Vetiver helps rainfed farmers conserve moisture

Vetiver roots have long been used in South India for adding fragrance to drinking water as well as for making cool window shades for summer. Now, vetiver is being acknowledged by the World Bank and other international organizations as a farmer's friend.

Vetiver can provide many important benefits, especially for rainfed farmers:

• More than half the sown area in the country is rainfed.
• Moisture conservation is fundamental to rainfed agriculture. Farmers can control runoff and conserve moisture with the help of vetiver hedges on the periphery.
• Controlling runoff also controls loss of valuable top soil.
• The roots of the vetiver plants are very effective in preventing soil erosion.
• Vetiver can also be planted along the sides of checkdams and ponds.
• Rainfed regions are highly drought-prone. Moisture conservation using vetiver reduces chances of drought.

Caution:

• However, be careful not to plant vetiver in fields where you plan to grow crops. It cannot be easily removed and it will keep sprouting up.

Innovation helps increase income for weavers

Key innovations for weavers:

• Exposure to modern weaving techniques
• Skills development
• Fashion design
• Market orientation

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) provides fashion design support, training and skill upgradation. It has centres in 8 locations in India including Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The 9th centre was opened in Kannur, Kerala in May 08.

The Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) provides training, development and tools for the industry. IIHTs are located in Salem, Varanasi, Jodhpur, Guwahati, Nellore and Gadag.

Marketing support is available from local and state level cooperative societies such as Cooptex in Tamil Nadu.

Quality control and testing facilities:

• Textile Testing and Development Centre, Madurai.
• Your local Weavers Service Centre (WSC).

Software and tools:

• EnKay CAD solutions, Bangalore: Simple software for creating hand loom/power loom/electronic loom Dobby patterns. Free tools for creating Jacquard punch cards.
• GC's Technologies, Bangalore: Textile design software, Jacquard card punching machine popular with weavers in Dharmavaram, Kancheepuram, Kumbakonam and Karnataka.

Please note that we don't endorse any vendor.

Take a new look at growing bamboo for profit

Bamboo was not considered very profitable. What has changed?

• Bamboo product manufacturers have installed more automated machines for processing. So, there is more demand for bamboo.
• In addition to the domestic market, now there is increasing demand for export of bamboo shoots to Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea and other countries.
• You can now get high yielding plants by tissue culture method.
• Thorns cause problems while farming and harvesting. Now you can get thornless varieties for planting.
• Bamboo used to be labor intensive. More tools are being developed to aid farmers.
• During the year 2007–08, 200 farmers have been trained in bamboo cultivation at Forest College Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu. During the year 2008–09, there are plans to train 2300 farmers under advanced technology bamboo cultivation.

Other benefits of bamboo cultivation:

• Bamboo can yield as much as 20 times more timber than other trees for the given size of land.
• Unlike most tropical hardwood species, which take about 30 years to mature, bamboo shoots and culms (stems) can be harvested at about three to four years after planting.
• Bamboo thrives on degraded land.

Tissue culture bamboo plant suppliers:

Sheel Biotech Ltd, New Delhi

Growmore Biotech Ltd, Hosur, Tamil Nadu

Note: Please note that we don't endorse any supplier.

Use less water and increase income with System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is an alternative to the traditional way of flooded rice cultivation. Studies carried out by Tamil Nadu Agricutural University (TNAU) in 100 locations have indicated 32 per cent water savings.

Highlights of SRI, based on a 5000 ha trial in Tamil Nadu:

• Water management that keeps the soil moist but not continuously flooded — alternate wetting and drying.
• Careful transplanting of 14-day young seedlings at wider spacing (23x23cm) on a square with only one seedling per hill.
• Mechanical weeding through rotary weeder before canopy closure.
• Higher use of organic compost as fertiliser.

In addition to lower water usage, here are the other benefits:

• Lower seed cost of just 8 kg/ha against the conventional practice of 30-60 kg/ha.
• More judicious use of fertiliser and pesticides.

Examples of farmers in Tamil Nadu who have benefitted from trying SRI:

• Mr K. Shanmugam raised SRI paddy in Mahibalanpatti in the dry Sivaganga district, harvested 8,750 kg/ha compared to 4,750 kg/ha in the previous year.
• Mr C. Ravi of Pallathathanur of Salem district realised a yield of 9,633 kg/ha using the SRI method compared to 6,483 kg/ha.
• Mrs Vijaylakshmi of Villupuram, increased her cropped area by 40 per cent with the same quantity of water.

