INTRODUCTION:

Rural Uplift Centre (RUC), supported by Manos Unidas, Spain has relieved the poor from poverty and prepared them for responding climate change induced disasters. RUC did a door to door survey of the 400 poor farmers, who have cultivated paddy, banana, cotton, groundnut, Cereals, Vegetables, Rubber, Coconut and raised goats, cow, hen, etc. in Tirunelveli & Kanyakumari Districts and come out with the following observations. 

Paddy Cultivation by 139 Farmers:

Area cultivated in acres	200.06
Input Cost in thousands	2779.30
Yield rupees in thousands	6542.50
Profit rupees in thousands	3763.20

 Each farmer got an average profit of Rs. 27,073.38 per month through paddy cultivation.

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for four months is not included. The harvest is only once in two years, if there is sufficient water.

Banana Cultivation by 269 Farmers:

 

Area cultivated in acres	261.56
Input Cost in thousands	10719.65
Yield rupees in thousands	28294.40
Profit rupees in thousands	17574.75

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.65,533.64 per month through banana cultivation.

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 12 months is not included.

Cotton Cultivation by 29 Farmers:

 

Area cultivated in acres	27.00
Input Cost in thousands	247.50
Yield rupees in thousands	675.00
Profit rupees in thousands	427.50

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.14,741.38 in 6 months. This is an additional crop raised in the paddy field during the year.

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 6 months is not included. 

Groundnut Cultivation by 25 Farmers:

 

Area cultivated in acres	28.60
Input Cost in thousands	173.50
Yield rupees in thousands	516.80
Profit rupees in thousands	343.30

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.13,732/- in 3 months. This is an additional crop raised during the year.

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 3 months is not included. 

Cereals Cultivation by 47 Farmers:

 

Area cultivated in acres	21.32
Input Cost in thousands	216.19
Yield rupees in thousands	548.00
Profit rupees in thousands	331.82

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.7,059.89 in 3 months. Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 3 months is not included. 

 Vegetables Cultivation by 208 Farmers:

 

Area cultivated in acres	49.92
Input Cost in thousands	1284.60
Yield rupees in thousands	2943.70
Profit rupees in thousands	1659.10

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.7,976.44 in 3 months. This is an additional crop raised in the paddy fields.

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 3 months is not included. 

Rubber Cultivation Farmers - 94:

Area cultivated in acres	74.88
Input Cost in thousands	2541.70
Yield rupees in thousands	5911.20
Profit rupees in thousands	3369.50

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.35,845.74 in 3 months. 

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 3 months is not included. 

Coconut Cultivation by 124Farmers:

 

Area cultivated in acres	62.40
Input Cost in thousands	1282.40
Yield rupees in thousands	3784.50
Profit rupees in thousands	2502.10

Each farmer got an average profit of Rs.20,178.23 per month through coconut cultivation.

Limitations: 1.The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 12 months is not included.

2. There is a pest attack called “aceria guerreronis”, which reduces the yield in theentire District.

Animal Husbandry

No. of farmers	No. of Animals	Input Cost	Yield rupees	Profit rupees
Cow rearing farmers - 209	560.00	1636.10	4590.25	2954.15
Hen rearing farmers - 197	5082.00	703.83	1917.10	1213.27
Goat rearing farmers - 173	1307.00	693.50	3371.20	2677.70
Bee keeping farmers - 45	2417.00	218.00	1141.00	923.00
Total	9366.00	3251.43	11019.55	7768.12

209 cow rearing farmers got an average profit of Rs.14,134.69 in 12 months. 

197 poultry rearing farmers got an average profit of Rs.6,158.73 in 12 months. 

173 goat rearing farmers got an average profit of Rs.15,478.03 in 12 months.

45 goat rearing farmers got an average profit of Rs.20,511.11 in 12 months.

The above are the additional income earned through cattle rearing.

Limitations: The labour cost of the beneficiaries for 12 months is not included. 

Preparedness Programme:

Schemes	No. of Farmers
Crop Insurance / Risk transfer	128
Life Insurance / Risk transfer	238
Animal Insurance / Risk transfer	156
Benefit from Govt. Schemes	205
Disaster Management Task force / Groups	20
Disaster Management Information centre	20

Mitigation Activities:

Mitigation Activities	No. of Farmers
Water bodies deepened / maintained	312
Converting conventional electric bulb in to CFL / LED	353
Rain water collection tanks constructed	311

Other benefits: 

In addition to the increase in income the following benefits are obtained by the intervention of RUC.

1. Ensured food security at the household and community level.

2. Relieved from poverty and hunger.

3. Able to get organic food for the family and to the community.

4. Dependency on external input and cost of input is reduced (cost of manure and pest repeller).

5. Dependency on external technology is reduced (production of manure, pest repeller and seeds). 

6. Soil fertility and water holding capacity of the soil increased.

7. The farmers are capable of articulating and disseminating the organic farming strategy to their fellow farmers.

8. The readiness for disaster response enhanced among the beneficiaries. 

Challenges:

1. The percentage of the presence of Humus is not studied scientifically. The minimum one percentage of the presence of humus has to be ensured for sustainable yield. In order to enhance the percentage of humus additional organic manure has to be applied.

2. There is severe challenge for controlling the disease and pests as many of the farmers are still practicing in organic strategy and doing monoculture.

3. The organic certification process is lengthy and costly. 

4. Lack of scientific experimental farms for seed production, compost production, plant growth tonics, pests repellers, experimenting the usage of various types of pest traps and usage of various bio fertilizers.