POLAMBADI- FARMERS EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

FARMERS AND FARM WOMEN ARE PARTICIPATING IN POLAMBADI REGULARLY AND SHOWING INTEREST IN LEARNING SCIENCE IN THEIR FIELDS.- POLAMBADI, A GREAT EXPERIENCE BOTH FOR FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL OFFICER  

LEAF FOLDER ATTACK

FARMERS OBSERVING THE LARVAE OF LEAF FOLDER ,ITS DAMAGE SYMPTOMS. 

Apanteles sp. COCOONS FOUND

APANTELES sp. is most beneficial parasite of paddy stem borer in paddy ecosystem .They form silken cocoons. 

Identification of Natural enemies

Polambadi farmer sri B.A.SRINIVAS, observing natural enemies in his own field 

BALLOT BOX TEST-BEFORE POLAMBADI

BALLOT BOX TEST WAS CONDUCTED BEFORE POLAMBADI TO KNOW THE PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF FARMERS

BOARD ERECTED AT THE ENTRY POINT

POLAMBADI BOARD AT THE ENTRY POINT OF THE VILLAGE -NIMMALAPALEM

polambadi session on importance of natural control , preserving natural enemies, identification of pests and natural enemies 

VISIT OF DR. RAGHUNADH FROM CSA , HYDERABAD

Dr. RAGHUNADH, FROM CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE , AN NGO,
HAS VISITED CHEEPURUVALASA VILLAGE AND POLAMBADI RECENTLY.
CSA IS IMPLEMENTING NPM ( NON PESTICIDAL MANAGEMENT) IN SOME 8 -10 VILLAGES WITH THE HELP OF SERP(IKP) , THROUGH WOMEN'S ORGANISATIONS AND UTILIZING WOMEN GROUPS IN VILLAGES.

IN THIS PICTURE YOU CAN SEE G.V. VIJAYA KUMAR ,MANDAL AGRICULTURAL OFFICER , EXPLAINING ABOUT POLAMBADI CONCEPTS TO THE WOMEN FARMERS AND SABALA ( NGO) CO-ORDINATORS 

FFS SESSION IN PROGRESS

POLAMBADI SESSION ON VERMICOMPOST , ALTERNATE
PEST CONTROL , NSKE PREPERATION AND NEEM OIL SPRAY . 

LAY OUT OF POLAMBADI PLOT

Polambadi plot at
NIMMALAPALEM VILLAGE
FARMER : B.APPALANAIDU
EXTENT : 2 AC.
ICM PLOT 0-40 AC
FARMERS PRACTICE
PLOT 0-60AC
PLOT FOR CONDUCTING
EXPERIMENTS AND
OTHER STUDIES 1-00 AC

SPIDERS - FARMERS' FRIENDS

AN ORB SPIDER - PRESENT IN PADDY FIELDS . AN IMPORTANT PREDATOR
PREYS ON MOTHS AND
OTHER PESTS OF PADDY. 

VISIT OF OBSERVERS FROM COMMISSIONERATE ,HYDERABAD

SRI MANSOOR AHMED, AN OBSERVER FROM COMMISSIONERATE OF AGRICULTURE , AP, HYDERABAD
HAS VISITED POLAMBADI PROGRAMME ON 4-09-06 AND INTERACTED WITH THE FARMERS.
IN THIS PICTURE, SRI GOMPA SRINIVASA RAO ,AND B.APPALANAIDU,FARMERS ARE SEEN EXPLAINING, THEIR EXPERIENCES TO THE TEAM.
SRI K.LAKSHMANARAO, i/cJDA,AND SRI R.SIVARAM ASST.DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE ,KOTHAVALASA ALSO VISITED 

OBSERVATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL PLOTS

A GROUP OF POLAMBADI FARMERS IN NIMMALAPALEM
RECORDING OBSERVATIONS IN P.A.R EXPERIMENTS. 

