Millet Mission Group - MMG

Project description:

Problems identified :

Lack of financial support for marginal  farmers back to millet farming.

No  support for  marketing 

No financial and technical training  support to start processing and  value added millet   food production 

Poor knowledge on nutrition and health benefit of millet food among consumers

 Proposed Solutions:

Financial support  to farmers  for inputs 

Establish  Resource center to supply of  inputs

MMG procure millet  and store  in community  storage center and  market to traders.Impart  technical skill and financial support for women to start processing and food production units 

Expected  changes 

•  Marginal farmers will sift to millet cultivation
• Improve food  security and income  from millet farming
•   Improvement of  soil fertility and environment- Women, youth and street vendors will get income from millet food sales

• Popularize  millet food among public by awareness education  and MFC and street vendors.Consumers will shift  to millet food and get  better nutrition

Specific problems of our community:

Due to sifted from millet farming to rice cultivation, land lost its soil fertility,input expenses increased  and decrease of income and  they are  facing  many health and nutritional problems by consumption of rice produced with chemical input.

Directly 100 farmers and indirectly their  400  family members  of 40 villages in Pudukkottai District of Tamilnadu State are badly affected.   There are 500000 people  in the District are facing health  and nutritional problems due to sifted their diet from millet to rice and wheat

Factors contributing to the problem relate to our solution:

Finance aid,agro-technical education and practical  training on organic farming to marginal farmers.

Technical skill on  processing  and production of value added products, financial support to start processing and food production units to women groups .Revolving fund for MMG to buy the millet grains from farmers on fare price, establish  facility to store the millet.

Entrepreneur training and practical training to  prepare of various recipes  from millet to unemployed youth and financial aid to start millet food café - MFC for them

Cooking training to street vendors on  preparation of recipes from millet and financial support to vendors for the business.

Financial support : The support will help the farmers to  buy  organic input expenses which will motivate  to go back to millet farming.

Agro-technical education on sustainable farming: The  education will improve the  knowledge and help farmers to practice

Technical training on processing and production of value added millet food:  The local women groups will get practical technical knowledge to operate and manage the machines, tools and raw materials in processing units and  food production units. Skill training will be given to produce the products scientifically 

Marketing  support sources: MMG will become company to buy the products on fair price and store in community store center. And also help sell the millet food products by street food vending, millet food cafe and door delivery to customers.

Improve the consumption of millet food:

We will promote awareness of on nutritional and health benefits of millet food by educational materials millet food demonstration programs which will motivate the consumers  start to eat millet food.

Marginal farmers are our direct beneficiary group those who are living in village and are having less than two acres of land. They were sifted from millet to rice farming  three decades ago. Now, they understood, they yield and income reduced year by year. The  input expenses  like chemical fertilizers are increased.

In this situation, we organised group discussions on their problems of chemical farming and loss of soil fertility and income etc. We discuss our solutions for their problem by participatory method and plan the project/ mission to promote millet farming based on their ideas and opportunities for possible to sift sustainable millet farming.

The problems we identified and our solutions proposed to marginal farmers is very relevant to selected our dimension in the following-Support small-scale producers with access to Inputs:Need financial Support both loan and subsidy for the farmers to get input like seeds,organic manure and natural pesticides.Capital: Need of capital to establish storing the millet,millet processing unit and value added products production with needed equipment,tools and buildings.knowledge to improve yields while sustaining productivity of land:Impart knowledge to the farmers of for sustainable agriculture to protect soil fertility, use of organic input and improve the yield through orientation,model millet farming.

Our solutions:

We will use locally prepared with low cost of liquid organic fertilizers,called panchakaviya  for promotion better yield from millet cultivation. We impart the knowledge the farmers to prepare the liquid by themselves or they can purchase from community resource center with low cost.Panchakaviya will  promotes growth,yield and immunity and also an organic pesticide. The consumption of products produced by panachakaviya will improve immunity,health and nutritional level of human.

Solution to promote by products from millet:

We will impart technical knowledge to local women to prepare value added food scientifically and hygienically from millet and other recipes  Impart skill to operate machinery  and tools of the units.

Solution on Marketing of millet: MMG will buy the millet from farmers in theor door steps  with fair price  and  also help the farmers to store their produce in community storage center. The MMG will market the products during higher price and give good profit to the farmers.

Alternative sales of the products:MMG  will give  he millet products to street food vendors and millet food café on nominal price.

