theNRgroup Farming Systems

Client: Department for International Development/ W S Atkins and Natural Resources International - Farming Systems support Liz Kiff (NRgroup)

The Western India Rainfed Farming Project Phase II (WIRFPII) is a process project aimed at improving the rural livelihoods of poor villages in remote areas of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat states.

The primary aim of the project is to encourage more effective policies and programmes to reduce poverty in rainfed areas and to enable these to be implemented more widely. Sustainable reduction of poverty is sought through improved technologies, institutional development and enhanced participation of stake holders. The project aims to devolve development activities to GOs, NGOs and CBOs and ultimately influence wider government development policy for rain-fed areas.

Farming system support inputs include facilitation of close liaison between international and national research centres, project colleagues and farmers to design on-farm demonstrations trials. These trials seek to identify more drought and disease resistant crops and varieties, suited to the various micro-climates and cropping systems within the project areas. Two varieties of wheat, GW-173 and RJ-3077, two varieties of chick pea, ICCV-2 and ICCV-10 and one variety, PL-4076 of lentil are being trialled in simple farmer managed, participative, adapted-research (FAMPAR) trials in 25 villages. In the case of the two new varieties of chick pea, trials include additional treatments of seed priming, rhizobium culture and additional fertiliser (DAP).

Working closely with community groups, systems for enhancing fodder cultivation (including social fencing), fodder preservation and efficient use are also being developed.