Mahiti Trust is also implementing Organic Cotton Farmers’ Training Program in Dholera, Dhandhuka Blocks of Ahmedabad District, Barwala and Ranpur Blocks of Botad District for 2,000 farmers since 2014-15. This program is being supported by CottonConnect South Asia Private Limited in achieving company’s Organic Cotton Farmers’ Training Program’s programmatic objectives by imparting quality farmers training.

The Objectives of the program are as under:

• Develop better understanding of challenges and strengths of Organic Cotton farm groups
• Identify areas of strengths & improvements with special focus on improving integrity
• Identify areas where CottonConnect can support Organic Cotton Farmers to improve yield and profitability for the farmers
• Understand the impact of supportive training on farmers’ ICS system, organic cotton yield and quality and M&E system.

Increased Economic Sustainability:

• Improve livelihood and Profitability of organic cotton farmers
• Reducing input cost / farmer spending and increase in Yield in Organic Cotton.

Increased Environmental Sustainability:

• Healthy farm safeguarding for future generation. Mobilizing farmers to adapt organic cotton cultivation practices.

Healthy farm safeguarding for future generation. Mobilizing farmers to adapt organic cotton cultivation practices.

• Irrigated land – Reduction of 20 % of water usage from year one of project among irrigated farmers against control farmers.
• Rainfed land – increase the use of practices that use water efficiently, e.g. rainwater harvesting and well recharging, promotion of Micro Irrigation System E.g. Drip as well as practices that conserve soil moisture, e.g. mulching
• Awareness generation about Water Conservation methods and benefits.

Increased Social Sustainability

Awareness generation and Capacity building of farmers so that they follow decent work on cotton farm with special focus on:

• Decent work policy
• Awareness raising on child labor – working towards eliminating child labour as defined in ILO convention 138 and 182
• Increase awareness about education for all children with special focus on age group of 6-14 years
• Increase awareness on health and safety at farm level
• Increase in number of women enrolling in training, with activities specifically aimed at women
• Increase in number of farmers / Self Help Groups using and producing organic fertilizers and pesticides ie. Dashparni, Compost, Jeevamrut etc.

Activities and Services

The Service Provider will be expected to deliver the following services and activities to meet the above program objectives:

• Organize awareness rallies / meetings to share highlights of program and enroll farmers.
• Make list of villages & farmers enrolled for the program in the excel format designed in consultation with CottonConnect.
• To implement & provide technical support to farmers and supervise field executives program activities.
• Organize Organic cotton training programs / Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for farmers
• Organize regular and focused communication events through various media like drama, songs, poster, theatre, campaign as per context base in respective communities
• Select suitable farmer plots for the purpose of demonstration as per package of practices, design in coordination with CottonConnect.
• Organize regular farmer learning meetings at the demonstration plots.
• Ensure cultivation on demonstration plots as per defined package of practice
• Ensure that no overlapping of CottonConnect farmers with other programs or projects.
• Other Social awareness training:
  • Conduct sharing meeting among School Management Committee (SMC) formed in villages under Right to Education (RTE) / women SHGs/ Financial Inclusion for Marginalized / Community about Child Labour issue.
  • Conduct Child labor Prevention and awareness camp -Training organized through Audio visual shows.
  • Organize School based program for awareness on insects (beneficial & harmful), important crop stages, Hydrological cycle and Global warming issue with its effect at current as well as future, nature conservation
• Provide necessary support and resources to facilitate visits from CottonConnect and their Partners
• Support Procurement activities at farm level
• Any other activity depending on the requirement of the sustainable training program
• Submission of success stories/ reports /best practices preferably in English as may be required from time to time by CottonConnect.
• Documentation of farmer’s progress along program objectives.
• Ensure recording of progress in farmer field book data, according to timeline below: