Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development (SPWD), a national-level NGO set up in 1982 has been playing a catalytic role in reversing the process of degradation of land and other related natural resources in partnership with agencies and community institutions. SPWD’s mission is “to prevent, arrest and reverse degradation of life support systems, particularly land and water, so as to expand livelihood opportunities in a sustainable and equitable manner through people’s participation”. SPWD’s focus is on obtaining knowledge from the grassroots level and influencing the larger systems, policies and programmes of the government as well as other concerned agencies.

To enable the farmer to maintain their sustainable livelihood by acquiring skill in agriculture and allied sector through “Green College” an initiative by Welthungerhilfe & NSFI partnered with SPWD. SPWD is putting impetus to provide a base for development to semi and unskilled youths, girls and agriculture practitioner. To establish a sustainable institutional model through which skills can be transferred to potential farmers and for this Green College is acting as a catalyst.  It is a service provider to boost the small farmers to resume better farm practices which are lacking in the traditional skill set. Thus, it supports the agro-ecosystem to cope with the changing climate by adopting better management practices. Also it will help the youths to get gainful employment in the agriculture and allied sector as they will get trained in this college. 

• Lac Cutivation,Processing & Marketing
• Bio-Input Production & Marketing
• Paddy Farmer
• Babui Grass Handicraftmanship

Organic Crusader

Farmer’s Name: Rampada Mahato

Location: Purulia, West Bengal

Skilled on: Bio- Inputs Production

For more than a decade, Rampada Mahato a young boy from a small village in Purulia district of West Bengal has seen his former generation practicing organic farming in their own farmlands. It was his father who introduced for the first time chemical fertilizers and pesticides in hope of getting more output as crop production. As hoped by his father, the result was good for the first year after the usage of chemical fertilizer and pesticide. The output jumped almost 25-30 percent compared to last year output. 

Encouraged by the output percentage, his father continually used chemical fertilizers and pesticides in their farmlands. To his surprise the production got deteriorated, the production capacity of the soil and the quality of produce went drastically down and inferior. The size of crops (Tomato, Cucumber, Brinjal, Bottle Gourd, Pumpkin and Chilli) got shrink and the natural flavour was almost lost. The shape and the colour of the crop have lost its natural essence. The output from the farmland couldn’t able to fetch desired return from the market.

Rampada Mahato took an initiative of not using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides in his farmland. Every Sunday he gives training to other farmers in his village on various organic farming practices learned from Green College initiative which involves Bio-Input production.Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides along with other agricultural inputs required an investment of Rs 4-5 lakhs in 5 acres of land. Mostly vegetables were grown like Tomato, Cucumber, Brinjal, Bottle Gourd, Pumpkin and Chilli. The output after selling in the market fetched Rupees 6-6.5 lakhs, at most received a profit of Rs 1.3 lakhs annually.

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