People’s Action for National Integration (PANI)
Balrampur district in East Uttar Pradesh is characterised by erratic rainfall, significant groundwater extraction (over 90% net sown area), water-intensive crop cultivation (paddy, wheat, and sugarcane cover 80% of total sown area) and a high proportion of small farmers (90% of total).
Poor farm extension services in agriculture allow usage of inefficient agricultural practices hampering productivity and income. This coupled with high input costs (including water) makes agriculture unviable for farmers.
HUF’s partnership with PANI will deploy a cadre of over 300 village-based agri-water professionals to promote agriculture best practices and resource conservation technologies. This will be supported by a network of Farmer Resource Centres (FRCs) that provide access to quality inputs, equipment, and market linkages.
The all-women cadre will leverage audio-video tools and on-farm demonstrations to catalyse the adoption of sustainable water practices. Using insights on cropping patterns and input usage, FRCs will provide tailored services to enable farmers to reduce costs, enhance yield and income.
This programme aims to cover 350 Gram Panchayats in the Balrampur district. An estimated 70,000 farmers will benefit through the adoption of practices on 28,384 hectares of land.
