NIRMAN is a grassroots environmental action group works for the conservation of bio-diversity; promotes ecological agriculture & sustainable livelihood models through livelihood related functional literacy system approach…

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative

Prasant Mohanty,NIRMANwww.nirmanodisha.org

SDTT Partner’s meet Raipur , 22 March, 2014

Sugarcane in Odisha…

Problems of Sugarcane Farmers• Rising cost of cultivation- Economic unviable• Low market price • Water table depleting year after year (1500-3000

litres/1 kg of cane)• Unavailability of good quality seed material• Increased pest and negligence in plant protection

measures • Improper cultivation practices• Imbalanced nutrient management and other

practices like mono cropping often result in low productivity

• Unpredictable climatic aberrations• Delay of Payment by mill owners to farmers (nearly

One year)

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative(SSI): Approach and activities

• To improve the livelihoods of smallholder sugarcane farmers by enhancing productivity of land and minimizing usage of water and reducing footprint of sugarcane cultivation.”

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative(SSI):‘More (sugarcane) With Less (inputs and water)’

A new paradigm in Sugarcane: SRI showed a way- WWF-ICRISAT

It is an innovative agronomic set of practices to increase the cane yields significantly which involves using

• less seeds• raising of nursery • following new planting methods• with wider spacing • better water management• nutrient management

Basic Principles of SSI1. Raising nursery using single

budded chips2. Transplanting young seedlings (25-

35 days old) 3. Maintaining wider spacing (4X2 ft)

in the main field4. Avoiding in undation of water and

providing sufficient moisture 5. Encouraging organic method of

nutrient and plant protection measures

6. Practicing intercropping with effective utilization of land

2-3 Budded sets & Bud chip

• 2-3 budded sets are normally used for propagation

• In SSI, single budded chips from 7-9 months old healthy canes used

Young seedling from Nursery

• Buds are planted in trays

• Coco-pith (coconut coir waste) used for raising the settlings

• Transplanting of young (25-35 days old) seedlings

Water managementWater management

• Emphasis on sufficient moisture, rather than Emphasis on sufficient moisture, rather than inundating the field with water. inundating the field with water.

• About 40% of water is saved in this method About 40% of water is saved in this method by following measures like raising of nursery, by following measures like raising of nursery, following furrow / alternate furrow following furrow / alternate furrow irrigation, optimum application of water by irrigation, optimum application of water by reducing quantity of waterreducing quantity of water

Organic Methods of Cultivation

• In SSI, inorganic practices like In SSI, inorganic practices like application of chemical application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are fertilizers and pesticides are discouraged. discouraged.

• Farmers are encouraged to Farmers are encouraged to practice practice organic method of method of cultivation like incorporation cultivation like incorporation of organic manures, of organic manures, application of bio-fertilizers application of bio-fertilizers and use of bio-control and use of bio-control measures .measures .

• Encourages better and timely Encourages better and timely

cultural practices like earthing cultural practices like earthing up, propping andup, propping and detrashing,. detrashing,.

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI)…

…an experience so far at NIRMAN

2009-13: SSI in Odisha with Agsri

Type of Farmers covered during Intervention

FarmerCategory

Medium farmers

Small farmers

MarginalFarmers

Landless Farmers

Share croppers

% of Farmers in 2012

4 8 63 25 58

% of Farmers in 2013

2 31 57 10 55

Horizontal expansion of SSI

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

District 1 3 3 5 5

Block 1 5 10 16 20

Panchayat

2 6 25 43 48

Village 7 17 40 81 89

Farmers 20 56 365 610 705

Acre(s) 4 29.73 205 350 425

SSI in 2012…

Liaison office

Regd. office

SSI district

5 Districts20 Blocks48 Panchayats89 Villages705 Farmers425 Acres

We have brought changes adaptive to local resources…

Used raw coco-pith with farm yard manure and/or vermicompost for seedling preparation

Material/Particulars Cost

Processed Coco-pith (Rs 14/kg for 1 Qntl/Acre)

Rs 1400/-

Raw Coco-pith + Vermicompost ( 80 Kg + 20 Kg )

Rs 260/-

Raw Coco-pith + FYM(80 Kg + 20 Kg)

Rs 210/-

Raw Coco-pith + FYM + Vermicompost

(70 Kg + 20 Kg+ 10 Kg)

Rs 240/-

Vermi-compost well and Coco-pith

Coco-pith sieve net

• Adopt integrated nutrition management as opposed to pure chemical method of cultivation

– Seed treated with a composite solution of cow urine and lime– Nutrient supplied vermicompost, jeevamrut, along with relative 60%

reduced quantity of chemical fertilizer– Chemical Input Management costs Rs 2500/- whereas our INM approach

costed only Rs 1200/-

……. Contd.

