Page 27 - Reliance Foundation Annual Report 2022-23

24 Rural Transformation
Strengthening livestock rearing
Reliance Foundation adopted a unique way of creating
awareness amongst the farmers of Udaipur district.
The Knowledge on Wheels (KoW) programme,
along with live demonstration was planned with the
help of Department of Animal Husbandry, Rajasthan.
A vehicle-mounted banner outlining ethno veterinary
practices provides information about ways to increase
the immunity of the animals and safeguard their
animals from the diseases. The banner also included
measures to protect the animals before, during and
after the symptoms of diseases are visible. Eleven such
KoWs were deployed, that covered 540 farmers of 23
villages in the Udaipur district. The live demonstration
of ethno veterinary practices proved to be a very
useful tool for the tribal community of Udaipur, which
is actively involved in cow rearing, but finds it difficult
to find affordable ways to protect their cattle. Post
intervention, a sample study was conducted which
showed that 98% of livestock farmers were able to
control the spread of lumpy skin disease to other
animals in Udaipur district of Rajasthan.
“We could not do agricultural work this year as both of
our bulls suffered from the lumpy skin disease, and in
spite of repeated attempts, no treatment was working
on them. In such challenging times, the knowledge on
wheel (KoW) awareness and demonstration camp of
Reliance Foundation came as a blessing to us. We used
the remedies suggested for 10 days, and as a result our
animals became completely healthy. We will continue
to treat our animals with these traditional home
remedies moving forward,” said Kanki Bai of Jogiyon
Ka Gura village in Gogunda block.
Supporting marine fishing
communities
Reliance Foundation Information Services (RFIS)
programme has been working with marine fishing
communities to enhance the lives and livelihoods of
more than 2 lakh fishermen across eight states.
Reliance Foundation disseminates Ocean State
Forecast (OSF) and Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ)
advisories provided by the Indian National Centre on
Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in an
accessible format in 10 different languages, through
Machli app, WhatsApp, text and voice SMS and
through a toll-free number. Reliance Foundation is
collaborating with the Network for Fish Quality
Management and Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH),
the state fisheries departments, the Central Institute
of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), and the State
Institute of Fisheries Technology to assist fishers in
adopting sustainable practices. Reliance Foundation
also promotes sustainable fishing by training fisher
community on mesh-size control and minimum legal
net size to help helps reduce unwanted catch of
juvenile fish, smaller species and alerts fishers about
the annual trawling ban.
With these tools and diverse partnerships, Reliance
Foundation contributes to sustainable fishing practices
to advance India’s commitment to Sustainable
Development Goal 14 of conserving and sustainably
using marine resources.
Reliance Foundation | Annual Report 2022-23
Impact of the Programme
An internal mid-year evaluation of the programme
revealed the following among farmers and fishing
communities who are involved with the programme:
• 78% of farmers adopted the crop management
advisories and benefitted economically
• 87% of farmers have taken some action
and used weather-based agro advisories in
farming and livestock management; and have
positively benefitted.
• 92% farmers adopted the information services
provided through the toll-free helpline number.
• 97% of fisher folks adopted marine fisheries
advisories and around 73% of fisher folks avoided
no catch trips, thus saving operational costs
The various initiatives to support rural communities
for improved on and off-farm livelihoods and capacity
building was carried out across multiple locations
through the country.
In Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh this year, through various
initiatives, 12,000+ households depending upon
farming as a source of livelihood were provided with
support including input provision, improved farming
technology transfer, augmenting farm income with
alternative income sources, etc. These efforts by
Reliance Foundation have resulted in:
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• Sustained income enhancement of 7,000+
households while also contributing to reduced
cost of cultivation of all the targeted households.
• Nearly 1,500 farmers adopting advance SRI
methods for paddy plantation in 1461 acres of
farm area in around 80 villages in Shahdol and
Kotma districts. Over 150 farmers adopted
improved System of Pulse Intensification (SPI)
technique for sowing pulses in 72.25 acres area.
• Enhancing income through agroforestry and
improving green cover, 24,107 saplings were
planted on private and common lands
benefitting over 1,000 community members.
• Progressive farmers established 68 orchards as
models for long term income sustainability.
• Establishment of Over 5,000 Nutrition Gardens
(RNGs) towards improving availability of fresh
vegetables for marginal households.
• To ensure availability of farm yard manure,
3,400+ bio compost units established in project
villages of Shahdol and Kotma, this activity will
support farmers in reducing their input cost and
boost soil health towards enhancing productivity.
Additionally, Reliance Foundation also worked in
close coordination with Krishi Vigyan Kendra and
Department of Agriculture to establish proof of
concepts through demo farms with quality inputs and
other support in over 500 acres farm area.