RID POVERTY & HUNGER IN 50 INDIAN TRIBAL VILLAGES

‘Organic Farming is the pressing need of time’ was the headline carried by one of the local dailies of the Nilgiris in India. And it was the sentiment shared during the one-day conference on organic farming organised by the Special Area Development Programme (SADP) of the Nilgiris District in India on the 15^th of March 2017. The one-day conference was an eye-opener on organic farming for most of the officials and farmers attending the programme. And for The Earth Trust, it was a day to show-case all the good work done for over 15 years on organic agriculture in the Nilgiris District.

The Conference was attended by the District Collector, officials of the SADP, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, officials of the Horticulture Department, staff of the Tamilnadu Agriculture University, officials from the Animal Husbandry Department, The Earth Trust team and the farming community. The officials who spoke on the occasion, stressed on the need to realise the importance of organic agriculture and how it would benefit the farmers and consumers as well as in conserving the soil, air and water environments.

The Project Director and the Principal Researcher of the Earth Trust presented the various programmes of the Trust on Health, Environment and Livelihood and presented the ‘Contractual Arrangements and Price Fixation for Organic Produce’ with the organic farmers. The sustained and concerted effort by the Earth Trust for more than 15 years in the Nilgiri District in creating awareness to the rural farming community, teaching the skills on organic farming and rendering marketing help for their organic produce was explained during the Conference. The unique buy-back arrangement, the type of training and monitoring carried out by the Earth Trust with the organic farmers were presented.

The organic vegetables and other products of the Earth Trust were displayed for the delegates of the Conference. The officials interacted with Earth Trust team about the displayed items.

At the end of the one-day conference, the role played by the Earth Trust in promoting organic agriculture in the Nilgiris was well recognized and understood. All the individuals who are connected with the Earth Trust are seen as resource persons for organic agriculture and torch-bearers for the conservation of the ecosystem of the Nilgiris.