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Kerala Agricultural Technology Project

To Raise Productivity, Quality & Farmer Income on Cash and Field Crops by Improved Land

Preparation, Soil Nutrition & Water Management

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Objectives To commercially demonstrate higher crop yields,

quality and farm incomes on field, cash and orchard crops by application of advanced methods of land preparation, soil nutrition, mechanisation and water management.

To train lead farmers in Palakad District on these advanced methods.

To strengthen the extension advisory system by establishing village based farm schools supported by a field force of ag consultants to demonstrate & widely disseminate these methods throughout the district.

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Low Indian Crop Productivity (kg/ha)

Crop USA India USA/India

Rice 6622 2928 2.3

Maize 8397 1666 5.0

Wheat 4400 2583 1.7

Groundnut 3038 912 3.3

Soy beans 2452 1007 2.4

Potato 40,238 17,307 2.3

Lint Cotton 928 333 2.8

Tomato 59,295 15,138 3.9

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Low Productivity of Indian Agriculture

India ranks in the bottom quartile countries on productivity of most major crops, despite having the largest area under irrigation and a huge reservior of scientific manpower.

Huge waste of water resources damaging crop productivity, increasing soil salinity and aggravating water shortages. 95% of India’s water use is for irrigation.

Kerala ranks low among Indian states on productivity of most major crops.

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Factors Determining Crop Productivity

Soil preparation Planting methods & tools Plant nutrition Water management Pest management Time & schedule management

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AT is the Answer Advanced agricultural technology (AT)

adapted appropriately to local conditions can raise Kerala’s productivity on most major crops by 100 to 200% or more and double or triple water use efficiency.

California Agricultural Consulting Services (CACS) has already commercially demonstrated this potential on a wide range of crops in India.

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Brinjal in TN

CACS has achieved 17 tons/acre of brinjal in TN compared with TN average of 8 tons. Potential is for 30 tons generating more than Rs 1 lakh/acre profi

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Red Cabbage in TN

CACS has achieved 20 tons/acre of cabbage in TN compared with TN average of 12 tons. Potential is for 30 tons generating more than Rs 1 lakh/acre profi

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Badji Pepper in TN

CACS has achieved 14 tons/acre in Tamil Nadu compared with local average of 6 tons. Potential is 20 tons generating more than 1.5 lakhs profit/acre.

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Okra in TN

CACS technology has produced 6 tons/acre of Okra in TN compared with state average of 2 tons. Potential is for 10 tons yielding income of Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh/acre.

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Sugarbeet gives 50% more sugar than cane in ½ the time with only 2/3rd the water

CACS farmers in CA achieve the highest yields of sugarbeet. Sugarbeet can produce 35-40 tons/acre in TN in 6 months with 15% sugar recover compared to TN average of about 40 tons cane in 12 months with only 10% recovery. Also sugar beet consumes 30 to 40% less water than sugarcane.

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CACS Crop Yields in India vs Local Average

Crop (tons/acre)Local

AverageCACS achieved in

IndiaGrowth

AchievedCACS Potential in

India

Baji Pepper 6 14 133% 20

Beans (Lima) - 1.75   3.5

Beans (Black eye) - 1   2

Brinjal 7-8 15-17 114% 25-30

Cabbage (Red) 12 20 67% 30

Capsicum 8 16 100% 35

Cotton Lint (lb./A) 310 890 187% 2200

Maize 1.2 2.8 133% 7.8

Okra 2 6 200% 10

Rice 1.2 4 233% 6

Sugarcane 40 59 50% 80

Tomatoes 12 38 217% 55

Black Pepper (kg//vine) .5 1.23 140% 1.5-2.0

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Normal Land Preparation in India Ploughing soil only 6 to 8” deep and flat beds results in

Dense packing of earth

Prevent rainwater storage in the soil

Flooding of roots during irrigation & heavy rains which stops plant

growth

Loss of fertile top soil through surface run-off of rainwater

Prevent crop roots from penetrating into soil profile for water and

nutrient uptake

Leads to stunted plant growth

Lower yields

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Soil Penetration 6-8” in India

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Normal Indian Soil

Hard Pan

6”

Rainwater cannot penetrate deeper or drain, so it floods roots & evaporates rapidly. The flooding prevents plant roots from breathing, which is essential for absorption of nutrients.