Field studies indicate that the resultant decrease in inputs such as seed and chemicals, combined with improved yields, leads to an average increase in net income by Rs 12,719/ha, a 100 per cent increase over the conventional cultivation method.

Make more profit by using less fuel in rural brick kilns

A Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) in East Uttar Pradesh.

In India there are over 100,000 brick kilns employing over 8 million people, mostly in rural areas. These are the types of kilns used:

• Clamp kilns of various designs are used in central India.
• Bull's Trench Kilns (BTK) with either moveable or fixed chimneys are used in the northern parts of the country.
• Down-draught kilns are used in Karnataka.

Brick manufacturers in rural China developed the VSBK technology in the 70's. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi along with other agencies helped transfer this technology to India. In 1996, the first pilot kiln was established at Datia in Madhya Pradesh. There are now several hundred in successful operation in various parts of India.

• The VSBK technology requires only about 105 tonnes of coal per million bricks, while BTK requires 160 tonnes of coal per million bricks.
• However, the VSBK requires a higher initial investment of 2.1 million rupees as against 1.5 million rupees for the BTK technology (2001 estimates).
• This technology is best suited for medium-sized brick kilns, about 8000 bricks per day.
• Can be operated round the year as the kiln’s roof protects it from rain.
• Requires less land.
• Produces higher quality of bricks because the kiln fires so evenly, with no over or under-fired bricks.
• More efficient use of fuel leads to lower polluting gases and lower dust emissions.

You can get design details here.

Herbal plants can be grown with saline or brackish water

Periwinkle (Tamil name: Nithyakalyani, Hindi name: Sadabahar and Botanical name: Vinca Rosea) is one of the herbal plants that can be grown with moderately saline water irrigation.

• Salt occurs naturally in soils from rocks and minerals and is present in all water except for rainwater.
• Water salinity level is rated by Electrical Conductivity level or EC. This is measured using an instrument called EC Meter. The EC of good water is 0 to 1. Sea water EC is about 45.
• Plants respond to salt differently. Many do not tolerate it at all (salt-sensitive). Others will continue to grow but yields will be substantially reduced when grown with salty water or on saline soil (salt-tolerant). Finally, halophytic (salt-loving) plants actually experience improved growth when given saline or brackish water.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) conducted on-farm trials on over 20 different medicinal plants:

• Trials were conducted with water of salinity level 0 to 10.
• Adathoda, Aloe Vera, Nilavembu, Senna, Nithyakalyani, Coleus, Datura, Eclipta (Karisalanganni), Kanvazhikilangu (Gloriosa), Gymnema (Sakkaraikolli), Thumbai, Thulasi, Kilanelli, Isubgol, Sarpagandha, Manathakkali, Thuthuvalai and Aswagantha were grown successfully by a farmer in Idigarai, Arukutty village irrigated by well water of 2 to 4 EC.
• Another farmer, Madangopal, cultivated the following using well water of 6 EC - Adathoda, Aloe Vera, Senna, Datura, Kanvazhikilangu (Gloriosa), Thulasi, Manathakali and Thuthuvalai.

So, farmers whose irrigation wells having high salinity levels need not lose heart as some of the medicinal plant species irrigated with waters with different salinity levels show good growth prospects.

Also, demand for herbal plants is growing in the market, including for exports.

Sanitation is key for avoiding water borne diseases in rural areas

A Rural Sanitary Mart was opened recently at Veppanapalli in Krishnagiri Taluk of Tamil Nadu. This is part of the Nirmal Gram Puraskar or the "Clean Village Campaign" of the district.

Highlights of this nationwide campaign are:

• The Indian Government gives an award ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 500,000 to panchayats that achieve 100% sanitation.
• Subsidy: There is a government subsidy available for people below the poverty line.
• Many states are following a community led approach with the help of Self Help Groups (SHGs).
• A model rural sanitation park was established by the District Rural Development Agency, Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. 22 models of village toilets are on display with prices ranging from Rs. 150 to Rs. 850.
• Haryana: Over 158,000 individual household toilets, 2,267 school toilets, 318 women sanitation complexes, 1,042 anganwari (childcare center) toilets and 60 rural sanitary marts had been constructed by end 2006.
• Karnataka has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Department of Posts to use the village postmen to spread the message of sanitation.
• Innovative ways to promote rural sanitation are being adopted by some villages in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu.

Benefits:

• Water borne diseases such as cholera, gastro-enteritis, dysentery, typhoid, worm infection, jaundice and diarrhoea will be prevented.
• It could help curb the spread of infections like chikungunya and dengue as well.