NIMMALA PALEM VILLAGE -WORK DONE

A BASE LINE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN NIMMALAPALEM VILLAGE
DURING MAY2006 .
TRAINING ON POLAMBADI WAS CONDUCTED AT FARMERS TRAINING
CENTRE , VIZIANAGARAM TO 5 NOS. OF SELECTED FARMERS ON 25-05-06.


3O FARMERS WERE SELECTED FOR POLAMBADI PROGRAMME.

A COLLABORATOR (HOST FARMER) WAS ALSO SELECTED .
NAME OF THE HOST FARMER : BOBBARI APPALA NAIDU 60 YEARS

A 2.00 AC. PLOT OF COLLABORATOR WAS SELECTED FOR IMPLEMENTING INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT (ICM) TECHNOLOGY
DULY COVERING THE GAPS IN PADDY CULTIVATION THAT WERE
FOUND IN BASELINE SURVEY.


FARMERS ARE DEVIDED INTO 4 GROUPS AND THEY WERE ALLOWED TO
CHOOSE THEIR LEADERS.

AN ENTRY POINT ACTIVITY ON SYMPTOMS OF PESTICIDE POISONING
ON HUMAN BODY WAS CONDUCTED .

A BALLOT BOX TEST WAS CONDUCTED TO KNOW THE LEVEL OF
KNOWLEDGE OF FARMERS REGARDING PESTICIDES , PESTS ,
DISEASES , PREDATORS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS PRESENT
IN PADDY FIELDS.

A TRAINING PROGRAMME ON SEED QUALITY, AND SEED GERMINATION
AND PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN WHILE PURCHASING SEEDS IS
ALSO CONDUCTED ON 13-07-06 IN THE VILLAGE.

SEED GERMINATION TEST WAS DEMONSTRATED ON 13-07-06.

SOIL SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM FARMERS' FIELDS AND
SENT TO SOIL TESTING LAB ,VIZIANAGARAM.

A SOIL TEST KIT WAS ALSO PROVIDED AND 2 SAMPLES WERE
ALSO ANALYSED IN THE VILLAGE ITSELF, BEFORE SEASON.

RESULTS RECEIVED FROM STL ,VIZIANAGARAM WERE
COMMUNICATED TO FARMERS IN THE FORM OF SOIL HEALTH CARD.
TRAINING ON SOIL TEST BASED FERTILIZER APPLICATION WAS
ALSO GIVEN.

FARMERS WERE TRAINED ON SEED BORNE DISEASES AND SEED TREATMENT.

PSEUDOMONAS - A BIO AGENT FOR SEED TREATMENT WAS ALSO SUPPLIED
ON 50% SUBSIDY TO THE FARMERS.
DEMONSTRATION OF SEED TREATMENT WAS CONDUCTED .

EXPERIMENTS IN FIELDS 

WOMEN FARMERS OBSERVING

IN CHEEPURUVALASA POLAMBADI WOMEN FARMERS ARE SHOWING INTEREST IN OBSERVING PESTS AND DEFENDERS

PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

In polambadi farmers learn things by doing .
They conduct LONG TERM AND SHORT TERM EXPERIMENTS
in their fields . The Agricultural Officer will act a FACILITATOR only,
and help them by brief explanations and to bring out answers from
farmers themselves.

Group Dynamics are also conducted as ice breakers when some farmers
feel it to difficult to learn too many things .
POLAMBADI is a great experience .They expolre the science in their fields.


In polambadi we see ,how natural enemies help our fields .
we learn , how pests damage our crop.

We learn, how to control pest populations
by conserving natural enemies in the fields .

WE LEARN HOW TO GROW A HEALTHY CROP
We observe the crop regularly.
Finally farmers become experts .

