Integrated Bodi based farming system A boon for the tribal families

The Bodi based integrated farming system implemented in Maharashtra has enhanced the livelihoods of small scale farmers. Through its various integrated components, the model has proved to enhance income, family nutrition, farm resilience and sustainability.

Fishery has an important role in providing nutrition and livelihoods for small scale farmers in India. It provides employment to approximately 14.5 million in India. Along with sea and ocean fishery, freshwater fishery has an important role in supporting livelihoods. The depleting water resources and increasing water pollution however, have challenged inland fisheries. Several water bodies in rural areas are underutilized and have potential for promoting fisheries. Etapalli and Bhambragad in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra is one such area which has significant potential for promoting fisheries.

Etapalli and Bhambragad with more than 80% belonging to tribal community, live in acute poverty. Majority of the area is under forest cover. Majority of the families depend on subsistence agriculture and certain forest resources for their livelihoods, which are further impacted due to climate change. The depleted natural resources over the years and reduced crop diversity have further enhanced the vulnerability of the farmers.

 Fishery based integrated farming: a key opportunity

The tribal communities in the area have maintained certain rich traditional system including the  Bodi. A large proportion of landholding households own small water bodies referred to as the Bodis in the region. The presence of these Bodis on farmland is a characteristic feature of the area. These Bodis provide protective irrigation for the paddy crop during dry spells in Kharif season. Some farmers also harvest some fish from the Bodis for home consumption.

During the initial survey, it was found that the  Bodis were not managed properly. Also there was a need to improve the cropping practices. A Bodi based integrated farming system was thus promoted by BAIF Development Research Foundation through the support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The goal was to improve livelihoods and resilience of the needy families by promoting farm diversification. The initiative is implemented in 8 villages.

Concept of Circularity and Resilience

The bodi based system will help establishing circularity in the farming system. The circularity will revolve around the bodi based farming system. The deepening of bodies will help improve the water holding capacity of the bodies and the soil moisture content in the adjoining fields. Various measures are promoted for improving the aquatic plants in the bodies. This will create suitable conditions for inland fishery. Poultry and duck rearing are introduced along the bodies. The poultry and duck droppings will help further enrich the bodi water for aquatic and fish growth. The fishery waste will further help improve the availability of plant nutrients in the water. This water will be used by the horticulture plants and vegetable crops. The nutrient rich water will further help improve the plant growth and help improve the yields of the crops while reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers.

Social organisation and capacity building

The farmers are organized into 8 village planning committees known as “Gram Niyojan Samiti”. These village planning committees are actively involved in planning and follow-up of village level initiatives for the Bodi farmers. These committees play a crucial role in bringing together farmers for training and capacity-building events. It is further planned to federate the committees to form a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) at the cluster level. In future, the FPO will undertake collective procurement of inputs and establish market linkages of farm produce.         

Farmers were sensitized and trained on various improved practices of fish cultivation. These trainings included actual field demonstrations on Bodi preparation, water quality assessment, release of fingerlings in the ponds, feed management, identification of the diseases, fish growth monitoring etc. Nearly 300 farmers were trained. Initially, those offering trainings could not converse in Madia, the common language followed by the participants. To overcome the challenge, BAIF identified Community Resource Persons(CRP) from the villages who could understand Marathi. These CRPs helped in translation during the trainings and demonstrations. The training material was also translated into Madia language with easy-to-follow pictorial depictions. 

Initiative on the ground

Traditionally the Bodis have been used as a source of water for protective irrigation for the paddy fields. Majority of the Bodis are silted, thereby limiting their storage capacities. The Bodis are first desilted. The excavated silt is applied to the fields. The Bodis are used for improved fish cultivation.

The farmers trained in appropriate methods of pond measurement and pond preparation before initiating the activity. The pond preparation involved appropriate practices like ploughing and lime application. The major fish cultivated include Rohu, Katla, Grass Carp and Common Carp. A combination of surface feeders, bottom feeders and middle level feeders were introduced to optimize returns from the activity. Farmers were trained to calculate the number of fingerlings based on the water availability in each pond. Farmers were guided for appropriate management of fish feed through application of cow-dung, oil-seed cake and fertilizers. To ensure the availability of timely and quality fingerlings in the area, a fish hatchery was promoted in the cluster.

Poultry housing in the form of machans were developed on the Bodis. The poultry birds play an important role in supporting the fish. The waste of these birds helps in improving the feed availability for the fish. Besides, poultry eggs and birds also serve as an additional source of income to the farmers. Appropriate vaccination and management practices were introduced for the birds. 

As rice is the main crop in the area, improved cultivation practices including improved varieties were introduced. Horticulture crops like custard apple and acid lime were planted along the farm bunds and the bunds of the Bodis. Diverse vegetable crops in the form of nutrition gardens are established on small plots of their farmland. The water from the Bodis is rich in certain nutrients due to fish cultivation. This water is further used for the crops thereby providing essential nutrients to the plants. Farmers were trained on various practices for organic matter recycling through composting practices and production of vermicompost. Sensitization and capacity building was organised on maintenance of the forest trees and sustainable harvesting of NTFPs (Non Timber Forest Produce).

Outcomes

The key outcomes of the Bodi based integrated farming are as follows.

The average quantity of fish produced in each Bodi was around 30 kg per family. By adopting improved practices, farmers were able to harvest around 128 kg of fish per Bodi per year. This has further resulted in enhancing their income. The average farm returns has increased from Rs. 45,000/- to nearly Rs. 1 lakh per annum. The fruit trees will further add to these returns in future. The income from fishery and poultry will also improve as the farmers gain better skills. The source wise returns before and after the intervention are presented in Table 1. 

Table 1: Source wise annual farm returns

Note: The value of produce is calculated based on the average farmgate price for various farm produce

Overcoming challenges

During the initial phase various challenges were faced while promoting the Integrated Bodi farming system. These challenges include low confidence among the participants. This was addressed through discussions and demonstrations.

Access to quality fingerlings in the area, was a challenge. This was addressed by providing linkage with reputed fish hatcheries from adjoining area. A new hatchery is also being developed in the region for long term availability of quality fingerlings.

Grazing animals were causing damage to the Bodi structures as well as to the crops. The village community was sensitized on the adoption of controlled grazing at village level. This decision by the village panchayats has encouraged several other farmers also to adopt the Bodi based approach as well as cultivation of rabi crops.

Some farmers also have experienced theft of fish, vegetables and poultry birds as well as attack of poultry birds by wild animals. These challenges are being addressed by farmers by shifting their residence or developing temporary residences near the Bodis. Low-cost fencing around the farms, is also being tried. 

Way forward

Despite challenges, so far 226 families have benefited through the programme. Additionally,  600 families will be covered during the upscaling phase. The Bodi based integrated farming system has created multiple livelihood sources for the farmers. It has increased the diversity in the farming system and the nutritional diversity at the family level. The Bodi based integrated farming system through its various integrated components has enhanced the resilience of the farm and has promoted sustainability. It is a replicable model with multiple outcomes for improved and sustainable livelihoods and sustainable fishery in the region.

Yogesh Sawant
Chief Thematic Programme Executive (Farm Based Livelihoods and Climate Action)
BAIF Development Research Foundation
BAIF Bhavan, Dr. Manibhai Desai Nagar Warje
Pune – 411058
E-mail: ygsawant@baif.org.in