Project Summary:

Landless farmers are the ones who do not own any land and work in other people’s fields. They are the poorest of the poor according to the Government of India. From 1951 to 2011, the number of landless farmers went up from 27.3 million to 144.3 million in India. Currently, 263 million households are involved in agriculture, of which 119 and 144 million households own land and are landless respectively. This reflects that approximately 56% of the total agriculture workforce is landless farmers. 

The landless farmer has just the area around his dwelling available to him/her for the cultivation of crops for self-sustenance. This solution aims at utilizing this limited space for 1) cultivation of multilayer vegetables (improved kitchen garden) 2) rearing of backyard poultry and 3) harvesting vermicompost in drums for self-consumption and local sale.

Improved Kitchen Gardens:

Through the solution, the farmer is able to utilize all the areas available, which are, 4 levels: 

1. Below the soil (tubers), 
2. Ground level (leafy vegetable), 
3. A level above the ground (fruit vegetable plants), and 

4. Trellis (climbers), including onto and along the roof and the fencing. 

 Multilayer farming involves growing compatible plants of different heights in the same area at the same time. It is envisaged that the crops selected are a mixed variety addressing all year–round nutritional, flavor, medicinal and religious needs. Such initiatives have reported reduced expenses on vegetables, improved intake of fresh vegetables, and income generation by the sale of the produce. 

Backyard Poultry:

Rearing poultry in the backyard is an ideal source of additional income for farmers. Crossbreeds developed by Indian Universities grow faster and lay more eggs - about 180 eggs a year as against the country chicken’s 55. The eggs have a good hatchability (80-85 percent) and enable farmers to raise their stock. Their shells are brown in color and thicker than that of other commercial eggs and resist breaking. The birds exhibit better growth compared to local varieties and are suited for mixed and backyard farming. No special care is required to grow them. They can be raised as free roaming birds and can be fed with locally available materials, once passed the two months. Being good scavengers, they feed on a variety of insects and green foliage. They can also be fed on farm and kitchen waste. The birds are resistant to many diseases, an exception being Ranikhet disease. Therefore, it is important to vaccinate the birds in the first 32 days with all the required vaccinations including the vaccination against Ranikhet disease. The birds need a specific place to go back every night and for egg production.

Vermi - Composting:

Vermicomposting is a biological process using earthworms to transform organic waste like livestock waste into natural nutrient-rich compost. It is an ecologically safe, low-cost method that leads to environmentally safe products, namely, a solid substance called vermicompost (worm castings) and a liquid called vermi wash. Vermicompost is an excellent soil amendment coordinator and can be done in drums when space is limited.

• A 5-month cycle of vegetables in three seasons will reap 234 kgs vegetables @ Rs 40/- kg valued at INR 9,360/-. The 2nd, 3rd and subsequent cycles will reap the same number of vegetables with an earning of INR 9,360 per cycle. Due to the limited space the earnings will remain constant
• 9 cycles of 60 days each of vermicomposting will harvest 338 kgs vermi manure, 7.2 ml vermi wash, 2.75 kgs gms earthworms valued at INR 6,850. An additional drum in subsequent cycles will double the income to INR 13,700
• Additionally at the end of 19 months each farmer would have 40 live birds as assets worth INR 4000 to run the second cycle
• In the second cycle, it is anticipated that the farmer will rear 40 birds, so the income will be doubled i.e., INR 60,500.00 plus over the next 19 months
• The income is expected to stay stable for the subsequent cycles (3, 4, 5, 6 and beyond) due to the limitations in space to rear the poultry.