School children run Agriculture farm

The Agriculture Industry in India is experiencing structural changes leading to a crisis. Majority of farmers in the country would prefer to take up some other work. Poor income, small farm land holdings, lack of access to technology and real-time information are the main reasons for giving up farming.

To overcome this challenge, school children run agriculture farm aims to promote the idea of entrepreneurship education among children by providing practical experience where they will learn to grow crops and manage a small business and conduct research. They can learn through experimentation and collaboration by simulating real-world experiences in a controlled environment. This will provide an opportunity to fund their own education.  

There are around half a million villages in India where two-third of the total population resides. With it’s initiation at Z.P. school Wablewadi, Pune, India, project aims to reach all villages in India to improve quality of life.

Sustainable agricultural and rural development have increasingly become matters of concern for developing countries in the 21st century. Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of India’s population. But the growth rate of agricultural output is steadily declining in recent years.

The low and highly fluctuating farm income is causing a detrimental effect on the interest in farming and farm investments and is also forcing more and more cultivators, particularly younger age groups, to leave farming. This can lead to an adverse effect on the future of food security and the state of agriculture in the country. 

The crisis in agriculture can be mitigated if it can be taught in early stages of school and seen as a career option. This will translate into improved farming practices.

School children run agriculture farm project will create and build upon student and community interest in sustainable food production. The objective of this initiative is to ensure that young students take active part in sustainable rural development by integrating agricultural activities.  This can be achieved through provision of technical knowledge, reinforcing interest in and awareness of opportunities existing in agriculture with hands-on experience. 

Under this initiative, One hectare of agricultural farm will be owned by school children of Z.P. International School, Wablewadi, Maharashtra, India, with the goal to promote sustainable agriculture and to maximize income. The school children run agriculture farm would provide an environment for opportunities such as research, education and food production. They will learn to grow food, manage a business and recruit others to get involved.

It will have a formal management structure, reward structure and a team to run the project that will be decided by students and school staff. 

Produce from the farm will be sold locally in the village community. All students of the school will automatically become part of the project which in turn entitles them to a share of profit.

It shall have a clear profit generation goal. The profit of the project (or portion of it) shall be distributed to the students at the end of each financial year based on the predefined reward structure.

The project management team shall comprise of the students from school and others hired to carry out operational tasks. The team can decide the funding allocation for different aspects of the project (staff salary / production / marketing etc.) 

School children run agriculture farm aims to overcome the challenge of food security by making the local community self-sustainable encouraging their involvement as the produce from this farm will be distributed and sold locally.

School children run agriculture farm majorly support the students as the initiative will be primarily administered by the students and school staff. It teaches importance of agriculture in early stages of school through participation of school children to run this initiative and conduct research in a controlled environment. It would make a student financially independent to fund his/her own further education and will acquire essential skills in managing small-scale businesses. 

Moreover, students will have an opportunity to introduce and implement innovative ways of farming keeping in view climate change and other seasonal anomalies. It would also make agriculture occupation remunerative to sustain the interest of the young generation towards sustainable agriculture.

This initiative also contributes towards Indian government’s goal of self-reliant, self- managed and self-sustainable India.

The produce from the School children run agriculture farm will be distributed and sold within the local community. This will have a short supply chain which is one of the best ways to increase profit and product quality. 

This will shorten delivery time, reduce transportation costs, making them sustainable and less harmful to the environment. There is reduced risk of damage, contamination, less food waste and reduced disposal costs for producers and provides the local population with a direct supply of fresh food. This also improves customer service as well as customer satisfaction. 

The solution is unique in the sense that school run children farm will be primarily run by school children (from grade one to grade eighth). The process of production, management and supply will be handled by the school children.

This solution also addresses the crisis in the agriculture industry. The low and highly fluctuating farm income is causing a detrimental effect on the interest in farming, and is also forcing more and more cultivators, particularly younger age groups, to leave farming. This can lead to an adverse effect on the future of food security and the state of agriculture in the country. 

It provides the solution of the above mentioned problem by introducing agriculture based entrepreneurship education in early stages of school through practical experience on not only how to grow crops but also how to run a small scale business. 

This solution is innovative as it aims in building a K-12 school children-run agriculture farm for sustainable agriculture and rural development through entrepreneurship education in a small nondescript village.

Under school run children farm project, the team will use the grant to lease the agriculture farm to begin with farming operations, creating infrastructure, setting up of greenhouse, buying essential equipments, seeds and fertilizers, setting up technology and recruiting others to carry out operational tasks.

Once the agriculture farm is established, production of crops will be initiated under the supervision of the team. 

