"SMART FARMERS COMMUNITY" OF HINDUSTAN ZINC UNDER PROJECT SAMADHAN

For centuries, Lal Singh, a farmer from Singhatwada, Zawar Rajasthan, has been in his ancestral farming business, but he, his family, and 3500 other people from the same village never experimented with any crop. After feeling the need to change, he attended a training programme under the Samadhan project in Bandhanwada, Ajmer. He then started exploring organic methods of growing the crop along with bio-fertiliser and bio-pesticides while applying an advanced method of drip irrigation, which helped him to grow crops with a minimal amount of water. As a result, the crop produced was enormous, and he also earned a profit of Rs 1.5 lakh. Dinesh Chandra Sharma of Kashmor Gram Panchayat Chittorgarh, on the other hand, is a living example of the proverb "Nothing is Impossible." After attending the 5-day mushroom training program, he extended his farming practise and started selling mushrooms in malls, hotels, and directly to the customers, thus earning more than what he used to earn earlier.

The SAMADHAN programme primarily focuses on farm-based interventions that leverage community participation to deliver results by offering hands-on experience with proven technologies, good management techniques, etc. to ensure the continued involvement of newer generations in the management of farm operations.

The Samadhan programme is touching the lives of over 30,000 farmers. Of these, 4,300 female farmers are receiving guidance on different agricultural interventions, while another 5,000 have received training on improved agricultural and animal husbandry practices. Furthermore, 10,000 farmers were offered training and capacity-building on improved agriculture practices. Also, 13,838 farmers have received assistance for the use of high-tech vegetable cultivation, low tunnel farming, trellis farming, mushroom farming, orchard farming, etc.

Besides engaging, Samadhan has helped more than 4,000 farmers through its various ground-breaking initiatives like FPO (Farmer Producer Organizations) and FIG (Farmer Interest Groups), which continuously support the farmers to scale their businesses by providing quality materials at an affordable price, access to the latest agriculture practices, high-wage labourers, etc.

At present, Samadhan has helped to create 38+ lakhs in share capital as well as 224 FIGs that ensure seamless communication with farmers at the grassroots level. The point of the limelight is that FPOs, which started selling farm-related products in May 2022, have already generated Rs. 79 Lakhs in revenue.

Additionally, it has also helped set up a dairy processing micro-enterprise under one of the FPOs. This new unit processes 250 litres collected from its 33 farmer members every single day! What is even more heartening to note is that the unit has already procured close to 25,000 litres of milk, over 30,000 litres of buttermilk, and 450 litres of Bilona Ghee.

Hindustan Zinc's CSR initiatives are not only inspiring corporates to serve a sustainable future but also helping the farmer community to develop themselves with updated functioning in the sector. Nevertheless, this process of change is, directly and indirectly, contributing to the economy of India.