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| AGRICULTURE AND AGROFORESTRY |
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A majority of the rural communities BAIF works with is engaged in agriculture. Although land is their primary source of livelihood, agricultural productivity is generally low because of a combination of factors. Important among them are low fertility of land, lack of assured water for irrigation, limited resources to meet input requirements and inadequate knowledge about improved crop production. Project intervention in the form of support for inputs like seed and fertiliser combined with arrangement for irrigation and tillage may result in an immediate increase in output. However, such gains may not be sustained over a longer term. Therefore, BAIF's emphasis is on introducing sustainable farming technologies that farmers can continue to practice even after the completion of sponsored projects. |
| Income from agriculture is so low and unreliable that marginal farmers cannot risk any investment on it. Consequently, there is no systematic effort to use inputs and adopt improved practices. BAIF's sustainable approach involves the following: appropriate degree of land preparation with soil and moisture conservation measures; use of improved seed; and integrated nutrient management and crop protection measures. Practices such as total dependence on hybrid seed, heavy doses of fertiliser and agrochemical application and selection of crops that have high water requirement are not usually introduced by BAIF. Field staff closely work with farmers and gradually pass on technical information, which results in overall improvement in farm output over a period of time. |
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| Various Best Practices have been evolved for improving the productivity. |
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