Seven Sisters Development Assistance

Livelihood Promotion

With whom do we work

The 1 bigha or less model

  • Enhance food security by increasing productivity in Paddy from 1.5 to 2 times.
  • Apply SCI (System of Crop Intensification) principles in pulses (using residual moisture after Kharif) and vegetables (year round) for cash income.
  • Enhance income through animal husbandry ( pig/ goat/ backyard poultry)

The 1 bigha to 2.5 bigha 

  • This model assumes that the family has 1 bigha of homestead with fallow land or land with standing crop (mostly arecanut in Assam ).

  • Model focuses on two aspect of utilization of fallow land  introducing.

  • New orchard and vegetable and where there is standing crop.

  • Intercropping and vegetables in around half bigha land.

  • For orchard two different crops will be taken based on duration of bearing fruit- 1st crop which bears fruit within 1.5 years and second
    that will be relatively longer (up to 5 years).

The animal husbandry interventions/landless model

There are 3 models based on community preference – these are for landless Households as well in combination with agriculture. There are 3 models based on community preference.

  • Year Round Pig Rearing with 4 pig ready for slaughter from 2nd year onwards.
  • Improved Goat Rearing with 3 doe model which will be used for breeding and one buck (Beetal) for cross breed against 30 does’ (10 Households).
  • Backyard Poultry for both layer and Breeder purpose @ 50 birds in 1 batch comprising of 4 cycles in a year.

SRI

The System of Rice Intensification involves cultivating rice with as much organic manure as possible, starting with young seedlings planted singly at wider spacing in a square pattern; and with intermittent irrigation that keeps the soil moist but not inundated, and frequent inter cultivation with weeder that actively aerates the soil.

SCI, Vegetable

The System of Crop Intensification involves cultivation of vegetables in a measured model by intercropping different crops together. The model ensures proper growth of the plants pest management and crop rotation depending on the season, providing a year-round food supply and income to the farmer

Pig Rearing

Piggery is a major source of livelihood in the rural northeast. However traditional rearing practices has not been profitable in the last few as rearing in the open is prone to different illness and disease-causing organism leading to loss of weight and mortality. SeSTA therefore supports these farmers with advanced scientific method of rearing pigs to reduce mortality ensuring productivity and maximum profit

Goat Rearing

As goat is widely reared in the rural northeast. A proper goat rearing model is introduced with poor and socially disadvantaged households. The model is aimed at providing support to small/ marginal farmers and landless laborers who suffers due to variety of reasons including limited access to common lands and free grazing areas, lack of housing facilities and low investment capacities.

Nutrition-Garden

Most of the houses in the rural NE hosts a bari in the backyard, which is planted with seasonal vegetables for self-consumption. SeSTA therefore capitalising on the bari promotes a Nutrition-garden model for improving nutritional outcomes, which will ensure dietary diversity and boost the immunity of the consumers.

The garden is designed to support intercropping in the SCI method of cultivation and immediate replacement with new crops according to the seasonal crop calendar of the particular geography thereby sustaining the nutrition diversity and also enhancing the income by selling the surplus production

Farm Pond

The farm pond is introduced to promote fish culture and the water in it will act as a substitute during the dry seasons to other crops and paddy cultivation. The model is designed for 1 bigha of pond, which will host at least five different species of fish (Rahu, Common Carp, Grass Crap, Mrigal and Katla).

The bandhs of the pond will also host vegetables and other orchard plants like banana.

Enterprise and Entrepreneurs

As goat is widely reared in the rural northeast. A proper goat rearing model is introduced with poor and socially disadvantaged households. The model is aimed at providing support to small/ marginal farmers and landless laborers who suffers due to variety of reasons including limited access to common lands and free grazing areas, lack of housing facilities and low investment capacities.