POLAMBADI- FARMERS OF CHEEPURUVALASA- not for a village festival but for learning science in their fields

IN CHEEPURUVALASA VILLAGE OF KOTHAVALASA MANDAL ENTHUSIASTIC FARMERS MOVING INTO FIELDS IN GROUPS TO CONDUCT AGRO ECO SYSTEM ANALYSIS( AESA) IN POLAMBADI PLOT

AN EXPERIMENT -- USING TRAINED FARMERS AS MESSAGE CARRIERS

An experiment is in progress in all mandals of the state of
ANDHRA PRADESH.
For the first time farmers are being used as facilitators to
conduct polambadi in one village in each mandal.
The farmers are being paid with TA and DA to a tune of
Rs 125 per polambadi session .IN OUR DISTRICT ,
Two farmers selected from
previous polambadi village are once again being trained at
FARMERS TRAINING CENTRE ,VIZIANAGARAM
IN A SEASON LONG TRAINING PROGRAMME . They will go
to the selected polambadi village and conduct polambadi
in a planned and programmed way.The department of Agriculture
is expecting good results as the polambadi message can
be effectively carried by these farmers.

FARMER FACILITATORS P.NAGARAJU & T.ESWARA RAO

POLAM BADI FARMERS WITHMANDAL AGRICULTURAL OFFICER G.V.VIJAYA KUMAR , AND AEO ,M.APPA RAO 

GROUP PHOTO OF POLAM BADI FARMERS OF NIMMALA PALEM VILLAGE 

PADDY NURSERY SUBJECTED TO SEVERE SHOCK AFTER IT IS PULLED 

GAPS IDENTIFIED IN PADDY CULTIVATION

GENERAL:

SHALLOW SOILS ,LOW ORGANIC CARBON CONTENT ZINC AND IRON DEFICIENT SOILS
NO SCOPE FOR WATER MANAGEMENT,
CULTIVATION UNDER SMALL RAIN FED TANKS


MISTAKES COMMITTED BY FARMERS;

1.USING HIGH SEED RATE 60-70 Kg per ACRE.
2. 5 CENTS NURSERY INSTEAD OF 10 CENTS FOR ONE ACRE MAIN FIELD.
3.NO SEED TREATMENT.
4.APPLICATION OF FYM TO SESAMUM CROP ONLY.



5.INSUFFICIENT PUDDLING.
6.PLANTING IN FLOODED CONDITION.
7.DEEP PLANTING .
8 PLANTING 20 TO 25 SEEDLING PER HILL.
9.LOW PLANTPOPULATION.
10. NO BASAL FERTILIZATION .
11. EXESS UREA APPLICATION 2-3 BAGS PER ACRE.



12.HIGH DOSAGES OF PESTICIDES.
13. NO KNOWLEDGE ON BIOLOGICAL CONTROL.
14. LITTLE KNOWLEDGE ON PEST AND DISEASES.
15. INDESCRIMINATE USE OF PESTICIDES
16.SPRAYING PESTICIDES AGAINST DISEASES.
17.LOW VOLUME OF SPRAY FLUID ...50 TO 60 LITRES ONLY PER ACRE.

BASE LINE SURVEY RESULTS

A BASELINE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN PB VILLAGES
TO KNOW THE PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF
THE FARMERS IN RESPECT OF PESTICIDES, DOSAGES ,
THEIR POISONING EFFECTS, BIOLOGICAL CONTROL ,
NATURAL ENEMIES, RECOGNITION OF PESTS AND DISEASES ETC .


30 POLAM BADI FARMERS AND 5 OTHER FARMERS HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED.

COLLECTION OF SOIL SAMPLES AND TESTING WAS ALSO DONE ,WELL IN ADVANCE.

POLAMBADI( FFS ) PROGRAMMES 2006

POLAMBADI programmes are being implemented
under 3 categories during kharif 2006 in PADDY crop.


Grade I Nimmala palem village

Grade I using FARMER FACILITATORS .......Cheepuruvalasa village

Grade II Thummikapalli village

Grade III Musiram and Kothasunkari palem villages
( on farm extension demonstrations)

To conduct a successful polambadi we have to apply both our body and soul and work sincerly . we get wonderful results which was previously proved.