Farmers and Farming Practices

Types:

Localised farming: Farming done on a small scale to meet household

requirements.
Land size : small
Crop variety : single-rice , vegetables ( kitchen garden concept)
Water supply : Rainwater / water storage (doba)
Labour : Female Sowing and reaping activities
Male Ploughing fields
OFI :
Enforcing modern techniques and better crop species for
selection.
Strategies to maximize production beyond household
need to maximize income generation.
Organised Farming: Farming done on a large scale to cater market.
Case Study: Farm of Mr Poresh Biruly from Chittimitti Village,
Jharkhand
Land size : Large (e.g. 35 hectare in case of Paros farm )
Crop variety :
Multiple crops- Quick yielding rice.
Three level farming: Integrated farming practice.Rice
variety differed according to level.
Vegetables (e.g. brinjal ) , fruits( e.g. mangoes)
Water supply : Rainwater / water storage (doba)
Labour : Female Sowing and reaping activities
Male Ploughing fields
Drip Irrigation: Subsidised drip irrigation technique employed.
Reduction in water consumption achieved by 75%.
Increased yield by use of hybrid crop variety
Organised Poultry farming
Organised compost production
OFI :
Govt help in imposing minimum support price as a
protection to farmers against price variance to market
conditions.(e.g. rice has price variation :Rs. 10.5 to
14.5 per kg)
Cold storage erection for preservation of crops like
tomatoes etc.

Education system

1. Anganwadi
Play school for children aged 1 to 6 years.
Children are encouraged by the school teacher to come
Meals are served. Quality: Hygienic and healthy.

Food acts as an incentive for participation.

Participation is around 40 in 2 Anganwadi centres.
OFI: Increase in awareness and promotion of Anganwadi centres.
XLRI Group Activity: Encouraged kids to come forward and tell their
names.
Success: 100% .Encouragement method: Chocolate Distribution.

2. Middle and High School

Case study :Raj Vidyalaya
Class 1 to 8
No of students : 701
No of Teachers : 5
Gender diversity:
Primary School Boys : Girls =34 : 98
Middle School Boys : Girls =269 : 292
Primary school caters to Chittimitti, whereas Middle school attract
students from surrounding villages.
Stipend to students: Rs 500 to 1000 per head.
Dropout cases are high after Class 10.Major cause: Economic
hindrance & encashing of opportunities to earn.
OFI :
Improvement in Teacher to student ratio.
Computer education to be provided
Maintenance of infrastructure facilities at a faster rate.
Concern on inappropriate behaviour of few teachers were
reported.
XLRI Group Activity:

Counselling on benefits of education and a future career perspective

shared with the students of Class 8.Initially the students exhibited
hesitance to interact. However soon the barriers were broken with
enthusiastic participation. Students promised to continue education
till college.

3. Kasturba Gandhi School

School to usher in dropouts.

Strength Approved : 300 Strength Actual : 251

Process of selection appeared robust Identification of dropouts by

mahilla samakhya, verified by School Admin, final selection by
Block.
No of permanent Teachers: 6. Rest visiting teachers.
Admin effective in training and educating the students in academic
discipline, personal discipline and extracurricular.
OFI :
Increase in number of permanent teachers
Infrastructure facilities to be improved
Hygiene needs improvement e.g. an open well with foul
water inside premises; unsafe and can spread diseases.
XLRI Group Activity:

Counselling provided on education and future prospects : the

need to have a dream.
Students were encouraged to participate in quizzes and
display of extracurricular talents like yoga, singing etc.
Drawing competition was organised.

An interaction with village women:

Women are responsible for the social and economic stability of the
family. Males have migrated as labours.
Family size varies from 4 to 14
No discrimination in caste/tribe observed
Govt has funded construction of toilets in homes.
Women have organised themselves into self-help groups.
Prevalent marriage age is low: 14-18(females).This acts as a
hindrance in continuing schooling & increase in school dropout
rates.
Domestic violence prevalent.
Both genders indulge in consuming the local alcohol : Hadiya
Men are involved largely in gambling and other less productive
activities.
Women expressed their vulnerability against exploitation.
They want to raise their voices against alcohol selling but
fears retaliation
Toilets built were of inferior quality but they did not know
whom to approach
Ration supplied is less than their quotas

XLRI Group Activity:

Counselled on the need to curb alcohol consumption

Counselled on the need to encourage their children to continue
higher education.

Ideation on an organised poultry farming through the platform of

self-helps group that would increase productivity and efficient
utilisation of human resource

Self Help groups:

A self-help group (SHG) is a village-based financial intermediary

committee usually composed of 1020 local women
Women in Chittimitti have proactively organised themselves into small
functional groups under ALAG-an umbrella association of all SHGs in
Tantnagar Block. They act as a micro financial institution through
collection of Rs.10 per week from every member. These institutions also
provide loans at a nominal interest.

They organise awareness on social issues like taking Swach Bharat

Aviyan(Village Cleanliness Drive to the grassroots).Besides forming
into women driven groups for periodic cleaning of village , they also
create awareness against use of plastic and installation of beans in
village shops.

Contribution of NGOs:

NGOs like SEEDs have played an engaging role in transforming the

lives of people at Chittimitti and surrounding villages.
SEEDs have trained village women in advanced farming methods:
SERI Technique.
Distributed Seeds for cultivation
Distributed books for children.
Seeds banks are created. It helps prepare for risks of poor rainfall for
at least 1 year.

Way Forward:
Chittimitti

Chitimiti Data
Particulars

Total No. of Houses

Population

Total

Male

Female

263

1,378

673

705

Particulars

Total

Male

Female

Child (0-6)

242

117

125

Schedule Caste

36

17

19

Schedule Tribe

792

383

409

64.17 %

74.46 %

54.31 %

Total Workers

675

342

333

Main Worker

178

Marginal Worker

497

198

299

Literacy

A village with unbound potential for human resource ,

consumer market ; Chitimiti thrives on a simple lifestyle unaware of
the luxuries of the urban world. The people were happy contented.
Major hindrances in the path of progress