EXPERIENCES OF RURAL BIO-RESOURCE COMPLEX PROJECT

IN INTENSIFICATION OF SMALL FARM HOLDINGS

Dr.K.Narayana Gowda
Principle Investigator & Vice Chancellor
University of Agricultural Sciences
GKVK, Bangalore – 560 065

Dr.K.C.Narayana Swamy Dr.S.V.Suresh Mr. Babu RM Ray

Prof. & Project Coordinator Assoc. Professor Asst. Professor
Coordinator, Bakery Training Unit
 FACTORS CONTRIBUTED FOR DECLINE IN THE
ECONOMY OF THE FARMERS

 Escalation in cost of production resulting reduced profit margin

 Inadequate information support system
 Decline in soil fertility and productivity
 Inadequate market facility and lack of scientific price for produce
 Depletion of ground water and environmental degradation
 Division and fragmentation of land holdings
 Unorganized farming sector

Leading to apathy, loosing interest among farmers particularly

present day rural youth in farming and migration to urban areas –
in extreme cases suicide
 RURAL BIO-RESOURCE COMPLEX PROJECT

Funding Institution : DBT, Government of India

Budget outlay : Rs. 4.36 Cr (expenditure – 3.86 Cr.)
Period : Apr.2005 to Mar.2010
Project Location : Tubagere Hobli, Bangalore Rural District
Annual rainfall : 768 mm – Eastern Dry Zone
No. of families : 8340
No. of Villages : 75
Geographical Area : 13,990 ha
Cultivable area : 9469 ha (82% dryland)

Mandate: To increase income and living standard of rural families

 BASELINE SURVEY
Big
Landless Farmers
Labours 8%
26%

Small &
Marginal
Farmers
66%

Composition of families – Project area

SPECIAL FEATURES OF
Profitable and Sustainable
THE PROJECT Technologies

Information Support System

Providing Quality Critical Inputs &

Custom hire service centre
SPECIAL
FEATURES OF
THE PROJECT Effective Functional Linkage

Marketing Support

Establishment of Commodity
Based Associations

IFSD & END TO END ISSUES

 I. PROFITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES

• Field crops
 Ragi Cultivation
 Maize cultivation
 Redgram cultivation
 Sunflower cultivation
 Sweet corn cultivation
 Pop corn cultivation
 Baby corn cultivation
• Horticultural crops
 Improved cultivation practices in banana
 Drumstick cultivation
 Improved French Beans production
 Open field rose cultivation
• Animal Based Enterprises
 Fish culture
 Sheep rearing
 Backyard poultry
• Natural Resource Conservation and Management
 Biofuels
 Organic Farming
 Water use efficiency
 Integrated farming system
• Seed Production activities
• Sericulture and Chawki Rearing Centre
• Value added products in Ragi, redgram & jackfruit
 II.INFORMATION SUPPORT SYSTEM

• Eight young scientists (RAs, SRFs & JRFs) supported by 30 Sr. scientists.
• 356 training programmes covering 13,841 farmers
• Exposure of 4,362 farmers to latest farm technologies in Krishimelas.
• 166 video-conferences involving 99,600 farmers.
• Field days, exhibitions, crop campaigns and vanamahotsava
• Weather information to the farmers
• Recognition and award to farmers and farm women
III. CRITICAL INPUTS & CUSTOM HIRE SERVICES

 Seeds, seedlings / tissue culture banana / rose cuttings,

mulberry cuttings, saplings of bio-fuel and fruit species.
 Bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, bio-control agents and
earthworms
 Sheep, poultry birds and fish fingerlings
 CUSTOM HIRE SERVICE

Tractors,Power tiller, Cultivator, Rotovator, Digger, Land leveler,

Harrow(Halube), Disc, MB-Plough, Power weeder, Power sprayer
 IV. EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONAL LINKAGE (14)

KVK Bangalore
Rural District,
Hadonahally

Financial Res.
Institution Organizations

Corporation ISRO, IIHR,

Bank CSR & TI

RBRC
UAS (B)
Marketing
Agencies Dev. Depts.-6
- KSDA, KSDH,
KAPPEC, KSSD, Vet. &
HOPCOMS, SAFAL Input Animal Sciences,
agencies, KSMB, KSFD
NGOs, Local
Farmers’
Groups
 CONTRIBUTIONS OF OTHER AGENCIES
Corporation Bank Financial assistance for Marketing complex and biofuel
extraction unit
Instituted Corp Prasasthi Awards
Department of Subsidy for Banana, Mango, Sapota, flower crops and
Horticulture vermicompost pits
Two projects on Bhendi and Beans seed production
Financial assistance for national workshop on Jack.
Department of Financial assistance for promotion of organic farming
Agriculture and custom hire centre
Marketing Board Cold storage facility
Department of Financial Assistance for CRC and Drip irrigation in
Sericulture mulberry
Department of Rejuvenation of degraded forest land and supply of
Forest forest seedlings
ISRO VRC and Expert centre
Grama Panchayat,
Office space free of cost
Hodonahalli
 V. MARKETING SUPPORT
1. Institutional Marketing Linkage
 SAFAL
 APMC
 HPCOMS
 Reliance

2. Direct Sale by Producers

 Marketing complex
 Bakery

 Imparting knowledge and skill on

• Grading
• Packing and
• Branding
Timely marketing information
 VI. COMMODITY BASED ASSOCIATIONS

