Achieving the NAIP objectives

The District has got number of projects and schemes from state and central Govt like RSVY, NREGS, NFSM, Horticulture Technology Mission etc. which perhaps unable to meet the people’s  need and aspiration due to number of prevailing constraints and critical factors. The weakness and strength of various programmes may be analysed in the following ways:

• The current interventions that are being implemented under the Rural Livelihood sector through various departments like Agriculture, veterinary, fishery etc. has been planned and designed by the respective authorities concerned. Under this category of planning, the authorities miss the opportunity to capture the real problems that persists in the villages and hence results in faulty planning and desired targets not being met. In this situation, participatory planning and monitoring will be very effective in meeting outstanding results. Under the circumstances, the 8800 MT food grain deficit and another 18,976 ha of land which needs to be brought under cultivation in the district under the 11th 5 year plan seems to be unable to meet the demand. The NAIP project will capture the demand driven intervention taking in to consideration the local suitability.

• In areas where standing crops are inundated by flood water, livestock rearing is the only source of alternative livelihood in the district, the current requirement of which stands at 2800 MT per annum. Another fear that might be an obstacle in meeting the required quantity of meat production is the availability of financial arrangement. Over the last three years the amount allotted for livestock development has been very insignificant given the number of villages in the district at 1200. The NAIP Project will give stress in implementing alternative income generation activities such as piggery, poultry, fishery etc and community will be mobilized towards group formation (SHG, Federation etc) and adequate financial arrangement with local Banks will given preference.

• While analyzing the prevailing situation in development sector, another gap in the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry department is seen, which are lack of adequate infrastructure and human resources to undertake livestock development opportunities. This issue can be addressed by providing feed stock facilities, health care provider, artificial insemination etc under NAIP Project.

• The department of Fishery development in the district is undertaking a massive expansion drive with regard to Development of derelict water bodies, development of natural water bodies, capacity building for the communities etc with a view to increase production of fish and thereby improve rural livelihood. These interventions are being done through funds from World Bank, Central and state governments. Now that   these agencies are on the verge of withdrawal and with many unfinished task, there prevails a layer of doubt as to, who would fund for the unfinished task. This issue can be addressed as to linking this unfinished project with existing project like NREGS or by linking with the proposed NAIP Project. Provision   of capacity building training and various location specific technical interventions like freshwater prawn cultivation, cage culture of fish, multi harvest of fish etc will help in further improvement of the capacity of the farmer.

 AFPRO has been conducting community based natural resource management programme since four years in North Eastern region where AFPRO has been conducting technology generation and dissemination programs through its different partners. All the consortium partners, under the leadership of AFPRO shall be involved in sustainable livelihood research and technology intervention as well. The AFPRO has been sharing expertise with different line departments like Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Science and Fishery Science, North Eastern Regional Institute for Water and Land Management, different research organization of AAU, ICAR and other organizations having similar objectives of promoting agriculture and allied sectors.

 The farmers of the project area shall be linked with all of these agencies for production and promotion of their products as well as skill development and upgradation through capacity building which will strengthen the institutional framework for sustaining the project outcomes after phase out. Utmost care shall be taken, so that every farm families of the selected clusters are benefited by the synergistic effects.  Community Based Organization, Farmer’s Organizations, VDCs and particularly farmwomen’s organizations shall be enabled to such synergism. This shall help significantly in fulfilling the NAIP’s specific objective of ‘accelerating collaborative development and application of agricultural and related innovations between public research organizations, farmers, private sector and other stakeholders’.