Back J. N. Daniel
BAIF Development Foundation, Pune, India
Abstract
Low production and poverty alleviation are common features of rural farmers
in the dry regions of India. Organic matter that enhances soil quality
is limited in these regions and projects have been initiated to promote
agroforestry among the rural farmers. Thus farmers are encouraged to make
compost to sustain productivity. Organic farming is not considered a priority
in these regions although chemical inputs are limited. Thus conversion
of farms into organic systems is possible to build up soil organic matter
and maintain sustainability. A problem encountered in composting is the
low microbial populations, which could be overcome by technologies such
as that of Effective Microorganisms. The programs carried out by the Foundation
and the potential of using EM in enhancing rural farming systems of dryland
India are presented.