GREEN Foundation

1
GREEN Foundation

• extending seeds to livelihoods

Dr. Vanaja Ramprasad www.greenconserve.com www.dig
italgreen.org
2
Inconvenient Truths

• For every gain seen in the new information on
  technology based on a reductionist
  understanding of the science of food
  production/agriculture
• there has been an unfavorable outcome leading
  to an unsustainable system that has impacted the
  social, ecological, and economic conditions of
  peoples lives

3
Intention

• Greater food availability
• Lower price of food

4
Reality

• Not accessible due to persisting poverty
• Not necessarily advantageous to the producer
• Artificially manipulated by subsidies
• Greater food availability
• Lower price of food

5
Intention

• Responses to artificially optimized growing
  environment
• Manipulation to respond to water and plant
  nutrition

6
Reality

• Poor response in the absence of external inputs
• Not adapted to natural drought and soil
  conditions
• Responses to artificially optimized growing
  environment
• Manipulation to respond to water and plant
  nutrition

7
Intention

• Quick results of chemical control of insects and
  diseases
• Dwarf varieties with advantages of increased
  yields
• Increase in grain to straw

8
Reality

• Loss of essential predators and other organisms
• Loss of indigenous diversity suited to local
  conditions
• Loss of straw availability to feed livestock
• Quick results of chemical control of insects and
  diseases
• Dwarf varieties with advantages of increased
  yields
• Increase in grain to straw

9
Intention

• Increased productivity per acre of a few staple
  crops
• Chemical inputs like fertilizers and pesticides
• Filled grain banks of the government PDS systems
  
•  

10
Reality

• Poor lost on the subsistence crops
• Dependency on excessive, indiscriminate use of
  inputs
• System could not sustain reaching the poor
•  
• Increased productivity per acre of a few staple
  crops
• Chemical inputs like fertilizers and pesticides
• Filled grain banks of the government PDS systems
  

11
Intention

• Precision farming increased yields in single
  crops
• Extension services offered seeds, fertilizers,
  and pesticides
•  

12
Reality

• Dearth of biomass trees, soil, and water
• Weaned farmers from their traditional knowledge
  
•  
• Precision farming increased yields in single
  crops
• Extension services offered seeds, fertilizers,
  and pesticides

13
GREEN Foundation

• Holistic approach to sustain rural livelihoods
• Ensuring the participation of the people

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On-farm Gene Conservation
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Seed Festivals

• Identifying the indigenous diversity of farmers

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Varietal Selection
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Community Seed Banks
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Sustainable Agriculture

• Biodiversity
• Mixed cropping
• Livestock domestication
• Manures production
• Vermicompost production
• Chemical fertilizers and pesticides reduction
• Water management
• Agroforestry

19
Extension Challenge
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Training and Visit
Distribution lt 20 farmers Staff (100/mo)
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Digital Green System
2
1
Distribution
Database
4
3
Diffusion
Developments
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Production

• Video-centric
• Illiteracy (gt60)
• Resource-savings Human, Cost, Time

23
Trustworthy Comparisons
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Post-Production

• Minimal post-production editing
• Structuring extension activities
• Motivating staff and farmers to be model stars
• Local and relevant

25
Localization

• Expert content juxtaposed with familiar farmers
  from the local vicinity with similar resources

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All village, all the time
www.digitalgreen.org

• gt150 Videos, gt25 hours
• Testimonials
• Experts
• Do-it-Yourself Demos
• Field Trips
• Comparative
• Exhibitions
• Interviews
• Market Opportunities
• Songs

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Digital Green System
2
1
Distribution
Database
4
3
Diffusion
Developments
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Digital Green Schooling

• After farmers return from fields around 8-10pm
• Fluid audience of about 20-30 farmers

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Screening Locations

• Rotation among segments of the community
• Bus stands, temples, schoolhouses, panchayat
  offices, storefronts, homes, streets, fields

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Women Inclusion

• Integrating SHG meetings and screenings
• Showcasing income generating activities and
  community entertainment

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Tutored Video Mediation

• Local mediators engage farmers
• Encourage participation, capture feedback

32
Teacher Training

• Staff capacity-building with standardized content
• Training to use video to motivate and educate
  others

33
Digital Green System
2
1
Distribution
Database
4
3
Diffusion
Developments
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Training and Visit
Distribution lt 20 farmers Staff (100/mo)
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Simple Replacement?
Distribution gt 200 farmers Staff (100/mo) TV
(200) DVD Player (50) Camcorder (200)
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Extension Reality
Sharing Experiences
Improving Techniques
Structuring Meetings
Personal Follow-ups
Catching Mistakes
Supplying Equipment
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Diffusion Reinforcement

• Education, entrepreneurship, entertainment
• Reinforce existing social networks to bring
  communities together

3
1
2
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Digital Green System
2
1
Distribution
Database
4
3
Diffusion
Developments
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Evaluating Impact

• Comparison of 3 forms of agricultural extension
• Regular, field-based visits by staff (control)
• Staff visits in combination with generic Digital
  Green content
• Staff visits in combination with both generic and
  locally-produced Digital Green content
• Qualitative and Quantitative metrics
• Knowledge surveys, attendance, interests/questions
  , adoption
• Method 12 villages supported by hired village
  mobilizers

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Village Sample
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Organizational Structure

• Cluster-level Field staff, camcorder
• Village-level TV, DVD player,
  local mobilizer
• Rs. 27,506 (US 625) per village
• Save from existing infrastructure

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Extending Digital Green

• Develop localized agricultural curriculums to
  transform a farmers conventional operations
• Assess the end-to-end benefits provided to
  farming communities over a long duration
• Explore partnerships with other extension
  programs, including government and NGOs, in
  dissimilar zones

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Interested?
www.greenconserve.com www.digitalgreen.org