The Problem:

This project addresses the urgency to develop a more systematic, sustainable, eco-friendly agricultural system - as well as financial assistance, mental health, and spiritual care services, more now than they did just a year ago. Agricultural production has been reimagined. Our service delivery and development strategies reflect the latest developments in the circular economy/regenerative agricultural system, as it empowers farmers to become more resilient to climate impacts and less dependent on agrochemicals. Educating the local population on how best to take advantage of these schemes, to create a more biodiversity, productive and nature-friendly system, and create a positive carbon footprint is our goal.

Call to Action:

Delivering effective eco-friendly and sustainable strategies is more critical now than ever. Research shows that the global climate is changing, resulting in more recurring intense weather events, including heavier rainfall, more damaging tropical storms and hurricanes, more heatwaves, floods, and prolonged droughts. To address this mounting concern, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed. The SDGs have been designed to end poverty and hunger, responding to climate change and depleting natural reserves. The SDGs will shape international development plans over the next 8 years, with food and agriculture at the heart of the 2030 Agenda.

U.V. Society further strives to alleviate this mounting agricultural crisis. We aim to deliver results that have been proven and tested. As part of our mission, we also highly encourage the use of health services and spiritual care for our farmers and their families.

Thus, we decided to tackle these mounting concerns and start a new journey beyond sustainability, into regenerative farming practices with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) included. Dedicating ourselves to placing nature and humanity first, is our primary focus. The future is now and it’s time to embark on the U.N. 2030 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The call for immediate transformative, integrated, and diversified upgrade for global agricultural systems has been declared.

Thus the following are included:

• Shifting from synthetic to organic fertilizers
• The development of healthy soils, can result in foods with improved nutritional value
• Increase in significant environmental, economic, and health benefits
• Farming plants that absorb carbon in air-employing crop rotation -Greater crop variation to promote biodiversity
• Sustainable food production
• Healthy regenerative and locally sourced food
• Scientific and ecologically safe
• And links to organic or low-external-input farming

We have taken a strategic multilevel approach with local partners and designed innovative strategies to protect our natural resources, increase crop yield, improve soil health, create natural resource preservation, and increase sales for the farmers. These growth strategies require restoring, renewing, replenishing, conserving, and sustaining small shareholder farms throughout India. In addition, appropriate incentives and governance practices, for proper maintenance and conservation of our natural ecosystems, have been developed. Furthermore, we have developed pathways for success that are economically fair, viable, and socially equitable as well, for our rural area farmers.

Project Scope:

This proposal is focusing on 1 village, Nagathana, in the Washim district, India. Upon successful completion, the project may be expanded to nearby 128 villages of the same or larger size. Part of our implementation strategy is to create a ripple effect by engaging with numerous partners and farmers throughout Nagathana village thus ensuring an increase in public discussions, and sharing the wealth of knowledge. Moreover, after successful completion of training, the farmers will be encouraged to share their knowledge and positive experience with others, thereby motivating other farmers to engage in such activities. In this manner, the fruit of their labor may be easily extended to other villages, creating a larger social impact. In addition to the selected farmers, the ultimate beneficiaries of this project will be the entire population within the area, as these farmers will produce food for the local market as well.

• Health issues- Develop specialized programs to address the following: Highlight health problems created from consuming produce grown with added chemicals, Teach how reducing the use of chemicals and pesticides in food production, will result in healthy and nutritious food consumption
• Economic issues- Develop specialized programs to address the following:Bridge the gap between the available Government resources and farmers in need of assistance, Raise awareness for funding opportunities pertaining to regenerative agriculture and other related fields, Increase awareness amongst villagers to support each other in the process of building a clean and sustainable environment, Teach farmer economics, Enlighten the local population about the benefits of developing regenerative farming, Create local jobs for the village and strengthen the local economy, Train and educate current and potential food producers on new methodologies, Teach the ‘Family Farmer’ concept and its economic benefits, Teach how to become self-sufficient in agricultural business.
• Environmental issues- Develop specialized programs to address the following:Deforestation, biodiversity loss, and other environmental issues, Waste mismanagement, Negative ramifications of linear food production, Reforestation of indigenous tree and plant species, How to maximize the use of solar energy, New farming techniques to minimize soil erosion, Water recycling practices, Teach how domestic and city water can be re-used on farms, Develop water cycle management for production and consumption within farming practices, Teach desalinization methodologies
• Agriculture issues - Develop specialized programs to address the following: Root causes of low water retention capacity -Water scarcity (due to soil erosion), Soil degrading /Accelerated rate of soil erosion and infertility, How to reduce the rate of soil infertility, Teach regenerative farming practices and reduce produce loss, How to reduce farmers' deaths, Teach how the current food supply is chemical-based -Soil erosion and degrading problems, Water retention capacity/Water scarcity, Deforestation, Biodiversity loss, Develop a Low Carbon Farming Strategy, Promote farming practices that reduce atmospheric carbon and restore it to the soil, crops, and plants, Increase perennial crops for higher carbon credits, Conservation tillage through the use of cow-based tillage practices, Use of herbicides and organic fertilizers, Soil health, Importance of microbes in the soil, herbicide, Jivamrut, Dashparni Ark, etc, Natural way of controlling weeds, pests, companion crop plantation, altering crop pattern, etcOrganic seed making, storing, avoiding GMO and hybrid seeds, etc.