Project Title: Improving Livelihood Security in Salt- Affected Watersheds of Muzaffarpur and Sheohar Districts of Bihar

Project Code : NAIP (SRLS-C) III(2)

Consortium Leader	Dr. M. L. Chaudhary Vice-Chancellor, RAU, Bihar, Pusa, (Samastipur) - 848 125 INDIA Voice : 91 6274 -240226 Fax : 91 6274 -240255
Consortium Principal Investigator :	Dr. R. C. Yadav Professor and Head, Department of Soil Science, Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi, Muzaffarpur –843121 INDIA Voice : 91 621 2293227 Mob :- 91 9430460056 Fax : 91 621-2290773 E-mail: ssprasadtca@rediffmail.com
Consortium Partners :	ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, RCER Parisar, PO-Veterinary College, Patna -800014 INDIA Voice : 91 612 2223972 Fax : 91 612 2223956 E-mail: biplabsa@rediffmail.com

Objectives:
1. To improve the productivity and profitability of rice-wheat and sugarcane based farming systems in salt-affected watersheds.
2. To enhance employment opportunity through allied agricultural activities and post-harvest technology.
3. To increase the skill of farmers for livelihood security through entrepreneurship development and knowledge empowerment.

Duration: 2008-12

Budget outlay : INR 484.27 lakhs

Operational Area :
Muzaffarpur and Sheohar districts
Clusters – 4, Villages – 8,
No. of Farm Families – 3559

Interventions for improving the livelihood:
1. Management of salt-affected soil

Upland condition:
a) With the creation of drainage and irrigation facilities by installing tubewells and leaching of salts followed by application of Pyrites (phosphogypsum or gypsum may be used as alternate source) @ 75% of GR + sulphitation pressmud 10 t ha-1
b) Transplanted rice crop (short duration salt tolerant rice) followed by wheat/barley (under rainfed condition in place of wheat barley will be cultivated) crop by using zero tillage seed-cum-fertilizer drill with 100% RDF

Mid-upland condition:
a) Green manuring (Sesbania aculata, Sesbania rostrata, Crotolaria juncia) + Pyrites (phosphogypsum or gypsum may be used as alternate source)@ 50% of GR
b) Transplanted rice crop (short duration salt tolerant rice) followed by wheat crop by using zero tillage seed-cum- fertilizer drill with 100% RDF

Lowland condition:
Upper portion will be utilized for Direct seeded rice +Fish culture / Late rabi crop (wheat, maize, urd, moong)
1. Soil testing for physiochemical properties of soil
2. Integrated Pest Disease and Nutrient Management
3. Replacement of prevalent cultivars with more suitable ones
4. SHGs formation
5. Livestock management
6. Other income generating (allied) activities
A. Bee keeping
B. Mushroom production
C. Fisheries in suitable water bodies
D. Management of litchi orchard
E. Post-harvest management

Strengths and responsibility of consortium partners

(A) RAU, Pusa

Strength
Agriculture, Animal husbandry, fisheries – Research and extension activities in Bihar

Responsibility
 Over all responsibility to co-ordinate all the programme in all the clusters/ districts.
 Technical support and all type of necessary input supply with respect to interventions across the clusters in salt-affected soil management, crop management, varietals choice, nutrient management, IPM, animal husbandry, animal health, vaccinations, nutrition’s and allied activity like fishery, mushroom, bee keeping etc.
 Training programmes for farmers on agriculture, animal husbandry and allied activity.
 Support in GIS survey and development of thematic maps etc.
 SHGs formation and their federation in all clusters, strengthening of SHGs and their linkages with financial and technical institutions and capacity building and entrepreneurship development

(B) ICAR-RCER, Patna

Strength
GIS and Remote sensing and crop production

Responsibility
 GIS survey and development of thematic maps.
 Technical support on salt-affected soil management, Zero tillage and crop production.

Expected Output
 Adoption of improved crop varieties by more than 50%
 Increase in reclaimed salt-affected area by more than 60%
 Increase in cropping intensity by at least 30%
 Adoption of improved farm implements, storage structure and small semi skilled processing unit
 Increase in improved animal breeds of goat and poultry by 35-40%
 Adoption of improved management practices up by 40-50%
 Formation of more than 50 SHGs
 Trainings (on – and off – Farm ) on different aspects about 100
 Dissemination of Mushroom production, bee keeping and papad press technology
 Production of training and extension materials for each clusters

Expected Outcome
On the basis of the present status of different livelihood systems of the clusters the expected output at the end of the project period will be

 Increase in system productivity by 40-50% in reclaimed soil.
 Increase in overall productivity of rice, wheat and sugarcane by 25-30 %.
 Improvement in soil health as indicated by soil health card
 Enhanced income through fisheries development by 80-100 %
 Reduction of post harvest loss by adoption of post harvest technologies
 Increase in income by allied enterprises and post harvest technologies upto 40-50 %
 Upliftment of socio-economic status of target groups