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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT”
The mango orchard has fulfilled Baker Saheb’s quest for ways to increase his income. He is eagerly awaiting the first major profit in his life. This is thanks to the watershed development programme, which gave him timely advice and technical support to raise the mango plantations
A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT”
Baker Saheb owns 2 acres of land in Moosapet, in Midturu Mandal of Kurnool district. This area suffers from drought and year after year Baker Saheb and his family used to watch helplessly as their crops dried up due to inadequate rainfall.
On the advice of the Assistant Director of Agriculture, Baker Saheb decided to grow mango on his land. He made a formal application to the watershed committee for support under the dryland horticulture promotion programme.
He dug 80 pits measuring 3x3x3 feet, maintaining a distance of 33 feet between each pit. He filled the pits with chemical fertiliser and farmyard manure. He brought mango saplings from Panyam in Kurnool district at Rs.26 per sapling, and planted the saplings in the pits.
During the summer, with great difficulty he had to carry water in drums on a bullock cart, just to water the saplings which struggled to survive. He protected the mango plants from pests and took care of them as if they were his own children. During the rainy season he raised Bengal gram as an inter-crop and harvested 5 quintals.
He expects the first harvest of mangoes to yield 5 tons which should fetch a price of Rs.12, 000 to Rs.16, 000 per ton, providing him with more than Rs.2 lakhs as income.
He wants to dig a borewell so that he can raise high yielding inter-crops and hence earn a higher profit. Baker Sahab’s land is an example of how cultivation of dryland crops has been improved by the watershed development programme. Earlier he was able to grow only red gram, Bengal gram and sunflower, making a profit of about Rs.6, 000, but only if he could get a good harvest.
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