Our solution to promote consumption of millet products:We will organize millet food preparation  in urban area by MFC and MMG.

MFC will enroll  the buyers in villages and urban areas and  as members  and supply the products in their door steps. All The activities will motivate the people to consume millet food  and change their diet

We will use use both traditional wisdom and low cost technology for cultivation of millet. And also, we will use bio liquid organic fertilizers for cultivation.The farmers already the importance of cow dung  as manure for their cultivation. Now we educate the knowledge and techniques to prepare cow dung and milk products to mix and prepare panchakaviya, the organic fertilizers by themselves and use as manure and protect the plants from pesticides hem selves and use in their cultivation

We will introduce the  following new business models to market the millet and millet products

Street food vendors will sell the products and recipes

MFC will prepare ready to eat food and sell  the food: among public

MFC will get members for their club and sell  the products   by line business and also  deliver the products to the customers houses directly.

There are evidence for our solutions like bio organic fertilizers based on article published by agricultural universities like   Research Institute on Organic Farming (RIOF), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.

 Websites of organic fertilizers manufactures

Knowledge shared by local elders from villages.

Alternative, new business models,   market through  Millet food café- MFC and street food vendors are our own innovative solutions for marketing of the products .

.  Some of evidence on selling millet food by street vendors in  some places  in our state high way road side.The people know  the value of the food, eat and drink the millet food

To change the diet to millet foods, increase the awareness about nutrition and health benefits of millet food and increase demand for millet food will achieved by our new education ethnology like see and believe by  and adoption theory by result demonstration and cum group interaction and motivation.

Our theory of change :The relationships between outcomes,assumptions,strategies and results.And easy easier to sustain,bring to scale and evaluate each step from idea to action. Our suitable solutions which will bring immediate out come and achieve long term goal by education people participation,use of low cost technologies and innovations.

 Immediate outcome: First year 20 farmers, 2nd year 30 farmers and 3rd year 50 farmers will shift from rice to millet farming by motivation and financial support. 40 local women will be technical knowledge on millet processing and produce value added millet food and start the processing and production units in 2nd year and continue the work in 3rd year

 1st year street food vendors and youth will get training on preparation of varies recipes from millet . 2nd and 3rd year start their business and earn good income

1st, 2nd and 3rd year  MMG will buy the millet from farmers by MMG and store in the community storage center.Market the produce to local traders and shops.

The awareness education will be organized in  1st, 2ndd and 3rd year and motivation: people in 50 village and two municipal area will create demand for millet food .

Long term outcome:

Our solution will promote the  sustainable food systems and food security will be improved in our district 100 marginal farmers will at least promote millet farming 300 acres.The lands of marginal farmers will be protected from climate change and protect incandescence the soil fertility of their lands and increase of quality yield.In general,Our solution and action will improve sustainable food systems and food security in our district

• Particularly we will  bring the following  changes;
• The income of marginal  will increase
• The families of marginal farmers will consume quality and health food and health and nutritional benefits.
• Local women acquired technology and skill and produced value added millet food products and earn good income.
• The unemployed youth will earn income from MHC and street food vending business.
• The people will get millet food according to their taste and improve their nutritional and health benefits.

Currently we serve for 10 marginal  farmers

We will serve through this project

1st year:  20 farmers, 40 women,20 street vendors and 10 youth

2nd year: 30 farmers,40 women ,20 street vendors and 10 youth

 3rd year: 50 farmers,40 women ,20 street vendors and 10 youth

 totally 100 farmer, 40 women, 20 street vendors and 10 youths in 3 years

MMG will carried out all the activities for three years with guidance and advice of Indian Social Service Institute

 Goal 1: 20 farmers in 1st year,30 farmers in 2nd year and  50 farmers in 3rd year will get training on organic farming and provide financial support for millet farming  

Goal2: 40 local women will get technical skill processing of millet and produce value added millet products in the first year and help them to run the units in 2nd year and 3rd year through which, they will get regular income 

Goal 3: Impart training to 20 street food vendors and 10 youth (MFC)on preparation of various recipes on millet in the first year and run the business in 2nd and 3rd year .They will get regular and good income from the business

Goal4: 1st,2nd and 3rd year, MMG will Buy the millet from farmers on fair price and store the produce in community storage center

Impacts of 3 years project:

• 100 farmers will promote organic millet farming  300 acres in rain fed area
• 40 women will work and  get regular income from processing and food production units.  
• 20 street food vendors and 10 youth  will get regular income from the business.
• MMG will purchase the millets from farmers and store in the community storage center
•  Market the produce to local traders and shops
• Awareness will be created among public and create demand  and consume the millet products

Highlight specific financial, technical, legal, cultural, or market barriers that may limit your impact in the next year and the next five years.

