NUTRITIONAL AND ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR TRIBAL & MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES (NEST)

To provide nutritional and economic security for tribal and marginalised communities. IFFDC has initiated projects with financial assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for the development of Small Orchard/Wadi in the tribal belts. The project addresses the growing concerns related to malnutrition in women and children in rural areas and the need to look at these problems in a wider perspective, to find appropriate integrated solutions. These projects envisage the mobilisation and organising of tribal families into affinity based groups called 'WadiTolee' and building their capacity to grow fruit trees, alongwith inter-cropping and other allied activities, on designated piece of one acre land of each selected family . The emphasis is on up-scaling beyond family consumption to build a 'value chain' that will serve to enhance income and livelihoods. The project has diverse ramifications for integrated rural development from supplementing incomes to increasing land productivity.

The major components  of the Wadi  Programme include: (a) Orchard development (fruit/plantation/herbal crops & forest plants) as the core component (b) Soil conservation (c) Water resources management (conservation and use) (d) Improved agriculture (e) Human Resource Development (Community Development) (f) Gender Mainstreaming, (g) Community Health (h) Micro-enterprises Development for landless people. 8,515 families have been covered under wadies programme in different States.

PROJECT DETAILS

State

District

Target Families

Families Covered

Project Status

Madhya Pradesh

Sagar, Chhindwara

2,000

1,887*

Completed

Rajasthan

Pratapgarh

2,750

2,791*

Completed

Chhattisgarh

Kawardha, Bilaspur

2,000

2,000*

Completed

West Bengal

Bankura

1,500

837*

Completed

Telangana

Adilabad

500

500*

Completed

Jharkhand

Palamu

500

500*

Completed

 

Total

9,250

8,515

 

* Projects completed.

Progress

  1. As per need, the maintenance activities like Irrigation, hoeing & weeding, Basin making etc. undertaken in 235 Wadis.

Outcome

  1. Horticulture plantation in the project villages has created opportunities for additional income in the future on sustainable basis.
  2. Improved Agronomic practices adopted by the farmers has resulted in better crop production and better income from vegetable production.
  3. Water Resource Development activities provided opportunities to cultivate additional crop of vegetables as intercropping.
  4. Farmers are proud at becoming owners of established good quality orchards, which has also increased the value of their field.