Natural Resources Management

Natural Resources Management

The rural and tribal communities living in the resource poor areas still mainly depend on the natural resources for their livelihoods. Due vagaries of nature such as drought and other natural calamities, as well as increasing population, there is mounting pressure on land and other natural resources. The projects give special focus to developing adequate measures for enhancing and managing natural resources - Jameen, Jungle, Jal, Janwar (land, forest, water, animals).

The Natural Resource Management programme of GVT covers a wide range of activities including tree planting, agroforestry and crop development.

Tree and Agroforestry

The Tree and Agroforestry programme is an important component of the farming system; it is essential for the development of natural resources in cluster villages.

The project not only emphasizes plantations and creating awareness about their benefits, but also on developing skill to grow nurseries of different types of trees. Care is taken that the species planted are of use to the community - like timber, fruit and fuel trees, etc., - and that the plantations are developed on wasteland and homestead areas.

Aquaculture

This is exclusively limited to EIRFP. In project areas, aquaculture, though often taken on small scale, forms an integral part of rural farming system for improving livelihood and nutrition. The programme has two components: (a) Aquaculture Development and (b) Aquaculture Research. Three integrated systems have been tried out:

1. Paddy-cum-fish culture in West Bengal.

2. Prawn-cum-fish culture in West Bengal.

3. Duck-cum-fish culture in Jharkhand and Orissa.

Presently 4532 members of 193 groups in different clusters are involved in this activity in 206 seasonal and perennial ponds as a successful income-generating proposition.

Livestock

Farming systems remains incomplete without livestock, which provides not only draught animal power for land management and manure for crop production but also ensures increased income and nutritious food for poor community. GVT’s projects help the poor community to increase the number of small animals (goatery, piggery, poultry, duckery, sheep rearing, etc.) as per their needs and preferences. Due consideration has also been given for improved rearing methods for existing livestock through organizing veterinary camps and imparting training for developing para veterinary-professionals at village level.

Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) and Water Resource Development (WRD)

NRMSWC and irrigation are high priorities of farmers, as they are important in watershed development and sustainable farming systems. Most of the SWC work is being done in severely degraded lands, where soil is hard with minimum moisture content. Physical measures like earthen bunds, stone bunds, gully control structures, gabion fixing, etc., are being taken for conserving soil moisture and check soil erosion.

The main focus of the WRD programme is renovation of well and ponds, construction of new wells, check dams, bush dams, etc., for collecting surface water for irrigation and other uses. The WRD programme has also installed pumpsets in different clusters for irrigation purposes.

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