Area Of Work
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- Area Of Work
Sustainable Agriculture
Farmers First!! With this concept, OSVSWA is operating its most of the projects and programs in Odisha State of India, which is farmer-centric, where agriculture is the main source of livelihood options of the majority of its population. this entails ‘Lab to Land’ by the promotion of new technologies among farmers. The focus is to help the small holder farmers reduce yield gap and expand their activities through exploring the potential of making use of fallow lands and innovative and affordable interventions through Innovations, Resources, Science and Technology. OSVSWA’s programs aims at enriching Farmers-Scientists interface, technology assemblage, application and feedback, partnership and institution building at village / cluster level and content mobilization. OSVSWA seeks to provide a platform to farmers and agri-scientists for creating linkages, capacity development, technology adaptation and application, on-site input management and institution building which will address the general wellbeing of farmers, to improve rural health, nutrition and livelihood. Providing improved technologies, farmer empowerment through knowledge sharing, value addition of raw products of pulses, vegetables, millets, quality seed production, etc. are major components of OSVSWA’s projects in the Farmers First operations.
Aims and Goals
OSVSWA is on mark to achieve great result with various innovative agricultural programs and aims to set AGRI-ENTREPRENEURES for making pace as true facilitator and enabler. In order to encourage the farmers to maximize the area and products and achieve the goals by empowering poor farmers’ sustainability as well as enhancing agri-production through suitable varieties in order to increase farm family income, nutrition, and food security in Odisha and neighboring states. This would in turn increase their income and improve their socio-economic conditions.
Project and target groups
OSVSWA implements its agriculture based programs in selected districts of Odisha, which have high poverty levels, yet potential for agriculture development. Its projects and programs provide benefits to the economically backward groups such as : (i) rural small and marginal farmers living in extreme poverty, who are either landless or are producing a bare subsistence; (ii) subsistence and semi-subsistence farmers, in particular those willing to move to more commercial farming by adopting new technology and variety crop.
Besides, in collaboration with International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas(ICARDA) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), OSVSWA carryout various agricultural research activities across the State of Odisha.
The major ongoing projects are:
- Comprehensive Project on Rice Fallow Management (Govt of Odisha supported project)
- Intensive Agriculture Program (IAP): Including Revival and Sustainable Intensification of Forgotten Crop Diversification Programme Kharif (Govt of Odisha supported project)
- Odisha Integrated Irrigation Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture (OIIPCRA)
- Research for Development activities within Spineless cactus in Hilly / Degraded lands, and
- Grasspea in Winter Crop Fallows for Fodder, Food, and Nutrition Security in Tribal Areas of Odisha
- Research for Development activities within Variety, Technology and Seed System Development for Pulses in Odisha
- Research for Development activities within WP6 – Scaling Equitable Access to Quality Seed – Reaching the Unreached with Quality Pulses Seed in Odisha Under the CGIAR Initiative: SeedQUAL
- Introduction of promising climate-resilient new pigeon pea varieties in Odisha and RKVY (Pigeon Pea Demonstration and Seed Production)
- Expansion of Sunflower Areas in Rice Fallows- The Sunflower Demonstration Project in the Ganjam district of Odisha covers an area of 300 hectares, utilizing rice fallow lands for sunflower cultivation. Key activities include identifying suitable lands and farmers, managing the cultivation process from seeding to marketing, providing continuous farmer support, maintaining detailed data records, and organizing capacity-building training programs. Collaboration with agriculture departments and experts ensures the adoption of best practices and successful implementation.
Districts:
Angul, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Khordha, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, Balalsore, Mayurbhanj, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Nabarangpur, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh
Partners:
GNDR-UK, Practical Action – UK, European Commission, Consumers for Dental Choice, USA,
ICARDA, ICRISAT, AFC, KVSS, Govt of Odisha, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
WASH
Women in STEM
Action For Youth
Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change
Avoidable Deaths Prevention
Health & Hygiene
Toxic and Chemical Management
WASH
Safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene are crucial to human health and well-being. Safe WASH is not only a prerequisite to health, but contributes to livelihoods, school attendance and dignity and helps to create resilient communities living in healthy environments.
Action For Youth
Youth development is a process of helping young people develop the skills and connections they need to reach their potential and participate in society. Some aspects of youth development include:
Women in STEM
OSVSWA is the official member of the ‘International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists’ as well as the Country Coordinating organization for the ‘Asia Pacific Nations Network of Women Engineers and Scientists’ and working on the issue of STEM in India in line with International and Regional networks.
Toxic and Chemical Management
For the last more than a decade in collaboration with Toxics Link, IPEN, GAIA, World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry and UNEP, OSVSWA works on few issues under the toxic and chemical management, they are: Mercury Amalgam, Plastic Waste, Lead in Paint, micro plastic, hand wash, water bottle, chemics in nail polish, eyeliner, lipstick, mascara, asbestos, Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) for nonstick cookware.
Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change
Odisha is vulnerable to multiple natural hazards. Due to its sub-tropical littoral location, the state is prone to tropical cyclones, storm surges and tsunamis. It has a 480 km coastline. There are eleven major river systems in Odisha and its densely populated coastal plains are the alluvial deposits of its river systems. The rivers in these areas with heavy load of silt have very little carrying capacity, resulting in frequent floods, only to be compounded by breached embankments.
Menstrual Hygiene Management
OSVSWA is transforming menstrual health management by empowering adolescent girls and tribal women through awareness programs and sustainable solutions. The initiative promotes eco-friendly menstrual products like reusable cloth pads and menstrual cups while discouraging the use of non-biodegradable, chemical-laden disposable pads.In the early stages, OSVSWA focused on breaking menstrual taboos and fostering self-empowerment through workshops and training sessions.
Avoidable Deaths Prevention
OSVSWAhas focused on research and public engagement activities related to preventing snakebite deaths since 2020through the Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN) India Hub. On 19 September 2023, the ADN India Hub launched the Case Station for Avoidable Snakebite Deaths (CaSA) enterprise in the district of Ganjam. Since then, the ADN India Hub has facilitated outreach work with high-risk groups (children, women, farmers, and herders).