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Organisational Background of The Kheti Virasat

Kheti Virasat was formally established in 2000 and it is working with an objective to propagate and publicize the basic thought of sustainable agriculture, water and conservation of natural resources, sustainable development and eco-friendly life systems. Through its multi-dimensional activities Kheti Virasat is creating strong awareness among farmers of Punjab about sustainable agriculture systems, organic farming, native seeds and indigenous varieties of agriculture, biodiversity and providing them training about various systems of sustainable agriculture.

Other than this Kheti Virasat is also working to tap the potential of Doctors, Agriculture scientists and medicos to build networking for creating awareness among general masses and to sensitize medicos about the ill effects of agro-chemicals on human health and livestock.

Activities of Kheti Virasat:

1. Development of 5 acre of land to demonstrate and to train farmers about  the various techniques of organic farming at Nabha, Punjab
   Kheti Virasat’s research, documentation and training unit - Centre for      Sustainable Agriculture and Development (CSAD) Nabha, District Patiala has Developed its 5-acre of land for demonstration of organic farming. It has demonstrative units of various systems of composting viz. NADEP composting, four pit system, two pit system, bio-dung method, Indore system, vermiwash, Jeevic- teeka etc in its campus.

2. Kheti Virasat had organized about 40 training camps in all over Punjab to train farmers about the practical concepts of organic farming in different villages.

3. It had organized 4 workshops for medicos and agriculture scientists to sensitize them on the issue of ill effects of pesticides on human health. One such workshop was organized last month at Patiala.

4. Development of study circles among farmers and students to spread the knowledge of organic farming and traditional methods of farming. Such 7 centres have been established in Rural Punjab including Punjabi University, Patiala and PAU, Ludhiana.

5. Kheti Virasat has provided technical know-how in one project for the construction of structures for organic manure with NADEP Technology owned by Sewa Bharati has been completed in the Tanda town of District Hoshiarpur by the support of RC, CAPART, Chandigarh.

6. Kheti Virasat is an extension center of Khadi &Village Industries Commission (An high power autonomous body under Ministry of Agro & Rural Industries, Government of India) for Punjab. It had organized four, one day training camps for farmers to train them about the various practical methods of organic farming with the financial support of KVIC.

7. Kheti Virasat is enlisted with NGO cell of Central Pollution Control Board, under ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India.

8. Kheti Virasat is closely working with Centre for Occupational & Environmental Health, New Delhi on environmental and occupational health issues.

9.  Kheti Virasat is also associated with Ministry of Youth Affairs, Government of India, through -Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangahtan.

10. Kheti Virasat has four Sub-Centers in Punjab (Fazilka, Ferozepur, Tanda, Anandpur Sahib) where the farmers are trained. These centers are voluntary run by the members of Kheti Virasat with out any financial support from out side.

11.  It has under taken a major study programme in Bhatinda district on the health, social & economical condition of the cotton farmers of this district.

12. Kheti Virasat has undertaken a pilot survey “Ecology Fact Sheet Punjab” in about 200 villages of Punjab for compiling the data and facts about depletion and destruction of ecology, bio-diversity and natural resources.

Working Groups of Kheti Virasat

Working group on Ecology & Natural Resource conservation: Kheti Virasat has taken initiative to file PIL in Punjab and Haryana High Court to ask Punjab state Govt. that what steps it is taking for the conservation of ground water and to check unauthorized construction on traditional water structures in Punjab. A committee has been formed to look after this matter.

This working group is actively involved in conservation and awareness generation about water, natural resources and bio-diversity. This working group is going to organize a one-day strategy meeting on 8^th of December 2002 at Chandigarh.

Working Group of Medicos on Agro-chemicals & Health: The working group was formed in 2001 to involve medical professionals on environmental health issue. As Punjab is facing acute health hazards due to pesticides it is essential that medicos of state should be aware of this. The working group is in process to establish study-circles of medicos in the state.

Workshops and training camps organized by Kheti Virasat

Future Plan

• To undertake project in Cotton region of Punjab.
  Kheti Virasat has plan in a big way to undertake the project in Bhatinda region of Punjab to provide alternative to the present system of intensive farming to the farmers of cotton. It has also planned to provide vocational training to the unemployed rural youth of that region so that they can establish their own Cottage entrepreneurial. We have also planned to under take the Self Help Group’s among the women folk of that region.

• We have planned to work on the issue of water &water conservation in the cotton region. In this process we have planned to undertake comprehensive study of that region about the traditional water conservation methods in the first phase of the programme.

• At present we have about 150 acre of land turned organic in various part of Punjab. We have a target of about 350 acre of land that has to be converted into organic land for the next one year.

• We want to undertake the cultivation of organic Herbs in a big way at our Demonstration Center.

• To work for the formation of Co-operatives and SHG’s in the District of Patiala and Bhatinda in the first phase.

• Kheti Virasat has planed a Four-day Youth Environment Camp in Kharar, Distt. Ropar, early next year. About 500 youths will be motivated to participate in this camp.

• Working group of medicos is currently engaged in evolving a detail Punjab Health Survey Performa for making a database on Impact of Agro-chemicals on Human Health in Punjab. Taking the participation of around 1000 doctors in the first phase will formulize this database.

New enfoldments

Kheti Virasat was registered in April 2000 at Patiala under societies act. So it has some time to full fill its three-year registration promise to seek projects from Govt. and other funding agencies. So at present Kheti Virasat has very few resources at its disposal. Till date we generate resources from our friend circle to carry out our plans in a small way.

Kheti Virasat is trying to get infrastructure grant so that it can develop its center in a more scientific way and have minimum required infrastructure to meet the challenge of threat to Agro-ecology and precious natural resources in Punjab.

Future initiatives:

1. Development of training center at Nabha

          a)      Training facility

          b)     Hostel (A dormitory for 20 persons)

          c)      Equipments

          d)     Multi-media system

2. Development & Publication of Training Modules

3. Publication of awareness material-books, posters, folders etc in Punjabi and Hindi languages.

4. Development of extension centers in all three geo-cultural regions of Punjab. These regions are

Malwa comprising of eleven districts of south and west Punjab.  Majha –two districts of north Punjab- Amritsar & Gurdaspur districts and Doaba-consisting four districts of central Punjab.

5. Development of Organic manure production center at Ferozepur, Patiala and Bhatinda

6. Development of eco-sustainable & biodiversity farm in Abohar sub division or Kandi area of

Punjab.

Budget of previous years

Estimated budget for year 2002-2003 Rs.3, 75,000/-(Approx) Mainly by donations

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