Multiple crops in farmers' fields!

Multiple crops in farmers' fields!

Farmers relying on rain-fed agriculture or borewells toil throughout the year to cultivate a single crop. They invest lakhs of rupees, only to face losses—just as the crop is ready for harvest—due to natural calamities, price crashes, or other such issues. Consequently, they are often forced to incur debts just to secure the capital needed for the next cropping cycle. To prevent such wastage of farmers' hard work and to ensure they generate income from both agriculture and allied sectors, the 'AASARA' initiative has formulated a comprehensive plan. To this end, the 'RAD' (Rainfed Area Development) project is currently being implemented.
Farmers are being encouraged to engage in allied activities—such as beekeeping, Azolla cultivation, vermicompost and biochar production, and the cultivation of millets—alongside their primary agricultural crops. The primary objective is to provide financial security, particularly to small and marginal farmers; to facilitate this, farmers are provided with tarpaulin tanks for producing Azolla and vermicompost, as well as beehives for beekeeping. Farmers who own fruit orchards are encouraged to cultivate millets and leafy vegetables as intercrops. The core aim of this initiative is to enable farmers to utilize the income generated from these diversified activities to cover their agricultural investments and meet their family's daily needs. Selected farmers receive comprehensive training, wherein they are taught all the necessary techniques and best practices.