Integrated Farming System opens a new window for economic empowerment of rural Farmers in Boloma area (2016-17):

Background and Problem:

Sri Phoni Bora is the eldest son of Late Sunaram Bora, Burakuri Gaon, Boloma, Teok of Jorhat district. He has passed High School Leaving Certificate during the year 1974 with 58 percent marks and taken admission into Pre Degree (Science) in J. B. College, Jorhat. He has successfully completed Pre Degree (Science) in the year 1976 but could not proceed for higher studies due to very poor financial status of his father. He therefore, strongly decided to be self employed by taking farming as a means of livelihood and help his brothers & sister to continue their higher studies. Initially he has started vegetable farming by taking advantage of his high land situation and winter paddy in the low lands. He has expanded his farming into other sectors like fishery, dairy, piggery in an integrated farming mode. At present Sri Bora is cultivating summer & winter vegetables, winter paddy and other cash crops like sugarcane, banana, coconut, arecanut, betel vine, black pepper & indigenous fruit crops. He is very successful in three tier faming system i. e. poultry, piggery & fishery. He is also producing vegetable seedlings of HYV & hybrids in polyhouse at large scale and selling to the local vegetable growers and neighboring villages. He is marketing his farm produces in the nearby daily & weekly markets by engaging local unemployed youth of his village. Sri Phoni Bora is one of the successful farmer in Integrated Farming System (IFS) in Teok Area and more than 40 educated unemployed youth of the locality are following him and adopting Integrated Farming System by utilizing the available resources for their livelihood security. One of the important innovations of Sri Phoni Bora is the development of raised & sunken bed system in medium land for vegetable cultivation where vegetables cannot be grown in normal situation. By adopting this technique, he has bought another 0.50 ha under vegetable cultivation during rainy season.

KVKs intervention:

From the interest and feedback received from farmers of the Boloma area, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jorhat has planned to introduce new high value vegetable crops in the area and accordingly trainings was organized for the farmers of the locality. After taking the training from KVK, Jorhat on scientific production technology, Sri Borah and the other farmers of the area has initially started cultivating new crops like Broccoli in the area. They have harvested a bumper crop in the first year itself and due to high demand of this vegetable in the Jorhat & Mariani market, they have received a premium price and were very happy. At present Boloma area is one of the major vegetable producing areas of the district and Sri Phoni Bora is the torch bearer and ideal farmer of the locality. KVK, Jorhat also helped the farmers to introduce new improved breeds of cattle, piggery and poultry for integrating with crop components. KVK provided all kinds of technological interventions and necessary skill up-gradation trainings to the farmers of the area.

Productivity:

Sri Phoni Bora, among the farmers of Boloma area has emerged as most successful farmer in implementing the Integrated Farming System. During the year 2015-16 Sri Phoni Bora has cultivated summer & winter vegetables in an area of 1.50 hectare and earned Rs. 5, 66,000.00 from sale of vegetables, Rs 54,000.00 from Sale of fishes, Rs 69,000.00 from sale of Pig & piglet, Rs. 1,12,800.00 from sale of milk, 14,000.00 from sale of egg and Rs 19,200.00 from sale of fruits. In addition to his self employment, Sri Bora is also providing full time appointment to 6 unemployed youth of his village in his farm and 2 workers for marketing his farm produce with his own conveyance. The pig breeding unit of Sri Bora is producing high quality piglets of Hampshire breed and serving as a source of good quality piglet in the locality. He has developed a traditional bari with an area of 0.80 ha which includes various indigenous fruits viz., Ponial (Flacourtia gangomos), Dilienia indica, Naga tenga (Rhus semialata), various types of Jamun, Ber, Citrus, Carrabolla, Jack fruit, Tamarind, Aonla, Olive, Plum, Peach, Custard apple and medicinal plants viz., Alovera, Sarpagondha, Pachauli, Paederia foetida, Murraya koenigii, Cinnamon, Bay leaf etc. His typical bari represents the image of biodiversity conservation. Apart from his involvement in farming activities he is also associated as an active member in different social organizations for the welfare of the farming community.