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To Mr. Vijay Volunteer PPI USA. Dear Mr.Vijay, Sub: New Earth Team, Trichirapalli, Tamilnadu, India- Poorest Poor Women Economic and Social Status Improvement Project through sustainable agriculture practices – progress report- photos- submittingreg. Ref: PPI letter dated : 17th April 2007. Greetings from New Earth Team, Trichirapalli, Tamilnadu, India! We have your e-mail dated: 8th October 2007, requesting us to send progress report on the project activities with few photos. Herewith we have enclosed attached the progress report from April 2007 to September 2007 for your kind perusal along with photos on the activities. We wish to inform you that few photos are not clear, as we are not skilled in photographs, please bear with us for this difficulty. However the photos on plants, lands, floriculture, horticulture will be clear and able to see them. On behalf of the beneficiaries’ women farmers, we express our sincere thanks to PPI for their collaboration and assistance. Thanking you, Yours sincerely P.Natarajan Managing Trustee New Earth Team. Progress report for the project of ‘Poorest Poor Women Economic and Social Status Improvement Project through sustainable agriculture practices ‘ Supported by : PEOPLE’S FOR PROGRESS IN INDIA SEATTLE USA Project Holder: NEW EARTH TEAM EGAMBARAM ILLAM AMMAPETTAI POOLANGULATHUPATTI POST RAMJI NAGAR VIA TRICHIRAPALLI – 620009. E-mail address : [email protected], [email protected]. Telephone: + 91 93600 20404, 94428 28511 Grant amount in INR: Rs. 120, 240/- INTRODUCTION: New Earth Team has approached PPI, USA for supporting the two women groups in Ammapettai and Mathoor, of Manikandam block, Trichirapalli district The two groups are having 30 women as members of their groups. These women are marginal landholders who eke out their existence from the tiny landholdings and also from farm labor works. In order to address their poverty issues, NET has proposed a project to introduce floriculture, horticulture, and honeybee keeping activities in their tiny landholdings through organic farm methods. PPI has been kind enough to support the project request and released an amount of Rs.120240/- towards the implementation of the project vide their communication dated: 17 th April 2007. 2 Aims and objectives of the project a. To develop soil and water conservation activities in the agriculture lands which in the main source of income to the community. b. To introduce drought resistant, econ friendly, money crops,( namely floriculture, vegetable cultivation and herbal cultivation). c. To enhance the capacity of enterprise among the project beneficiaries to market their products successfully for better revenue. ACTIVITIES PROPOSED: Training in water and soil conservation Training in green manure and compost making Exposure to model farms Training in organic floriculture, horticulture, and honeybee keeping. Awareness on co-operative management. Revolving Fund distribution Initiation of floriculture, horticulture and honeybee keeping. Monitoring Auditing Reporting Training in water and soil conservation 3 days orientation and 2 days follow up training, totally 5 days training have been organized in the techniques of water and soil conservation. Experts in the field of water and soil conservation facilitated the trainings. The trainees learnt the various methods of soil and water conservation such as deep and summer tilling, bunding, having trees on the bunding, putting compost and green manure, mulching etc. All the 30 women farmers attended the training. Training in green manure and compost making A 2 days training has been organized for the 30 target women farmers in which the farmers learnt the techniques of green manure, compost making, 3 the techniques and the benefits of the compost and green manuring. Experts in the filed of organic and sustainable farm practices handled the training. Exposure to model farms The 30 women farmers were taken to model organic farms situated in Mudalaipatti village in Karur district. This one day duration exposure helped them to gain the practical knowledge, first hand information, challenges/difficulties faced etc., They had the opportunities to clarify their doubts by interacting with the farmers in the model farms. Exposure visit enabled them to know floriculture, Herbals promotion, horticulture, Honeybee keeping soil and water conservation techniques and methods. Revolving fund distribution for organic floriculture, horticulture and honeybee keeping The revolving fund to invest in their floriculture, horticulture, honey bee keeping for purchasing jasmine saplings, marigold and vadamalli seeds, seeds of lady’s finger, and honey bee keeping boxes to being their farming activities in their small landholdings. Each woman farmer has been given Rs.3000/- to purchase and invest in, and make income. The farmers have harvested their marigold and vadamalli flowers. These flowers are short duration variety and hence they are removed from the field as they completed their yields. While jasmine plants are years long crop, they are there giving flowers and income to the farmers. Lady’s finger, chilies and brinjal plants are giving yields and farmers’ beneficiaries are making income out of it. The south west monsoon rains are not adequate in this part of the district, usually the south east monsoon rains will cover all over India, except Tamilnadu, (Kanyakumari district and Western Ghats are the exception which parts will have rains out of the monsoon period). The farmers cultivate horticulture during the southwest monsoon with limited rains available, as this is suitable for the vegetables. The honeybee keeping activity is giving a yield of 500 gm of honey, the farmers are facing to keep the queen bee(Rani Thennee) in the box, and otherwise the yields will be 1 kg from a box per month. 4 The women farmers are happy to PPI for their support with training, exposure and revolving fund to initiate the organic floriculture, horticulture and honey bee keeping. CONCLUSION The project activities are progressing well. The farmers are already harvested and made income from floriculture (marigold and vadamalli) and horticulture is giving income. If this were not done, the farmers would have sown only sorghum and settle with low yielding variety and low income from their land holding. The introduction of the intercrops and variety of crops in one land on low cost organic farm methods, helped the farmers to learn new farm method that is low cost and if one crop failed, other crops in the land will make it to tide over the difficulty. P.Natarajan Managing Trustee. 5