Monterey Green Action
Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Monterey
www.montereygreenaction.com Monterey Green Action is committed to minimizing the environmental footprint of Monterey. We promote green policies and practices, raise awareness, and spur community action to enable a socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous Monterey. Email: MontereyGreenAction@yahoo.com http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57638973 ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Dec 21, 2007
Updated: Oct 16, 2009
Membership: Open
Semi-Private
Organization Info [Edit]
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network [Add] · [List] · [Visualize]
Connected with 0 organizations
Connected with 0 people
Connected with 0 resources
Connected with 0 solutions
Connected with 0 jobs
Connected with 0 events
Connected with 0 wikipages
Areas of Focus [Edit]
About [Edit]
KGSN [Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi – Kerala Gandhi Memorial Fund] was constituted in 1951 as a living memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. It has established 64 rural development centres in different parts of the State. Though these, KGSN promotes integrated development programmes encompassing agriculture, village industries, community health and adult education programmes.. AVI has supported a Balanced Farming [organic multiple cropping] farming project in 2 villages in Kerala since 1995 and provides a worker to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Over the four years of the project, 150 families were shown how to maximise their main asset - their homestead plot. KGSN had already proved with similar projects elsewhere, that a family can increase its income upto five times by adopting a system of multi-tier, multi-crop farming.
KGSN selected forward looking farmers to plant demonstration plots in order to encourage other families to join the project. Many home plots in Kerala already have coconut palms. Around them them participating farmers planted jackfruit, mango, papaya and banana trees along with shade-loving plants such as nutmeg, cloves, cocoa, and tapioca - a fast growing cereal. Black pepper vines grew up the tree trunks and pineapples were planted around the perimeter. Vegetables such as okra, capsicum, chillies, gourds, pumpkins, cow peas and beans were introduced. Grass was grown as fodder for a cow or a goat, and every plot had at least one compost pit.
Families taking part formed a Farmers Association in each village, which manages repaid seed loans and authorises lending for animals and other farming improvements. Many of the farmers involved are women as men quite often work away from home.
The project has branched out by renovating a coir mat making plant, which employs women. Mats from the plant are marketed locally and in other South Indian states by the project worker, Appu.
AVI has supported this Balanced Farming [organic multiple cropping] farming project in 2 villages in Kerala since 1995 and provides a worker to ensure the sustainability of the project.
An independent evaluation of the project was recently completed. The conclusions of that report were broadly positive. 200 families had been involved in the project, two new Farmers` Associations had been formed and 30 women`s credit unions created.
Participants’ income from farming had increased and surplus cash was used for the education of children, as working capital for small business enterprises and for reinvestment in the farms.
The evaluation also found a discernable shift in social attitudes towards more collaborative and cooperative ways of thinking and working.
KGSN will now move from the role of implementer to that of facilitator. Discussions are underway as to how that might be achieved; how other village groups can be introduced to the benefits, and trained in the methods, of Balanced Farming practices.
AVI has agreed to fund a new three-year project to take the idea to other parts of Kerala. These organic farming methods will be introduced to 3 more villages and materials produced to promote the method more widely in the state. AVI funding will also enable KGSN to develop its office in Trivandrum to host residential conferences and increase the organisation’s self-sufficiency.
Over the four years of the project, 150 families were shown how to maximise their main asset - their homestead plot. KGSN had already proved with similar projects elsewhere, that a family can increase its income upto five times by adopting a system of multi-tier, multi-crop farming.
KGSN selected forward looking farmers to plant demonstration plots in order to encourage other families to join the project. Many home plots in Kerala already have coconut palms. Around them them participating farmers planted jackfruit, mango, papaya and banana trees along with shade-loving plants such as nutmeg, cloves, cocoa, and tapioca - a fast growing cereal. Black pepper vines grew up the tree trunks and pineapples were planted around the perimeter. Vegetables such as okra, capsicum, chillies, gourds, pumpkins, cow peas and beans were introduced. Grass was grown as fodder for a cow or a goat, and every plot had at least one compost pit.
Families taking part formed a Farmers Association in each village, which manages repaid seed loans and authorises lending for animals and other farming improvements. Many of the farmers involved are women as men quite often work away from home.
The project has branched out by renovating a coir mat making plant, which employs women. Mats from the plant are marketed locally and in other South Indian states by the project worker, Appu.
AVI has supported this Balanced Farming [organic multiple cropping] farming project in 2 villages in Kerala since 1995 and provides a worker to ensure the sustainability of the project.
An independent evaluation of the project was recently completed. The conclusions of that report were broadly positive. 200 families had been involved in the project, two new Farmers` Associations had been formed and 30 women`s credit unions created.
Participants’ income from farming had increased and surplus cash was used for the education of children, as working capital for small business enterprises and for reinvestment in the farms.
The evaluation also found a discernable shift in social attitudes towards more collaborative and cooperative ways of thinking and working.
KGSN will now move from the role of implementer to that of facilitator. Discussions are underway as to how that might be achieved; how other village groups can be introduced to the benefits, and trained in the methods, of Balanced Farming practices.
AVI has agreed to fund a new three-year project to take the idea to other parts of Kerala. These organic farming methods will be introduced to 3 more villages and materials produced to promote the method more widely in the state. AVI funding will also enable KGSN to develop its office in Trivandrum to host residential conferences and increase the organisation’s self-sufficiency.
