Regular Income Generation and Nutritional Security of Marginal, Small and Landless Share Croppers
Bihar occupies important place in field of fruits, vegetables and spices production. Bihar has 8.5 % area of total national area under horticultural crops. But in this state horticultural crop occupy 10% area of total cropped area of Bihar. Under vegetable crops this state has 8.28 lacs hectare with a production of 136.27 lacs tonnes. Bihar ranks first in lady’s finger and pointed gourd production while it enjoys 2nd position in cauliflower, brinjal and potato production in the country. Besides these vegetables, Bihar also grows mushroom as micro enterprise in which farm women have major role.
To improve the economic condition by the way of producing quick growing early short duration vegetables throughout the years and to make available nutritious vegetables to small, marginal and share croppers as well as landless labourers, present project has been taken up. This project has been helping large number of small, marginal, share croppers and landless women labourers in the state of Bihar. In this project, above different categories of farmers where given training to grow early and quick growing vegetable crops such as spinach, radish, early cauliflowers, tomato, green chilies and green coriander leaves for harvesting regular better income. The women of schedule caste communities were given hybrid seeds of sponge gourd and Indian bean for growing it under roof gardening program. This will improve their nutrition although it seems to be a very minor effort in this context.
The success of above project and its result in a very short period have encouraged replicating in rest of the districts of Bihar in future. However, this will give a guidelines to state planners to decide policy for small, marginal, share croppers and landless labourers in the state.