Agriculture and Food Security
ESTABLISHMENT OF ORGANIC STUDY FARM
An organic study farm has been established in the village of Huzurikanda under Nakla Upazila of Sherpur district where both the staff and the farmers are learning organic and biodynamic farming practices in a method of learning by doing. Different organic methods and techniques such as Biodynamic compost, Heap & Pit Compost, Vermi-compost, Farmyard Manure, Leaf Compost, Banana Waste Compost, Magic Compost, Mati Microbial Manure (M3), Mati Growth Promoter (MGP), etc. and many formulations of Botanical Pesticides such as Baromishali, Bordeaux Mixture and many others are prepared and applied in the field to show the results.
Moreover, different kind of indigenous varieties of crops including paddy such as Pijam, Biroi, Tulshimala, Kalojira, Chinigura, different spices, vegetables are being tried in the study farm which are already in a position to extinction because the farmers are not cultivating those varieties because of the aggressions of the Open-Pollinated (OP) and Hybrid varieties for getting higher yields.
TRAINING ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE FOR STAFF & FARMERS
During the reporting period MATI organized several trainings courses on Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture for staff and the farmers both in theory and practice. Moreover, after the formal training the staff and the model farmers arranged village based hands on trainings on preparations of organic farming technologies and preparations of organic manure and botanical pesticides. The training courses helped both the staff and the farmers in learning and practices the organic farming technologies to produce organic crops both in homestead and field crops.
ENCOURAGE YOUTH IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
In 2024, MATI continued to motivate and train 81 youth farmers (46M, 35F) who continued organic farming as a solution to food security and climate change. They received training, technical support and materials for organic farming, set demo plots, and showcased organic pest control and manure production to grow organic crops and demonstrate to about 500+ fellow farmers in the group and village.
These farmers learned that organic farming can help make sure everyone has enough food and can also help with climate change. MATI gave them lots of support, including teaching them how to do it and giving them the things they needed. The farmers also set up small fields to show others how organic farming works. In these fields, they showed how to get rid of bugs without chemicals and how to make good fertilizer from animal waste. The idea was that these young farmers would not only learn how to grow organic food themselves, but would also teach other farmers in their villages how to do it too.
ENCOURAGE YOUTH IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
In 2024, MATI continued to motivate and train 81 youth farmers (46M, 35F) who continued organic farming as a solution to food security and climate change. They received training, technical support and materials for organic farming, set demo plots, and showcased organic pest control and manure production to grow organic crops and demonstrate to about 500+ fellow farmers in the group and village.
These farmers learned that organic farming can help make sure everyone has enough food and can also help with climate change. MATI gave them lots of support, including teaching them how to do it and giving them the things they needed. The farmers also set up small fields to show others how organic farming works. In these fields, they showed how to get rid of bugs without chemicals and how to make good fertilizer from animal waste. The idea was that these young farmers would not only learn how to grow organic food themselves, but would also teach other farmers in their villages how to do it too.
