GROUP APPROACH FOR LOCALLY ADAPTED AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE (GALASA)

Funding Agency: District Panchayat, Palakkad, Kerala Agricultural University and CED.

The Paddy cultivation in Kerala has been facing serious problems during the last three decades. The production and productivity has been considerably reduced and the area under paddy cultivation has been showing drastic reduction during these years. The GALASA project was implemented in selected Padasekharams (Elas) of three panchayats in Palakkad district as a pilot programme, to explore the possibility of enhancing production and productivity through scientifically organized locale-specific and sustainable interventions at local level. The project concentrated on activities like identification of local issues, constraints and potential for paddy cultivation by the farmers and farm workers themselves with the help of experts, training programmes for Key Resource Persons as well as Training at field (Pariseelanam Padathuvechu) to the farmers and farm workers, Awareness/Education Programmes to the farmers/farm workers, preparation of planting materials in their own fields, Water Management Activities and Integrated Pest Management.

All these activities were carried out after identifying the locale – specific issues and problems and also the potential. The GALASA Project gives much importance to the use of organic manure in place of chemical fertilizers. A “Revolving Fund” to the farmers to tide over the financial constraints during the farming activities was also established. The programme was then extended to another 20 panchayats.