Health, Safety
and Environment

Sustainable livelihood

Alternative Livelihood Opportunities Project

ALOP is an initiative launched at Chitradurga Karnataka in partnership with BAIF Institute of Sustainable Livelihood. It is a 5 year project spanning from the 2019 to 2024, to cover multiple thematic areas including-

  • Clean Drinking water and supply – Rain Water Harvesting, Distribution of water filters
  • Climate Smart techniques - Trench cum Bund (TCB), Tank Rejuvenations, Percolation ponds
  • Climate Resilient Agricultural Systems - Agri-Horti forestry, Agro – Forestry, Demonstrations of good practices/innovations, Soil Testing
  • Women empowerment
  • Community development & Engagement – Green Festival, Clean Kitchen
  • Cattle breeding - Cattle breeding Centres, Fodder development
  • Community engagement which are in accordance with National areas of focus and the needs of the surrounding villages.

The operational area in Chitradurga is surrounded by 8 core villages and 16 peripheral villages who are highly dependent on agricultural activities in a drought prone area and are the primary target of this initiative. Thus, water shed management, optimum utilization of local natural resources, agricultural development, cattle management and women development are in the spotlight.

Few of footprints of ALOP includes
  • Insemination of 342 cattle is performed, thereby benefitting 592 families from the two cattle breeding centres at Muthuguduru and Hireguntanur.
  • 6 tanks were rejuvenated at Kagalere, Hirekandavadi, Dodda Alagatta, Bheemsamudra, Muthuguduru and Sirigere villages to improve groundwater table. Bore wells nearer to the tank were recharged and the storage capacity of the tanks have increased and the water can be used for drinking purpose for cattles.
  • “Clean kitchen activity” ensuring home makers cook in a clean kitchen without any irritation of smoke. 50 improved chula were provided to 50 families from five villages.
  • A total of 1560 horti grafts (1000 grafted seedlings of Alfonso mango, 560 grafted seedlings of PKM variety of Tamarind) and 7800 forestry seedlings were distributed amongst 39 farmers.
  • A total of 2138.87 cubic meter Trench Cum Bundh work has been completed in 22 Ha. Of land, benefitting 17 farmers.
  • Exposure visits and trainings for farmers on using Bio fertilizers. 84 farmers have been supplied with bio fertilizers.

Assistance to Dairy Farmers

In order to promote and develop Dairy Farming, financial assistance for purchasing cattle feed is provided to dairy farmers. This is on the basis of need Identification, as per which, requests from the villagers are processed. Currently, 61 farmers are benefitting under the Dairy Farming Scheme.

Gram Nirman

Gram Nirman is an ambitious project launched in 2021 for strengthening existing livelihood opportunities, promoting alternative livelihood opportunities, and aiding the community to have basic needs of sanitation and drinking water in the 3 villages Amona, Navelim and Betqui-Khandola of North Goa.

Key component of the project is an initiative called “Back to Farming”. The objective is to motivate the farmers to take up agriculture, bring the fallow land back to farming, promoting alternative and modern farming techniques. Since its inception, over 60 hectares of fallow land has been brought back to farming in Amona and Navelim and farmers have benefitted from various interventions like fencing, horticulture, fertilizer distribution, sluice gate repair etc. The convergence with existing government schemes and linking the farmers to them is major constituent of the sustainable approach.

Women Entrepreneurship Development is a key focus area of the project with primary objective to make women financial independent. Till now, assistance has been provided to nearly 175 farmers in FY-21 for cultivation of paddy and vegetables. Since the inspection of the project, more than 1014 farmers have benefited and around 230 Hectares of land was brought under cultivation.