Roots cannot penetrate so plant growth is stunted. Plants are small, weak, needs frequent irrigation & gives low yield.

Crop

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CACS Method of Land Preparation Deep Soil Chiseling & Furrow Beds

Enable soil to capture & store more rainwater

Retain rainwater to recharge groundwater

Prevent loss of fertile topsoil through excess run-off

Enable root systems to grow deep for nutrient &

water uptake

Reduce need for irrigation to as low as 20%.

Increase crop productivity

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30-36” Soil Penetration in California

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Deep Soil Chiseling

36”

Rainwater stored deep down where it will not easily evaporate & is available to plants for weeks

Roots penetrate deep to reach perennial water supply & nutrients. Plant grows large, strong & highly productive.

Soft Pan

Crop

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Deep Chiseling in USA

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Deep Chiseling Adapted in India

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Normal Flat-bed Land Preparation in India

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Tomato with furrows in TN

Tomato raised in Tamil Nadu with CACS methods consumes only one-third the water & has achieved 217% higher yield (38 tons vs. 12 tons/acre). Potential with CACS technology is 55 tons.

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Flood Irrigation in India

Flood irrigation methods practiced in India waste large amounts of water and drown crops resulting in low water use efficiency & low yields.

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Furrow Irrigation in California

Furrow irrigation on chiseled fields reduces water consumption by upto 70% while increasing crop yields.

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CACS Furrow Irrigation in TN

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Balanced Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition

Plants require more than 12 essential nutrients to generate healthy and productive growth.

Without these 12 nutrients, genetic potential of hybrid seeds cannot be tapped. (The same hybrid rice seed generates 2.8 tons per hectare in India, 5.4 tons in China & 8 tons in USA.)

In India, soil is being tested for only three nutrients. Even when tests are done for other nutrients, customised

recommendations are not available for each crop. Methods employed in India for application of fertilizers lead to low

absorption, low fertilizer use efficiency, high wastage and high cost. Advanced methods can triple productivity of the same hybrid seed.

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Soil Fertility (USA) – before treatment

Optimum Level Required by Plants

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Soil Fertility (USA) – balanced after treatment

Optimum Level Required by Plants

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Soil Fertility (India) – before treatment

Optimum Level Required by Plants

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Soil Fertility (India) – unbalanced after treatment

Optimum Level Required by Plants

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Critical Needs

Improve crop productivity Improve fertilizer use efficiency Improve water use efficiency Reduce soil salinity Reduce unit cost of agricultural produce

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What CACS Technology can do Improve land use efficiency

Increasing productivity per unit area can reduce the cost per unit of agricultural produce to enhance farm incomes and promote international competitiveness.

Improve fertilizer use efficiency Balancing plant nutrients in the soil optimizes plant intake of applied

fertilisers, safeguarding the environment and reducing soil degradation.

Improve water use efficiency Enhancing the country’s drinking water security through land

preparation techniques that harvest rainwater on millions of acre while reducing waste of irrigated water, improving water use efficiency by over 300%, and reducing the pace of salinization of irrigated lands.

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Kerala Agriculture Technology Project (KAT)

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Project Goals Transfer and disseminate advanced AT (Agriculture

Technology) to double the yield and profitability of

paddy and other major commercial crops, while

reducing the unit cost of agriculture produce.

Teach farmers how to double or triple net income

per acre by higher productivity and quality of crops.

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Project Strategy

Operate project as an autonomous contractor to the Government. Commercial demonstration of productivity & profitability of all

technologies on wide range of crops. Classroom & field training for farm school instructors by CACS. Farm school instructors to apply technology commercially on their

own fields & earn fees for training other farmers. Training subsidy of Rs 1000 per farmer trained. Private consulting team backed by expert system & multimedia

software to provide support services. Lab & equipment services to be charged to users.

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Project Targets Train more than 25,000 farmers on CACS methods

for high profit commercial crop production. Establish 500 village-based Farm Schools. Establish permanent infrastructure for on-going

technical support to lead farmers. Produce training materials and expert system to

support widespread adoption of CACS technology.

