Rushikulya Rayat Mahasabha a non-political union of farmers was formed in the year 1991 soon after the flash flood in Ganjam district, Orissa. The office of the organisation is located at Chatrapur, the district headquarters town of Ganjam district. RRM has been working with the small and marginal farmers, share croppers and agricultural wage earners for improving their livelihood to ensure food security and ensuring their rights through collective efforts. It has established linkage with like minded people’s organizations and mass movements at state and national level. In view of the increased chemical farming and its evil effects on land and water and economy of farmers the organisation work to educate farmers to restore the soil condition through organic farming, preserve traditional seeds and farming practice. It also organizes campaigns through its block level farmers unions to influence Government to adopt farmer friendly policy to ensure their food security and sustainable increased productivity.

PGS Certificaion for

Agriculture program

Sustainable Agriculture AT A Glance

To create an enabling environment for the farming community particularly small and marginal farmers, share croppers, agricultural labourers with emphasis on women farmers to lead a dignified life through collective efforts to sustain agriculture, independent of input supply, conservation of soil fertility, water resource and farmer friendly market and raise voice against any policy and programs of Government that are detrimental to their life.

• Improve socio-economic and livelihood status of farming and farm dependant community.
• Farmers accessing to information, knowledge and skill to sustain agriculture there by food security ensured.
• Ensuring equal right and dignity for women farmers and farm dependants.
• Recognition of share croppers and provision of equal right at par with land owners.

Organize the unorganized small and marginal farmers, share croppers and agricultural labourers with a special focus on women farmers of Ganjam district to get their due right and provide them a platform where they can able to share and learn from each other to make agriculture economically viable and sustainable.

• To bring focus farmers and farm dependants to one platform to raise their voice.
• To develop capacity of focus farmers and farm dependants to identify their problems and make strategies to sort out the problems to lead a meaningful life.
• To influence government to prepare sustainable agriculture policy and schemes to reduce migration.
• To initiate collective pressure by farmers to own rights over water resources.
• Organize share croppers to get benefits on par with the land owners.
• Educate agriculture labourers to demand statutory wages and women farmers at par with men.
• Sensitize farming community to practice sustainable agriculture, ensure soil fertility and judicious use of underground water resources.
• Influence government to make farmer friendly market system.

Agriculture is the major contributor to district’s economy. The principal crops of the district are Paddy, Ragi, Green gram, Black gram, Ground Nut, Horse gram, Sugarcane and Chilli. Paddy is the staple food crop followed by Ragi. Ganjam is popularly known as food bowl of Orissa. More than 80% of the district population are depend on agriculture.

Out of the total geographical area, net area sown constitutes 327.88 thousand Ha, 32.06 thousand Ha. are fallow, 64.60 thousand Ha are put to non-agricultural use and 39.62 thousand Ha are barren and rocky lands. If one consider on net area sown in the district, then average land holding per family comes out 0.47 cents. This gives a clear indication that most of the families in the district depend on subsistence farming.

The southeastern portion of the district is very fertile and abounds in extensive multi-cropped areas well served by many irrigation projects. Since rainfall is normally from June to September, during remaining months, water requirements are met from ground or surface water resources. The annual normal rainfall of Ganjam District is 1295.60 mm. and 75% of the annual precipitation is received during June to Sept. The wells, tube wells, canals and a good no. of irrigation projects namely the Rushikulya system, Bahuda project, Ghodahada project, Ramanadi project and Harabahangi project form the chief source of irrigation. Relative humidity is high enough recording 75% through out the year. The district has a rain-shadow zone spreading over 6 out of the 22 Blocks. It is proposed to continue the project in 2 rain-shadow blocks.

The traditional seeds are under extinction. Barring a few inaccessible area, the farmers are using the high yielding seeds supplied by the agriculture department. The traditional knowledge and practice of preserving the seeds, protecting the crops from the harmful pests are gradually disappearing. The rotation of crops i.e. from paddy to green gram and black gram or groundnut is practiced in a few selected patches.

The farmers are switching over to cash crops from the subsistence crops. Owing to heavy input cost on the cash crops they are indebted to the village societies, banks and moneylenders. Though the news of farmers committing suicide have not yet been reported, but it is everybody’s apprehension that the news may break at any time.

For the last few years the market is not farmer-friendly. A few years back the market rate of rice was higher than the Government rate. But now the situation has changed. The Government rate has remained higher than the market rate due to huge supply of food grains under Central Government assisted food for work program, which finds way to the market instead of going to the wage -labourers. So, neither the businessmen, nor the millers purchase the paddy from farmers at the Government rate. Hence, distress sale of paddy has been experienced in villages. The farmers and sharecroppers are eagerly looking forward to bail out themselves from the vicious circle of debt-low yield – high input cost – less return and debt.