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SRFSI project was the game-changer not only for SSCOP but for the entire Coochbehar and other North Bengal Districts. It was definitely a path-breaking initiative that has truly impacted the small and marginal farmers and women farmers of North Bengal by increasing their farm incomes.

– Satmile Satish Club O’Pathagar, Coochbehar

About Satmile Satish Club O’ Pathagar (SSCOP):

SSCOP was established in 2001 as a Club which typically is found in every nook and corner of West Bengal organizing social and cultural events, sports activities, etc. However, with the passage of time the first generation of Club Members realized that the Club had a bigger role in the community. It initiated certain activities to empower the villagers to combat the continuous cycle of poverty, backwardness, and illiteracy.

The NGO strengthens and facilitates the grassroots level community institutions by creating convergences with Government, International Agencies, and Corporate for holistic development of the rural communities especially in the area of livelihood through agriculture thereby creating incomes.

SSCOP’s goal is to “help the marginalized and vulnerable people to benefit from the development process through participatory gender balanced approaches in order to achieve sustainable livelihood and strive to eliminate poverty in and around Coochbehar and other districts of West Bengal”.

SSCOP works in the area of Agriculture focusing on conservation agriculture, supply chain management, agri-entrepreneurship, allied sectors including poultry, goatery, duckery, piggery and fishery, Education, Sanitation, WASH, Livelihood, Training, and Capacity Building and Farm Mechanization.

Key learnings and reflections:

  • CASI Technology is here to stay and scale out in large numbers.
  • There is a great opportunity for gender mainstreaming in agriculture through CASI.
  • There is a huge scope for the creation of Service providers and rural entrepreneurs who will not only make sustainable and profitable businesses but will also expand the work.
  • There are huge impacts on social and economic aspects. However, the key learning is women being recognized as farmers.
  • The one critical aspect is to create profitability where there no contiguous patches of farmland as the small bighas of land is a deterrent for the Service provider and hence the farmer does not get to use the CASI Technology.
  • The most important learning is not to work in Silos but to create a convergence platform where Government, University, Corporate and Agri manufacturers, Implementation agency and farmers all together play a focused role.

Future Actions:

  • SSCOP is promoting CASI Technology not only in Coochbehar District but is reaching out to almost all the North Bengal District. The CASI Technology will be promoted through FPOs, FPCs and SHGs and individual farmers.
  • SSCOP will promote the technologies either by selling or renting out the Farm equipment.
  • SSCOP has recently been awarded a project by DAP, Australian Consulate-General – Kolkata to work with farmers to reduce stubble burning. SSCOP has already carried out 25 Bighas through Happy Seeder and the results are impressive. Hence happy Seeder will be promoted and scaled out.
  • SSCOP through its innovative e-Krishi Samadhan franchise model is creating Service providers who are either individual or collective entrepreneurs and will act as Service providers in various geographies promoting CASI Technologies and more scaling out.
  • SSCOP plans to reach out to nearly 300000 farmers in the next 3 years and will create around 100 Businesses based on CASI and other portfolios in the next 2-3 years.
  • Under the CIMMYT Extension project which is working in the Sitai Block of Coochbehar where for the first time CASI Technology has been used SSCOP plans to scale it out to a large number of farmers in the coming season.
  • SSCOP will come on board another corporate working on Agriculture and also strengthen its ties with the State Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal.
  • SSCOP will carry out its training and capacity building and field demonstrations in large numbers and in new geographies.
  • SSCOP also has a huge focus on mainstreaming women in agriculture and the future plan is to bring almost 20-30% women farmers into the agriculture fold.

Contact person:

Amal Roy, Secretary

+91.7585.924.002

amalroy.satmile@gmail.com

SSCOP Publications

… for more productive, profitable and resilient farming systems

The SRFSI project is a regional research for development collaboration of more than 30 partners, focused on the Eastern Gangetic Plains.