Bud treatment – Cow urine, lime and water solution

Drying the Bud chips

…Contd• Experimented with spacing from standard 5ft to varied space of 4ft, 3ft and 2ft

as well.

Spacing No. of tillers Length of internodes

Height Girth (in Cm) Weight

B M T

4 ft 08 10 cm 373 cm 7.5 7.1 6.3 2.1 kg

3 ft 08 7.5 cm 357 cm 7.2 6.0 5.2 1.95 kg

2 ft 06 5.5 cm 330 cm 6.7 6.0 4.9 1.7 kg

benefits experienced...Particulars Conventional SSI

Seed 76,800 nodesRs 14400/-

5,600-6,500 budsRs 1300/-

Water 24 hrs/day for 4 days: 8 times in a crop cycle

8 hrs/day for 3 days: 4 times in a crop cycle

Labour (including irrigation)

204 person-days in a crop cycle

136 person-days in a crop cycle

Per Acre Cost Rs 59,200/- Rs 33,200/-

Intercropping Not possible Possible(3 month duration crop)

Yield -Ton/Acre 38-40 50-52

Net Income –Rs./ Acre

19500 53400

Intercrops in SSI Field• Vegetables for household consumption and some hard cash

• The group of 13 members has taken Sugarcane cultivation (IGP) in traditional method investing around Rs 86,350/- for 3.5 acres inclusive of costs like land lease (Rs 42,000) cost, seed, irrigation, fertiliser, labour (excluding self labour of 789 person-days)

At the same time 9 out of 13 members has taken the initiative for SSI in 78 decimil and invested Rs 14,420/- inclusive similar costs like (Rs 9000/- for land lease), labour (excluding self labour of 63 person-days)

Estimating for 25 decimal cost investment they spent 3 times more on traditional approach along with 3 times more time investment.

•The average production they harvested from traditional fields is 32 ton/acre. While from SSI fields it was more than 46 ton/acre.

•The bonus they gained from SSI through intercropping has been estimated to Rs 16400/- which includes okra, cowpea, cucumber and jute

and a success story…

13 April 2010

SSI MANUAL RELEASE in Oriya

Initiatives taken to popularize SSIExperience sharing of Famers at SSI Workshop in Bhubaneswar SSI Training in Nayagarh Dist

Inspiration for other farmers

Type of Land, Cane Variety & Relative Productivity

Cane Variety

CO-6907

86-V-96

83-R-23

1053

Raghunath

Nilamadhab

Biswanath

Charchika

Cane Productivity Vs Type of Land

Land Type Medium Upland

Cane Yield (T/Ac)

60 54

The Strategic Interventions…• Engagement with state, dist. Officials and policy makers• Govt. included 2000 acre in Phailin response• Govt included SSI in RKVY• Farmer’s guidebook on SSI is being used as resource book for farmers• Creating local CRP

Video documentation

Providing support to Dept. of Agriculture, Nayagarh for 20010-11 & 2011-12 and under RKVY-Sugarcane Devp. Prog. and the same to Bargarh in 2012.

Nursery raising

Irrigation to SSI field

Farmer’s Innovative way in earthling up

Rs. 32000 expenses in traditional sugarcane whereas Rs. 2000 in SSI farming per acre

Issues & Concern • Factory owners are not paying in time which

discourages farmers • Govt. is yet to take it up in massive scale• Govt. officials are more concerned on procurement

of materials like tray, fertiliser rather on SSI• Govt. focus on chemical fertilizer and pesticides

irrespective of requirement• Disconnection among Capacity building and SSI

promotion• No assured support from resource agency for SSI

from 2013

Learning: • Simple change to SSI Practice can save huge

loss of cane in planting as seeds, conserve water and bring economic gain to farmers

• 38000 ha. of sugarcane cultivation in Odisha: Farmers can gain only from seed saving around 95 cores of rupees

• Marginal, small & Sharecroppers farmers can go for sugarcane cultivation

• Shift in Young farmer’s migration to SSI• CRP process of SSI extension works well

Photo GalleryBud Chipping

Transplantation in progress

Raising seedling as IGP

Preparing organic manure

Seed Treatment

Photo Gallery

promoting SSI

SSI Training camp

Interaction at field

Experience sharing workshop

Ear thing Up with bullock

Intercrop-ladies finger

Photo Gallery

FFS on SSI

Thank you…