1.SUSTAINABLE FARMING

The focus of EP’s program of sustainable farming is to support farmers in farm productivity enhancement through scientific farming, farmers training, agriculture value chain development, etc. Program has been growing in scale and scope year-on-year.

Till now, EP has registered 2750 farmers in Tijara Block from Alwar district and help them to improve their farm productivity by adopting modern and scientific farming. EP nurtures and motivates farmers to adopt best practices through exposure visits to agriculture institutes, Kisan Vikas Kendra (KVKs) modern farms etc. Farmers have been regularly taken to exposure visits to places like IARI Pusa-  Delhi,  Agritech Fair - Gurgaon, local KVKs, Grewal farms etc. EP facilitates frequent interaction with sustainable farming experts to handhold, guide and address farmers problems and queries.

EP helped over 1550 farmers to make soil health cards, and 1030 farmers have been trained in soil health management, use of right seeds, pest management, risk mitigation, storage of produce, and organic farming and horticulture farming etc. 640 farmers have been covered under usage of seed project.

 Plant a Tree for Life( PTFL): END POVERTY  is promoting horticulture farming under the brand name  "Plant a Tree for Life"   to improve the income of small farmers in a sustainable manner. Program is implemented in Tijara block of Alwar district of Rajasthan, India as horticulture farming is the best solution towards sustainable farming as it consumes less water, gives more returns, needs less labour, improve the local environment and family nutrition. To promote sustainability and reduce water consumption in farming, EP is helping farmers to diversify  from field crops to horticulture crops.

Till now , EP  has distributed 40,305 fruit saplings  to over 749 farmers in 70 villages. The  fruit saplings include Guava , Lemon , Sweet lime , kinoo ,Pomegranate , Black Berry , papaya ,JackFruit, Ziziphus (Ber).

To further support Tijara farmers that grow fruit and vegetables in sales and marketing of their produce at competitive prices, End Poverty has formed a Fruits and Vegetable Producer Company "Dinker Agriculture Producer Company Limited" to support small and marginal farmers in Tijara this year with a purpose to enhance farm productivity, efficient value chain development and providing market linkage thus eliminating the petty traders who often exploit the farmers.

Story of Beneficiary : Mr Haroon ,Horticulture Farmer       

Haroon, Farmer, Patan Khurd “I am a farmer and own 5 bigha of land. I used to grow coarse cereal in my fields till I came in contact with End Poverty. At the time my average income was Rs 25,000 per bigha per annum. EP introduced me to horticulture farming. Now I grow fruits in one Bigha and earn almost double the normal crop. I also used cotton seeds provided by EP, which has increased my income by Rs 15,000 per bigha. I am convinced that on the same land I can now earn more.”

2.WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

End Poverty’s work on women’s economic empowerment is manifested through its Ajivika Craft Centre Program running since 2010 in Tijara villages. The program has been co-designed and modified over the period with frequent feedback and engagements with the participant women, potential markets, design institutions and other institutions in the craft sector

Ajeevika Craft centers set up at the village level are fully equipped with motorized machines, support kit and necessary furniture/fixture to train the rural women of Tijara Block to produce marketable products. The brand for marketing products made by these women has been named ‘Tijara Craft’ .The focus of the program is up-skilling and training beneficiaries in improving their cutting & stitching skill, product finishing skills, accessory production, etc. Centre facilitators are trained to streamline operations of ACCs, product design & development.

 Products like different types of bags, pouches, cushion cover, table runners, quilt,rachis, accessories, handmade stationery  etc. are being made by these women and marketed to earn extra income. Payment is made directly to the woman beneficiary on monthly basis

From past 2 years , the focus of ACC activities included production of eco-friendly cloth grocery bags in the program to not only provide a means of livelihood but also to protect the environment by  replacing one-time-use plastic bags with reusable biodegradable cloth bags. Saving and caring for the environment has always been EP’s priority.

Since the program commenced, more than 340 women were trained under the ACC in different craft activities. 

These women have also been mobilized in SHG(Self Help Groups)  to encourage the habit of regular savings and pool in these savings for inter-loaning during the time of need or urgency. These Groups meet in a disciplined manner to collect their savings and allocate it effectively to the neediest.

 EP helps them in opening group bank accounts so as to keep their savings and leverage it further to avail credit for starting various income generation activities.

Pls visit Tijara craft website: https://tijaracraft.com/  for handicraft products made by the women of Tijara.