Main barrier :  farmers to get financial support for their millet farming from govt and local financial institutions. Hope to get external financial support for first two years and 3rd year , it will be managed by MMG through profits and income

Some risks/ barrier in the beginning stage  to market the value added food products in the open markets. The barrier/ risk will be solved our local marketing system/ direct market method

The above said barrier will not limit our expected impact..

Consider addressing each barrier individually. Highlight resources that you have or will pursue, and explain how you will use them. You may refer back to these barriers when completing the questions in the Partnership Potential section, where we ask how the Solve community can help.

Hope to get external financial  support to farmers  for first two years and 3rd year , it will be managed by MMG through profits and income

 Marketing of value added products  in the open market: The barrier/ risk will be solved our local marketing system/ direct market method

The above said barrier will not limit our expected impact..

Nil

Full time staff:02

Part time staff:01

Volunteers:01

Team leader : Ramaswamy Rengaraju

1. Professional qualification in organic agriculture:Course on agriculture,man ecology conducted by ETC foundation in Netherlands.
2. Experience:Experience in agriculture,3 years of experience in rice and vegetable cultivation,2 years of experience on organic vegetable cultivation.
3. 20 years of experience on rural development projects management.

Team member:Kamaraj

1. Organic farmer and producing millet and vegetables.
2. Experience on Production of organic mannure and pesticides.
3. Master trainer on organic farming,farming pratices.

Team member: Martin julius

1. 20 years of experience on rural development and agriculture.
2. Master trainer agriculture and agri business 
3. Part time staff.

Team member: Devi

1. Professional qualification:Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering
2. Part time volunteer experience for 6 months.

Name of the organisation : 

INDIAN SOCIAL SERVICE INSTITUTE

I am working as executive director for the   organisation from 1986.My responsibilities in organisation for project management,monitoring and evaluation of the projects.

Our business is based on local customers and traders.

Our key beneficiaries and customers. 

marginal farmers,local women groups,street food vendors,youth groups and consumers of millet food.

Our main services:

Training and technical support to marginal farmers to promote millet farming.

Training and technical support to women's group to run processing and food production unit.

Support services to street food vendors and youth to run the business on millet food sales.

Awareness educational services to public to know the nutrition and health benefits by consumption of millet foods. 

Needs:

The marginal farmers need financial support to promote millet farming.

The people need nutritional food for consumption and free from health problems.

impact of the services :

The marginal farmers will promote millet farming and get regular income.

The people in the district will consumes millet food and get nutritional health benefits.

• Our main barrier to get financial support for marginal farmer to start millet farming.
• Another barrier to market our millet food products in the open market.

 We need support from solve for the above said barriers .We need financial support to our marginal farmers to meet expenses for inputs like seeds,organic fertilizer and pesticides.

Need financial support for publicity / advertisement through local media,printed materials for promotion of marketing.

• Our partnerships goals:
• To support the farmers with partnership of local and external funder's.
• To get marketing assistance with the partnership of local and external marketing experts and marketing agencies.
• To get partnership with technical training institute and people for our technical training on value added millet food production.

• We like to become partner of funding agencies ,technical training institution and marketing agencies for our products and services
• At present we have no funding partners . we knew experts on organic farming,production of organic fertilizer and pesticides.
• We will know local shop and marketing agencies .
• We like to partnership with MIT faculty or initiatives, or Solve Members.

In our project,50% are women farmers , all the workers in food production unit are women,50% of street food vendors and owners of MFC are women.

Women will become income contributor to their families and acquired technical skill to operate and produce millet products, we empower the women socially and economically by our activities.

So we are eligible for the Innovation for Women Prize

We will promote nutritional and health benefits through our sustainable food system .

We will protect the health of people,and health of soil ,produce quality food for promotion of immunity of human beings and save the people from climate change and increase the income of marginal farmers.

So we are eligible for AI for Humanity Prize

Our project to meet the challenges like promotion of food and income of marginalized communities ,our millet farming promotion will feed the people and solve the hungry problem locally it is suitable to all countries will promote food security and promote nutritional health the benefits of poor people.

So we are eligible for Future Planet Capital Prize