Produce will then be distributed and sold locally in the village. It shall have a clear profit generation goal. The profit of the project shall be distributed at the end of each financial year based on the predefined reward structure.

Some of the profit will be used to channelize the next production cycle. Another portion of the profit will be distributed to the team and employees in the form of income.

Along with learning essential life skills and the importance of rebuilding sustainable agriculture, children will be able to fund their own education. 

This supports rural development as villagers are provided freshly produced food and also, it will be a source of income for many families because hired employees will be from within the community.

The initiative of school children run agriculture farm can then be replicated in every village of the state and of the country (around half a million). Thus, creating a self sustainable and self reliant society.

Currently, this initiative is in pilot mode which aims to serve more than thousand people in one year by starting at Zilla Parishad International School, Wablewadi, Pune, India. 

It will be directly serving the people of nearby villages of above mentioned school and meaningfully affecting the lives of children by providing them practical tools and techniques.

In the next five years, this project aims to reach more than a million people in villages across India with a sustainable development model designed and implemented  by school children resulting in development of rural communities and overcoming the challenges of food security and migration of rural population to cities.

There are around 80,000 villages in the state of Maharashtra in India. The goal is to reach every village in the state within next year.

The school children run agriculture farm projrct can be replicated to other schools and villages in Maharashtra with the support of local communities, school management and the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).

IAHV, a partner organization of the Art of Living was founded by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1997 in Geneva to foster a deeper understanding of the values that unite us as a global community. Spread over 155 countries, IAHV focuses on empowering people and communities with inclusive and sustainable development interventions, fostering universal human values and resilience. Our programs enhance clarity of mind, shift attitudes and behaviors, and develop leaders and communities that are resilient, responsible, and inspired.

Starting with focus on education in its early days, IAHV has expanded to provide integrated development solutions. It now runs programs that cover 11 out of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

More details about IHAV can be found at https://www.iahv.org/in-en/

Within the next five years, the school children run agriculture farm project aims to reach around half a million villages in India, impacting millions of lives. This can be achieved through replicating the model state-wise with the support of higher government authorities, local communities, school management and organizations like The International Association for Human Values (IAHV) supporting the greater cause for development of all communities. 

Currently, there are no barriers. 

Currently, it's pilot model. The project management team will be decided by school children and school staff. They can hire others to perform operational tasks.
It is also supported by local community, school management and The International Association for Human Values (IAHV).  

There is strong support from the local community, school management , The International Association for Human Values (IAHV) and few government officials. 

Local Community  In order to run any initiative, it is important to have the support of local communities as they are at the receiving end. It also gives us opportunities to reach our goals, and makes us feel safe and secure.

School Management The project is primarily run by school children who are under the guidance of school staff and management. Their support is of vital importance for successful execution of this project. Z.P. International School, Wablewadi is famous for pioneering a new education model. This shows that innovative and unique ideas are supported by the school.

The International Association for Human Values (IAHV) , a partner organization of the Art of Living was founded by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1997 in Geneva to foster a deeper understanding of the values that unite us as a global community. Spread over 155 countries, IAHV focuses on empowering people and communities with inclusive and sustainable development interventions, fostering universal human values and resilience. Our programs enhance clarity of mind, shift attitudes and behaviors, and develop leaders and communities that are resilient, responsible, and inspired.

Starting with focus on education in its early days, IAHV has expanded to provide integrated development solutions. It now runs programs that cover 11 out of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

More details about IHAV can be found at https://www.iahv.org/in-en/

The school children run agriculture farm project is supported by The International Association for Human Values (IAHV)

The International Association for Human Values (IAHV), a partner organization of the Art of Living was founded by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1997 in Geneva to foster a deeper understanding of the values that unite us as a global community. Spread over 155 countries, IAHV focuses on empowering people and communities with inclusive and sustainable development interventions, fostering universal human values and resilience. Our programs enhance clarity of mind, shift attitudes and behaviors, and develop leaders and communities that are resilient, responsible, and inspired.

Starting with focus on education in its early days, IAHV has expanded to provide integrated development solutions. It now runs programs that cover 11 out of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

More details about IHAV can be found at https://www.iahv.org/in-en/

Using the grant, school children will be starting a social enterprise from leasing the agriculture farm, to setting up the farm with infrastructure and to start the production of crops. 

Produce will then be distributed and sold locally in the village. It shall have a clear profit generation goal. The profit of the project shall be distributed at the end of each financial year based on the predefined reward structure.

Some of the profit will be used to channelize the next production cycle. Another portion of the profit will be distributed to the team and employees in the form of income.