Page 8 - Reliance Foundation - The Change Maker - Issue 45

8 The ChangeMaker

Standing ground in uncertain climates:

Empowering farmers with knowledge and

practice

midst the noisy buzz of the spend additionally on pesticides, but to Reliance Foundation’s Information
Adrones in the neighbouring fields, also expose themselves to additional Services. For over a decade now the
Ramalingam surveys his land with a costs and health hazards. farmers here have been regularly in
quiet satisfaction. As a farmer who Kurinjipadi village is located in a touch with knowledge experts and
believes in trying out new approaches, fertile region. The soil and water are various advisory services through
he is happy at a new effort that has supportive of even three cropping Reliance Foundation’s team.
paid rich dividends. “We have had a seasons. Paddy is the predominant With new knowledge also comes a
hard time with unexpected rains, often, crop with some groundnut and pulses mixed bag of information from multiple
unseasonal and unfortunately at the being used as inter crop. More than sources and sometimes indiscriminate
worst possible time for our crops. This 100 tonnes of paddy yield comes from use of approaches and technologies.
Karaikkal-2 here has been a pleasant 400 acres cultivated by 120 farmers One of the concerns the Reliance
surprise, standing through the heavy in Kurinjipadi. Most paddy is lifted Foundation team had, was intensive
rains we had,” he says. through middle agents direct from the pesticides use, as farmers often
For over one lakh farmers of farmers’ fields. With penetration of resorted to blanketing the crops with
Cuddalore district, unseasonal rains smart phones and internet connectivity, drone-sprayer pesticides triggered by
have been a struggle. Breaking patterns the farmers are also regularly exposed anxiety to protect them and fueled by
of rainfall for more than a decade, is the to experiences and information from local agents’ promotions.
potential indications of climate change, a number of sources that are a good “The density of spraying is far
the floods not only put waste to weeks support system for knowledge and more than what the crops actually
of labour, it also brought in its wake a learning to enhance their cultivation. require,” says Prof Dr. S. Thirumeni
slew of pests, forcing farmers to not only One of these key support systems is Head-Department of Plant Breeding