Key activity highlight of FARMER ( A fellow program of Vet Helpline India )

Category: Development Projects

Inception Date: 11-01-2008

Closing Date: 30-08-2014

Location: Assam and parts of Nagaland state of India

Donor:

National Bamboo Mission, GOI (Nodal Agency: Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre, Guwahati)

• Cane and Bamboo Technology Center (CBTC) is the Bamboo Technology Support Group for East and North Eastern states under Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. Its formal existence came into being as a coordinated effort of the Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India, UNIDO and UNDP.

Activities:

Scouting and Documentation

Secondary data review, consultations, field visits were organized to scout traditional uses of Bamboo in livestock and poultry farming. Based on observation, interview of farmer, craftsman etc. and technical evaluation by experts, such uses were documented. Considering the extent of bamboo use, one poultry (Egg production) cluster and one bamboo basket (used for transport of day old chick from hatcheries) making cluster were identified for further intervention under the project.

Training on Bamboo Technology

A group of 30 select craftsman and farmers from two identified clusters were provided with hands on training at a government poultry farm covering topics such as treatment of bamboo for durability, use of hand tools and machineries, basic bamboo housing design and joinery etc.

Orientation Meetings

Group interactions were organized within the select clusters to orient farmers, craftsman and other stakeholders on global development of Bamboo technology and application, commercial market potential and benefit of appropriate Bamboo use in livestock and poultry farming.

Participatory Prototype Development

Under direct supervision of bamboo design and farming experts, few interested skilled craftsman, poultry farmers were supported under the project to develop and install prototype of bamboo structure viz. Layer Cage, Brooder, side net, feeder etc. primarily for Poultry farming.

Consultation and Designed Improvement

Product wise challenges were identified and based on consultation attempts were made to address them using the central tool room facility of Cane and Bamboo Technology Center (CBTC), Guwahati.

Institutional Capacity Building

Infrastructure, input requirement and market challenges for adaptive capacity building of the select clusters were recorded for dissemination to appropriate authorities. Attempts were made to link the cluster activities to various concurrent government projects. Enterprising Group of farmers / craftsman are being provided with assistance e.g. support to display designed products in exhibitions etc. so that they can collect orders for manufacturing of bamboo cages and other products.

(The project could not initiate any activity to undertake field Evaluation and to standardize the designs of select products for mass production)

Publications:

FAO-UNSE FNS Community Consolidated Reply on query related to Bamboo use in Livestock and Poultry farming ( cr-se-food-15010901-public)

Grassroot Innovations of Bamboo use in Livestock and Poultry farming in India: Abstract and Poster presented at Innovation Asia-Pacific Symposium (IAPS), Kathmandu (2009) and VIII World Bamboo Congress.  ( BambooUse_Livestock_VIIIWBC_Vol7 )

Contributing fellow members:

Dr.Nitul Saikia MVSc, MBA, PhD Scholar

• Dr.Saikia is extended his expertise in technical evaluation of scouted bamboo use in Poultry farming.

Dr.Mukut Das MVSc, PhD Scholar

• Dr.Das, extended support in cluster development activities related to the project.

Dr.Miftahul Islam Barbaruah BVSc & A H, MBA, MDM

• Dr Barbaruah contributed to project conceptualization, designing, facilitation of consultations and supervision of participatory technology development.

Dr. Monjul Islam BVSc & A H

• Dr.Monjul provided leadership to ground team in project implementation. He has worked with innovators scouted under the project, necessarily helping them to upscale their work.