Bio Village concept

What is bio village concept?

Agriculture is an important source of livelihood in India, especially in Andhra Pradesh agriculture is a prior livelihood to 70% of people, but almost the all farmers are not happy with modern and chemical farming, Natural Farming offers a solution to various problems, such as food insecurity, farmers’ distress, and health problems arising due to chemical pesticides and fertilizers residue in food and water, global warming, climate change, and natural calamities. It also has the potential to generate employment, it involves tough work but contributes to sustainable, safe food security and the health of the nation. Keeping this view Jattu Trust has started Natural Farming program as a resource NGO in 2017 with the support of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha Govt. of AP and APPI. As part of the program, we adopted 232 habitations in Kurupam and G.L.Puram  Mandals of Parvathipuram Manyam District (Part of combined district of Vizianagaram) to implement Natural Farming program.  As per the Natural Farming norms A village where 100% of the farmers are not using any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides in any crop in their 100% of the land is considered a Bio village.

The Kondabaridi village in Uridi Gramapanchayat in Kurupam Mandal attained 1^st 100% Natural Farming village status in Andhra Pradesh with the continuous effort of Jattu team. The Principle Secretary – Agriculture Govt. of AP Sri. B.Rajasekhar  garu was visited and declared Kondabaridi is the 1^st Bio Village in the state in 2018. By this first-hand experience and motivation, the surrounding clusters were also determined to achieve 100% bio village status. Meanwhile, 50 villages in 2019, 42 villages in 2020, and 7 villages in 2021 attained bio village status. As of today total of 100 villages attained Bio village status covering 3871 farmers and 10968 acres in Kurupam and Gummalakshmipuram Mandals.

b) What is the use of attaining bio village status to the farmers?

Ø  It reduces the cost of cultivation

Ø  Enhance the production

Ø   It ensures optimum utilization of natural resources for short-term benefit and helps in conserving them for the future generation.

Ø   Reduces risk of crop failure

Ø  It provides premium prices in the outside market.

Ø  It keeps the health in good condition and reduces health expenses.

Ø  It gives moral and physical strength to the farming communities.

c)      What is the use of attaining bio village status to the Environment?

Ø  It helps to purify the air, water, soil, and environment and keeps Eco balance

Ø  Controls global worming

Ø  It helps to climate change

Ø  It controls natural calamities

Ø  It promotes a healthy local ecosystem that is balanced and in tune with nature.

Ø  It promotes and enhances Agro – ecosystems

Ø  It enhances soil health and soil biological activity

Ø  It helps to make biodiversity and biological cycles

Ø  It is the best solution to keep the carbon in the soil

Ø  NF is a sustainable agriculture farming practice that eliminates the need to use outside factors in our farm.

   d) What you do to continue bio village status?

Ø  Organize trainings and meetings

Ø  Close Monitoring

Ø   Made available of NF inputs

Ø  Documentation of success stories and encourage them  to share with others.

Ø  Dissemination of Picos.

Ø  Organize rallies

Ø  Provide convergence to obtain certification

Ø  Provide convergence for market linkages

Ø  Provide premium price to their produce.

Ø  Provide value addition activities to enhance their incomes.

e) Support required to continue Bio status:

Ø  Every village should have positioned 1 Natural farming activist to provide handholding and technical support regularly.

Ø  Every village should establish seed bank and encourage to keep seed for themselves.

Ø  Provide indigenous / Desi seed which are not available in the village.

Ø  Provide NF inputs like Cow urine, Gana & Drava jivamrutham, Panchagavya, Vermi compost and other bio fertilizers like Azospirillum,  Azatobacter should prepare at FPO level and make available to the farmers who have been practicing Natural Farming.

Ø  Every farmer should provide at least 1 cement/ plastic tub

Ø  Conduct training on value chain, packing and marketing.

Ø  For FPO level should provide 1 storage structure for keeping produce, processing and labelling

Ø  Provide small processing units to every village/ GP to access the value chain at village level

f) Extension of Bio status

              Jattu Trust objective is to saturate the Kurupam and G.L.Puram Mandal as Bio Mandals in coming 5 years, keeping this view targeted to achieve 30 bio villages in 2022-23 year, 50 bio villages in 2023-24 another 50 in 2024-25 and else villages will cover in next following years.

g) Support required to attain Bio village status in new villages.

Ø  Every 50 farmers should have positioned 1 Natural farming activist to provide handholding and technical support regularly.

Ø  Every GP should establish seed bank and encourage to keep Desi seed for themselves.

Ø  Every farmer should provide at least 1 cement/ plastic tub

Ø  Conduct training on value chain, packing, and marketing.

Ø  Provide NF inputs like Cow urine, Gana & Drava jivamrutham, Panchagavya, Vermi compost and other bio fertilizers like Azospirillum,  Azotobacter should prepare at FPO level and make available to the farmers who have been practicing Natural Farming.

Required budget to sustain Bio Villages