Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project: Vision Foundation

With the support of implementation units and the departments, a system of technology dissemination and adoption through farmer to farmer extesion approach aiming at the diversification and intensification of agriculture in a sustainable manner.

(PRWEB) January 13, 2004 --Diversification and Intensification in Agriculture sector in Uttar Pradesh is one of the major objectives of the UP Diversified Agricultural Support Project (UPDASP). The project is supporting a farming system approach (FSA) with major emphasis on Natural resource management employment generation, value addition and marketing following participatory management processes through community participation. Large-scale demonstrations on Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are being conducted in the selected villages. The IPNM and IPM demonstrations are aimed at balance use of nutrients, agro-chemicals, improved crop rotations and improved soil analysis capability, which may limit excessive use of hazardous chemicals and in turn may reduce the negative impacts on soil and ground water. Besides, a number of new innovations such as Bio-villages with the major emphasis on introducing Organic Farming with integrated Bio-dynamic practices, vermin compost, vermin-wash, seed villages etc, have also been launched in a modest way. In addition to this, the project is also supporting livestock breed conservation and also introducing new plant genetic material for further improvement of production and productivity in fruits and vegetables, including off-season vegetables. Promotion of hygiene milk production, processing and marketing is also one of the thrust areas to enable the provision of safe milk and milk products.

Manage is providing consultancy support for the Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project which is being implemented by the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, in all its districts with the assistance of the World Bank. The Project aims at promoting functional integration among the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture and Animal Husbandry with particular emphasis on integration at the lowest level, interfacing directly with the ultimate users. New Delhi based consulting group Vision Foundation for Development Management started this programme in five blocks of Ghaziabad (UP) with DASP, with a mission to bring an intensification and diversification of Agriculture activities through farmers participation and empowerment to create self-reliance and sustainable processes and structures. Manage is providing management consultancy and training of trainers in five blocks of Ghaziabad i.e. Loni, Muradnagar, Hapur, Garh and Shimbhawali.
The project would assist the Government of Uttar Pradesh to implement its agricultural strategy to accelerate growth and increase farmers incomes through: I) Promotion of production and Processing of selected high value commodities in respective potential agro-ecological areas, ii) To mobilise private sector initiatives, including NGOs to strengthen the delivery of direct agricultural services in terms of input supplies and value addition, iii) Strengthen rural infrastructure in terms of rural credit, roads and markets, iv) to improve the public sector technology generation and dissemination systems and reorient them to be more farmer friendly and v) develop viable farmers organisations to achieve sustainable agricultural development. Manage has prepared a proposal for the technology dissemination sub-sector, with special emphasis on organizational and management; agricultural communication; farmers organisations and human skill enhancement.

In the States of Uttar Pradesh villagers (Grameen) engaged in activities, which support entrepreneurs and the farming community. In some districts of Uttar Pradesh the projects are under the banner of UP Diversified Agriculture Support Project (UPDASP) and World Bank. The main activities are group formation, mobilisation of farming community for diversification of agriculture and credit linkages, marketing information and assistance.

VISION FOUNDATION For Development Management is a premier (Human) Development Management Research-consulting and Training organization with a primary objective of promoting Development Management as a new discipline of Management parallel to Corporate Management. As a part of our effort to develop a Model Programme for imitation / replication, we have initiated, an integrated Market Linked Income Generating Programme for Tribal, Rural & Slum Women. It has been selected as a GLOBAL EXPO-2000 Project (out of only 500 projects selected globally) and was exposed in EXPO at HANNOVER, Germany during July to October, 2000, making VISION FOUNDATION a Global Organisation.
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