravi Kant Kothari 'Jungle Camp' Goolarkhalla, Village Saura Dwara, Dehradun, Uttaranchal, INDIA  for more info mail us at ravi@harkidun.com or ravikantkothari@gmail.com