 Rural Biofuel Growers Association

 Jack Growers Association
 Fruits & Vegetables Growers
Association
 Organic Farming Farmers Association
 Flower Growers Association
 Corn Growers Association
 Federation of Women SHGs
 Fish Farmers Association
 Agro Processors Association
 Chawki Rearing Centres
 Intervention-wise Achievements
Improved cultivation of
Finger millet
Average Yield (Q/ac): 14
Net income(Rs./ac): 11,000
B:C Ratio: 1.83
Yield improvement: 38%
Improved cultivation of
corn crops
Average Yield (Q/ac):25
Net income(Rs./ac): 15,000
B:C Ratio: 2.5
Yield improvement : 15%
Improved cultivation of
Sunflower
Average yield (Q/ac.): 8
Net income(Rs./ac): 16,000
B:C Ratio: 2.0
Yield improvement : 18%
Seed production
Net income (Rs./ac):25,000
B:C Ratio: 2.67
Incremental income : 120%
Open field Rose cultivation
Average Yield (Q/ac): 210
Net income(Rs./ac): 5,85,000
B:C Ratio: 3.9
Newly introduced crop
Improved Red Gram
cultivation
Average Yield (Q/ac.): 7
Net income(Rs./ac): 15500
B:C Ratio: 2.75
Yield improvement : 45%
Apiculture
70 units
Average yield (kg/hive): 3.50
Net Income(Rs./box) : 200
B:C ratio: 2.5
Tissue culture Banana
cultivation
Average Yield (tons/ac.): 32
Net income (Rs./ac):
1,94,000
B:C Ratio: 6.46
Yield improvement : 12%
Value added products from
finger millet
Agro processing centre
No. of families: 100
Total Production (Qtls): 45
Net income(Rs./kg): 30
B:C Ratio: 0.66
Promotin of Biofuel
Species:
Pongamia,Neem, Mahua,
Castor
Seedlings planted: 65000
Oil expelling unit:
100tons/year
Drum stick cultivation
No. of Families: 200
Net income
(Rs/ac.):40,000
BC Ratio : 1.69
Yield improvement: 23%
Organic farming
Vermicompost units-60
Earth worms-60 kgs
Green manure : 400 kgs
Neem care: 60 litre
Biofertilizers: 250 kgs
Japanese compost unit:
10
Sheep rearing Sericulture
Number of units : 838 Average yield
Net income (Rs./unit): (kg/ac/year): 1080
5715 Net income
B:C Ratio: 4.7 (Rs./ac/year): 1,34,400
B:C Ratio: 2.24
Yield improvement :
75%
Back yard poultry Fish rearing in
Number of units : 3720 irrigation ponds
No. of Families :524 Average Yield (kg/
Avg. weight :3.5 kg pond): 37.50
Net income (Rs./unit): Net income(Rs./pond):
600 1375
B:C Ratio: 2.75
Newly introduced
 INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES CREATED

• Automatic Weather Station in the KVK premises

• Marketing Complex for Sale of VAPs
• Marketing Complex for the sale of Agri.-Hort. Produce
• Chawki Rearing Centre.
• Poultry Demonstration Unit
• Fish Demonstration units
• Two Agro-Processing Units
• Biofuel Extraction unit
 PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS
 Significant improvement on knowledge, skill and attitude
 Optimum utilization of resources
 Shift in cropping pattern from low to high value dryland crops
 Increase in crop productivity
 Improved access to direct market and remunerative price
 Generation of additional employment
 Inclusive growth
 Improvement in social and nutritional status
 Retaining majority of farm youth in agriculture
 Three fold increase in income
 11 % agricultural growth rate
 Shared labour concept, community harmony
 Minimized social conflicts
 VISITORS
The project attracted variety of visitors – from within and
outside the state as well as across the countries (22)

Visitors Outside the Outside the Within the Total

Category country state state

VIPs - 15 50 65
Scientists 113 240 56 409
Farmers - 180 10230 10410
Students 23 36 850 909
Total 136 471 10786 11,993
IMPORTANT VISITORS TO THE PROJECT AREA

Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam Dr.M.Mahadevappa

Dr.S.A.Patil Dr.V.L.Chopra
Dr.Joseph Modayal Dr.Suresh Kumar

Dr. S. Ayyappan, DG, ICAR & Secretary, DARE

Dr. Hans Raj Bharadhwaj, His Excellency The Governor of Karnataka
 Sri. H.D. Devegowdaji, Former Prime Minister of India

Dr.V.V. Sadamate. Sri.Bharat lal meena.

 SPREAD OF TECHNOLOGY /
REPLICATION OF THE MODEL

 DBT has replicated this model in North Eastern States

 Litchi Growers Associations have been established in Bihar on the
lines of Commodity Based Associations
 Karnataka Government has earmarked Rs.75 crores for replication
of RBRC model in all 29 KVKs in Karnataka covering 1.25 lakh ha
during 2011-12 to 2013-14
 Govt. of Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh have approached the
University to provide technical know-how to replicate this model in
their states.
 RBRC MODEL
STRATEGIES LONGTERM BENEFITS

Nutritional Intake
Promotion of Appropriate
Interventions
INITIAL BENEFITS Better Education
Effective Information
Support System
Improved Housing
Effective Functional
Linkage Increased Productivity
Increased Income Leadership
Marketing support Employment Generation
Social Status
Providing Critical
Inputs
Social Mobility
Commodity Based
Associations Communication
Skills

Improved
Standard of Living
 CONCLUSION
 The model has the special feature of intensification of small
farmers through IFSD approach and ensures end-to-end approach
without leaving any issues for chance factor.
 The chances of success of improving productivity and income are
certain in the process of sustainable development of small
farmers.
 Hence the RBRC model evolved and tested could be replicated
or scaled up across the country with some modifications or
refinements to suit different agro-ecological situations with varied
resource base of the farmers.