Newsletter no 37 – August 2023

Men and women involved in animal husbandry from various districts of Maharashtra state attended the event, which recognised and honoured 10 exceptional women livestock rearers. Read more ...

Naturland is an international association for organic agriculture, which aims to build capacity in organic agriculture worldwide. It strives to empower individuals, organisations, and communities with the knowledge and skills necessary to foster sustainable agricultural practices.

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• ERA team members associated with Sabala NGO: Janaki Bobbili and Eswar Rao, organised six video shows during June and July in Chanduluru, Kothavalasa, Marlapalli, Rega and Santhapeta villages in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh state, for 141 participants, including 102 female participants. The videos featured comprised Growing azolla for feed, Intercropping maize with pigeon peas, Compost from rice straw, Coir pith, Making a good okra seeding, Taking care of okra, Managing mealybugs in vegetables, Killing fall armyworms naturally, Scouting for fall armyworms, Managing aflatoxins in maize before and during harvest, Managing aflatoxins in maize during drying and storage, and Storing fresh and dried tomatoes, (See photos in Access Agriculture Flickr)

  In July, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy virtually inaugurated the Arogya Millet Processing Unit, in Rega village which is run by Sabala. The unit will procure Ragi and other millets from the farmers belonging to the district and surrounding areas and convert the grains into flour, which will be used to make biscuits and other snacks and sold in local markets. Janaki is leading Sabala’s production subcommittee.

• ERA team members associated with Susag Millet Farmer Producer Company (FPC): Indira Karri, Santhi Kumari Tuburu and Dasari Dali Naidu, facilitated six video shows during June and July for 184 participants, including 90 female participants, in Alluri Seetharamaraju district, Andhra Pradesh state across the following villages: Bongadari, Chuttumetta, Kaguvalasa, Santhabayalu and Vanabangi. The videos shown included the following: Scouting for fall armyworms, Good handling of tomatoes, Staggering production of tomatoes, Managing aphids in beans and vegetables, Managing bacterial leaf blight in rice, Effective weed management in rice, Taking care of okra and Proper handling of mangoes at harvest, among others. (See photos in Access Agriculture Facebook)

  In July, ERAs from Susag participated in the Andhra Pradesh Farmers’ Day celebrations, where millet-based snacks were displayed. Dasari Naidu also attended a training programme on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) relating to soil sample collection, friendly insects and harmful pests and rice crop management techniques.

• ERA team members associated with Adivasi Mitra Welfare Society: Pangi Lakshmi, Salla Venkata Lakshmi and Vanthala Matsyaraju, organised nine training sessions with videos during June and July for 331 participants (132 female participants), including schoolchildren, in Alluri Seetharamaraju district, Andhra Pradesh state across the following villages: Dabbaputtu, Gabbangi, Hukumpet, Kothuru, Nereduvalasa and Savadimamidi. The videos shown included Mulch for a better soil and crop, Drip irrigation for tomato, Grow row by row, Growing oyster mushrooms, Coffee: picking & drying. (See photos in Access Agriculture Facebook)

  The Adivasi Mitra ERAs took the opportunity of ‘Sri Modakondamma Jatara,’ which is the largest festival of the tribal (indigenous) communities in Andhra Pradesh, to organise farmer training video shows at various villages. (See photos in Access Agriculture Facebook)

• ERA team members associated with the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA): Bhairav Kumar, Abhishekam and Jasmine, facilitated seven video screenings during June and July for 187 participants (63 female participants), including senior schoolchildren, in Kadapa and Sathya Sai districts, Andhra Pradesh, in the following villages: Kallur, Seethampalli, Indhukurpalli, Regullapalli and Thallamapuram. The videos shown included A participatory guarantee system, Managing bacterial leaf blight in rice, Grow row by row, Effective weed management in rice, Mulch for a better soil and crop, Organic biofertilizer in liquid and solid form and Root and stem rot in groundnut and Better seed for green gram, among others. (See photos in Access Agriculture Flickr)
• ERA team members associated with Vikasa NGO: Midathana Hemalatha, Ramanamma and Nagireddy Satya Prasad, conducted six videos shows for 165 participants (42 female participants), including senior schoolchildren, in Aruku, Logili, Gaddela, Thengadavalasa, and Sunnammetta villages, Alluri Seetharamaraju district, Andhra Pradesh state. The videos shown included Mulch for a better soil and crop, Coffee: picking & drying, Scouting for fall armyworms, Killing fall armyworms naturally, Good handling of tomatoes, Staggering production of tomatoes, Managing tomato late blight, Managing tomato leaf curl virus, Managing aphids in beans and vegetables, Taking care of okra, The rice seedbed, and Effective weed management in rice. (See photos in Access Agriculture Flickr).
• ERA team member associated with WASSAN NGO based in Telangana: Pothula Buggappa, who trains farmers in best agricultural practices and marketing conducted three video shows during June and July for 75 participants, including 26 women, in Polkampally and Ramankunta villages, Vikarabad district, Telangana state. The videos shown included Rice transplanting and Intercropping maize with pigeon peas, among others.
• ERA team members associated with WASSAN NGO in Andhra Pradesh: Anuradha and Sandeep, facilitated four video screening sessions during June and July for 92 participants, including 64 female participants, in Nallacheruvu village, Sri Satya Sai district, Andhra Pradesh state. The videos shown included Producing healthy plantain and banana suckers, Making a cooling chamber for tomatoes, Taking care of okra and Managing aphids in beans and vegetables. (See photos in Access Agriculture Facebook)

In response to this, Emmanuel, who is the Founding Operation Director of Aquapro Agro Industry, sent a short profile of his activities. He recommends Access Agriculture video platform as the most useful tool for developing sustainable agri-businesses for increasing community food security, wealth and growth. For more, see Access Facebook post.