Agriculture and Livestock Development

Majority of the population of Jharkhand (about 80%) are dependent on agriculture and forests for their livelihood. With only 8% of the Net Sown Area under irrigation, agriculture is mostly rain-fed. Untimely rainfalls and lack of rain water harvesting structures for irrigation causes serious food security issues in villages. Lack of food security from the land has compelled many families to migrate out of their villages.

The World Food Programme – the Food Aid Organization of UN have recently come out with Food insecurity Atlas of Rural India. 5 classifications for the Jharkhand State are outlined below:

Food Availability	Extreme Problem
Food Access	High Problem
Food Insecurity	Extreme Problem
Food Absorption and Utilization	Extreme Problem
Environmental Sustainability	Moderate Problem

The livestock sector contributes 27% of the value of output from agriculture and its allied activities. The demand of goat and pig meat is largely growing in Jharkhand. Already there is a deficit of 40% goat meat and 25% pork in the market.
Promoting new improved ways of agriculture practices, Construction of water harvesting structures, managing NTFP, promoting Pig and Goat rearing and market linkages could help in poverty reduction among marginalised and tribal community of Jharkhand.

Our Approach and Achievements

NBJK is one of the most renowned organisations of Bihar and Jharkhand working for past 45 years towards the alleviating poverty and development of poor and marginalised community of Bihar and Jharkhand. With kind support of SRTT and CInI, NBJK is implementing “Mission 2020: Lakhpati Kisaan-Smart Village” programme with 2500 HHs of 45 villages in Murhu block under Khunti district of Jharkhand to promote sustainable livelihood and food self-reliance to marginalised and tribal poor through improved agricultural practices & allied activities. This aims to defeat poverty with increased life choices and farmers’ income up to Rs. 1, 20,000 annually till the year 2020.

The program works over the themes of Nurturing sustainable self managed institution like women SHGs and their federation to leveraging credit support for families, low cost water structures for more HHs, farm/forest based livelihood with grower clusters and livestock rearing. NBJK acts like a monitoring unit and 174 SHGs promoted under the program are nucleus within livelihood activities.

To increase the income, promotion of Cash Crops cultivation like watermelon, tomato, cabbage, chilli, cauliflower, etc., promotion of Lac Cultivation and promotion of Pig rearing is done. During 2015-16, 1585 HHs have produced 1755.2 tons of tomato, cabbage, watermelon upon 269 acres land with enhanced average annual income of Rs. 60-80 thousand per family. 1450 and 440 HHs involved with Lac production and Piggery could include Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 30,000 annually to their income.

One of the major problems in Jharkhand is of irrigation. To increase land under irrigation, low cost water harvesting structures like ponds, check dams, irrigation wells, etc. have been ensured for 1350 HHs with support of Government programs.

NBJK believes in full community participation. Selection of crops, plots, beneficiaries and monitoring of works are all done by the full community.

Last year NBJK has facilitated villagers of Bari village (Khunti) to draw water of Tajna River through pipe across Sudgiburu hillocks by using gravitational force only. This initiative has bagged 10th Water Digest Water Award for NBJK and declared it as a Winner under the category of Best NGO for Revival of Rural Water Resources by Times Network. This resulted as 24 hours water supply for 60 HHs of the village and round the year irrigation for 200 acres land there.

Still much to do…

• Food security at the home of poor and marginalised is only for 7-8 months in a year
• Over 50% of the population of Bihar and Jharkhand are living below poverty line
• Only 8% of Net Sown Area is under irrigation despite of average annual rainfall of 1300mm