Story of  Beneficiary :Papita sahayika of Nakhnaul Ajivika Craft Centre  :          

 “We are a farmers family but we own only 1 bigha of land which is not sufficient to take care of our family’s needs. We often engage as agricultural labour to sustain our family which is not available round the year. We are always in need of new sources of income. End Poverty provided us with the opportunity to earn. It trained us and provided us the equipment to run a stitching center for 8-10 women artisans in our hamlet in village Nakhnaul. We have received and converted many work-orders. Now I use my extra time in stitching various orders which we receive with the help of End Poverty. I enjoy doing this work as this gives me extra income and the opportunity to use my free time.”

3.DAIRY DEVELOPMENT :

Dairy farming is an extremely important economic activity. But the dairy value chain is infested with petty middlemen in the absence of many organized players to procure the surplus milk, and farmers are exploited at every stage. Income from dairy farming is extremely important to sustain the family as landholding in the area is small and income from agriculture is not enough to feed the family.

EP has covered 7,518 farmers from Alwar and Jaipur district of Rajasthan & Mewat district in Haryana. EP is supporting the farmers in by providing training on modern dairy farming practices, and getting the best genetics to improve their animal breed and guide them about balanced nutrition. 

EP launched the Shwetdhara project in the Jaipur district with support from IDFC First Bank .The main objective of the project is to improve the breed in the proposed area and the activities carried out to achieve the project objectives include artificial insemination, treatment, feed and fodder services, and supply of feed additive and supplements. During FY 2018- 19, EP succeeded in registering 3206 farmers from 64 villages of Kishangarh Renwal block and Pashu Vikas Kendra, Boraj of Mauzmabad tehsil of Jaipur district. 2 Pashu Vikas Kendras have been established, each of which is covering 32 villages. 64 women have been trained as Gram Sakhis to act as a link between farmer and EP’s team of experts including Veterinary Doctors, Agriculturists, Livestock Assistants.

Achievements:

- Over 7,518 farmers from Jaipur and Alwar district of Rajasthan are covered under this program and supported through the supply of high-quality genetic material for breed improvement, animal nutrition, and health services by a committed team of Veterinary doctors, AI technicians and trained pashu shakhi.

-High-quality cattle feed dissemination activity launched in May 2019.

-Health Advisory services are provided to farmers.

-Training is conducted on ’Feed Management and Milk Production’, a modern dairy farm, etc.

-EP has mobilized 64 Pashu Sakhi's who are trained as barefoot doctors at the village level to provide basic services to farmers at doorstep.

Story of Beneficiary : Rameshwar Lal, Dairy Farmer , Nandri Village , Renwal
“I am a dairy farmer from Renwal village, Jaipur. Earlier, I used cattle feed of different brands mixed with Daliya, Chokar, Oil Cakes, etc, and now I use Shwetdhara cattle feed. The change in my dairy farming practice has reduced my input cost and made a huge difference to my income since this has reduced the cost of feeding by Rs 50 per animal per day. The health of all my animals has improved and milk and fat have increased. Because of Shwetdhara program my income has increased by Rs.10,500 per month”

 

4.YOUTH EMPLOYMENT :

1. Gurukul: - The 100 days, residential Gurukul is a livelihood development initiative launched in 2015 with an emphasis on extensive experiential learning.

The Gurukul model has been designed and developed by our knowledge partner, Nudge Life Skills Foundation (NLF) with whom we implement the program end-to-end, including content development/customization, training delivery and fundraising via institutional grants. The program focuses on poverty alleviation by building strong 360-degree life skills, learning and economic foundation for poor in residential "Gurukuls", along with placement assistance. Reached out to youth in Bihar, UP, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh and launched three new initiatives – BPO, Retail, and Electrical.

EP has successfully trained and placed over 4,872 students with an average salary of Rs 14,500 per month.

2. Unnati Computer Centre: - EP designed and launched a new skilling program Unnati primarily for girls who have passed class 10 and are in need of jobs. The project was launched in February 2017 with the support of Xceedance Co. To accomplish the project objectives, EP tied-up with the NIIT Foundation to train the students in a structured syllabus and have accredited certification. Youths from many villages such as Bhondsi, Tikri, Teekli, Badshahpur, Maruti Kunj, Aklimpur, etc. from the Gurgaon district were mobilized for the Basic Computer Course. The English language was being taught to the students of Unnati by a qualified ESL instructor using Cambridge books to teach vocabulary and grammar that they can use in everyday life. Youth were supported in organizing and participating in several events to enable their learning and personality development. During the year 55 students completed the course successfully and all students who needed placement got placed with a good salary package through the Unnati Computer Centre.