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Sustainable Agriculture
Since 2008, SCODWES has transformed the lives of over 200,000 farmers through a range of sustainable agriculture initiatives. Our core objective is to enhance sustainable agricultural practices and improve livelihoods, empowering farmers to adapt to the challenges posed by changing environmental conditions.
We emphasize a holistic approach to farming, supporting various categories including poultry, aquaculture, apiculture, organic farming, and more. By promoting sustainable practices, we aim to foster resilience in farming communities, ensuring food security and enhancing biodiversity for future generations. Through our targeted interventions and dedicated support, SCODWES is dedicated to fostering a more sustainable and thriving agricultural landscape.
Vision
Creating a future where agriculture thrives in harmony with nature, ensuring healthy food and sustainable livelihoods for generations to come.
Mission
Advancing farming practices that protect the environment, empower farmers, and create lasting benefits for people and the planet.
Key Interventions
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)
As a CBBO and Resource Institute, we have successfully promoted Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) under several central and state schemes. We mobilize and organize diverse farming communities, facilitating input supply, establishing marketing linkages, developing value chains, and providing training and capacity-building initiatives to ensure their sustainability.
Watershed Development
SCODWES aims to enhance the management and sustainable utilization of water resources through watershed development. Our integrated approach emphasizes community participation, stakeholder engagement, resource management, and soil and water conservation techniques. We have successfully implemented multiple integrated watershed development projects across several districts, covering a significant area to improve watershed management.
Organic farming
We prioritize promoting organic farming by first educating farmers on transitioning to organic methods. Our approach includes extensive training on organic techniques, encouraging the use of traditional practices such as organic manures, indigenous seed varieties, and traditional harvesting methods. With support from CSR and government agencies, we have successfully implemented initiatives that benefit a significant number of farmers and their agricultural practices.
Apiculture
With support from various stakeholders we are promoting apiculture in the Western Ghats to enhance the income of small and marginal farmers, as well as forest-fringe communities. Our initiative includes training sessions led by experts and the provision of bee colonies, along with guidance on their maintenance. We also assist farmers in marketing their honey.
Poultry farming
We are dedicated to improving the resilience and income of farming communities through integrated farming practices. To support this goal, we promote backyard poultry farming among local tribes by providing capacity building, assistance in constructing poultry sheds, and distributing country chicks. We also help market their products via Poultry Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
Aquaculture
To support coastal communities reliant on fishing and related activities, we have initiated aquaculture interventions in the coastal belts of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa states. Our focus is on organizing these communities into groups and connecting them with mainstream institutions for access to essential services. We organise training sessions to the community emphasizing fish quality management, conservation, and sustainable fishing practices.
Seed Bank
We establish community seed banks that are owned and managed by farmer groups. These banks provide facilities for seed storage, marketing, and the conservation of landraces and wild varieties. For free seed distribution, we follow a 1:3 return model—farmers who receive 1 kg of seeds contribute 3 kg back after harvest. This ensures continuous conservation and multiplication of traditional seed varieties.
Integrated Farming System (IFS)
At SCODWES, we adopt a holistic approach to farmers’ overall development by integrating agriculture with allied activities such as livestock rearing, apiculture, poultry, multi-crop farming systems, agroforestry, and the preparation of bio-inputs using farm-derived resources.