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Project Components Model Farm cum Training Centre to demonstrate high yield, high profit

production methods with farm equipment hire centres

Agricultural Precision Diagnostic Centre (APDC) – world class soil lab

Agri-equipment centre with latest equipment for improved land preparation.

Training of Farmer-Instructors to set up village-based Farm Schools

Training and management of a field force of agricultural consultants to

support the Farm Schools

Cyber extension system -- computer software for crop selection & production

Computerized farmer training programme

Links with agro-industries

AT information website

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High Potential Crops Paddy Banana Pineapple & other fruits Vegetables & vegetable seeds -- tomato Tapioca Black pepper, other herbs & spices Sugarcane & sugar beet Maize Coconut Bamboo and other tree crops Orchard -- mango, papaya, custard apple, pomegranate,

sapotta Floriculture – jasmine, anthurium, marigold, chrysanthemum

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Farm Schools (FS) 5 acre model farms in the village on owned or leased lands to

demonstrate CACS methods run by self-employed farmer-cum-Ag-consultants trained by KAT

Each FS to train 30 lead farmers per year in CACS methods On-going technical support from KAT to FSs Each FS has access to computer centre for farmer education &

technical advice Income from training of lead farmers (Rs. 30,000 to 60,000 per

year) for each FS instructor FS instructor is certified by KAT FS instructor is technical representative of KAT in the village

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Agricultural Consultants Agricultural graduates trained in CACS

production technologies will provide field support to the Farm Schools – one consultant per 10 FSs.

Consultants will work on contract basis and be fully accountable for delivery quality information to the FS and referring problems back to the Project Team.

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Training Curriculum for FS Instructors

Crop economics Crop selection methods Land preparation Planting methods & tools Deep chiseling & rainwater

harvesting techniques to optimize water utilisation

Soil & tissue analyses & plant nutrition techniques

Fertilizer placement, timing & methods to improve efficiency

Pest management practices Irrigation scheduling &

methods Crop maintenance practices Harvesting methods Post-harvest handling Agro-industry & agri-business

opportunities Marketing Teaching and communication

skills

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Training Methodology Classroom lectures Practical demonstration on model farms Practical field work and hands on experience

applying all concepts on model farm test plots

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Computerized Farm Advisory Software (FAS)

Recommend best cropping pattern options based on soil analysis, cost of inputs & prevailing market prices, including cost-benefit for each crop

Recommend package of practices for specific crops based on field conditions & soil test results

Generate detailed crop production instructions for the specific crop and field conditions

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Computerized Educational Software Malayalam language 25 to 50 hours of CD-Rom based courseware covering

all aspects of CACS technology For use at training centres, farm schools, secondary

schools and vocational training centres Multimedia: With photographs, video images, text &

voice presentations Interactive: User selects topics and proceeds at own

pace Feedback: Self-tests provide instant feedback to users

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Farmers Trained

Year 1 2 3 4 5 Total

Farm School Instructors Trained

50 100 150 200 500

Agricultural Consultants 10 10 15 15 50

Lead Farmers Trained 1500 3000 9000 15000 28500

Total 60 1610 3165 9215 15000 29000

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Estimated Four Year Budget (lakhs)Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Total

Capital

Investment295 45 45 45 430

Operating Costs 70 77 104 129 380

Training fees & food 3 21 38 101 163

Total 368 143 187 275 972

Crop working capital (additional)

10 15 25 25 75

Total 378 158 212 300 1047

Less net crop income

9 18 40 45 111

Net funds required 369 140 172 255 936

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Capital Investment World-class soil & tissue analysis laboratory Heavy duty imported tractor and shanks for deep soil

chiseling. Smaller tractor and other farm implements. 2 SUVs and 2 motorcycles Computers, printers, scanner, digital cameras, LCD

projector, furniture & equipment Expert system software for Farm Advisory Service Multimedia training CD Roms CACS Consulting fees

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Financial Requirements 1st Year – Rs 366 lakhs (includes Rs 233

lakhs assets) 2nd Year – Rs 100 lakhs 3rd Year – Rs 172 lakhs 4th Year – Rs 255 lakhs