Exchange Mela

Paddy Fields Revival Program

Most of the fields in Goa are abandoned due to various reasons like the farmers from last generation who were cultivating paddy fields have grown old , younger generations are occupied in other occupations , labor has become costly and so on. Seeing this situation , project of revival of paddy fields was initiated by Abhay Kesarkar , our advisor. This program of revival was started from fields from Talaulim and then extended to Bori. Farmers were brought together and made aware of importance of paddy fields, especially organically grown paddy fields and schemes available in Agriculture dept. which can reduce labor requirement and cost drastically. As a result of this we could bring the farmers together and start paddy cultivation successfully. We also noticed that local MLAs and other govt. agencies are also ready to help farmers in certain areas , thereby reducing financial burden on farmers. However most important part of this success story is availability of a dedicated social organization like Green Army Foundation which guides and provides necessary assistance to farmers from time to time. Many other farmers are approaching us for revival of their paddy fields impressed by our success story at Talaulim and Bori. We also noticed that farmers can make profit of 20 to 30 % in this area and it can be enhanced with value addition. Hope this program will be extended to all parts of Goa and all the abandoned paddy fields in Goa become green in near future.

Plantation at Ponda Municipal Garden

Plantation at Ponda Municipal Garden in the presence of Chairperson and Co.This is inaugural function of 2 months long tree plantation drive in Ponda city , by Ponda Municipality and Green Army Foundation.