Climate change and other vulnerabilities affect the agriculture and livelihoods of the community to a great extent. Realising this, Caritas India has been promoting innovative models with the active involvement of the community, thus changing mindsets and imparting lucrative alternatives within the existing livelihood pattern that can bring smiles back to the marginal households and help them to set their new voyage. Likewise, the U3 program known as Uttoran in West Bengal emphasized improving livelihood opportunities through a community-owned process. One of such livelihood enhancement initiatives in the intervention area is – Pollution Free Poultry Farming (PFPF) which is a natural and healthy practice of rearing poultry while ensuring organic composting. PFPF is the natural farming method of rearing chicken in a system wherein, the birds is grown in an organic system. The floor of the shed is filled with soil, rice husk, rice bran, Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ), Indigenous Micro Organisms (IMO) and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), Oriental Herbal Nutrients (OHN), Fish Amino acids (FAA), from where the birds will get part of their feed from the floor itself as there will be sufficient feeding materials within the system. This strong bed will absorb the excreta and hence there will not be any small in the bed. Later this will become very good manure for the crops. The benefits include safe and healthy meat and eggs, and organic composts for soil fertility management.

Meri Murmu and her husband lived in a muddy house with their two children and an ill mother. They are from Majherdanga village under Bonpas G.P. in Bhatar block, Purba Burdwan West Bengal. They are an ST family and their main occupation is a daily labourer. The family has 2 bigha sharecropping land which is insufficient to feed the family for more than 3 -4 months and hence the family relies on Daily labour activities.

Mrs. Meri has been an active SHG member and has been associated with the U3 programme since 2019. Through this programme, she had the opportunities to enhance new skills and learn through capacities-building training- Integrated Pest Management, good microbial practice, Integrated Nutrient Management and Leadership training organised by Asansol Burdwan Seva Kendra, West Bengal..

A ray of hope emerged in her life when she received the support from U3 programme for making Pollution Free Poultry Farm (PFPF) through the support of Caritas India and Misereor.

She received materials for the construction of a poultry shed i.e. Tin sheets, bricks, cement and chicks. Through the orientation programme of settling the PFPF, she learnt the process and preparation to set up a model chick house of 21 ft X 8 ft size.

“I am thankful to Caritas and ABSK for selecting me and giving me the support. Without this support, we never would have been able to construct a poultry shed. We don’t have much money to make it. It is our dream, and it will give me income and I will continue it for our economic security.”

She prepared IMO (Indigenous Micro Organisms) by her own effort after attending the training on how to prepare IMO by the staff of ABSK diocese and then applied the same on the floor of the shed. The poultry management process is new for her, and she applied all the materials supported by the programme. In her venture, all the family members assisted her and made a genuine effort in the spirit of teamwork. When they are out for their daily labourer work, their children and grandmother maintained them properly. During poultry bed preparation, by adding IMO she notices less foul smell compared to other traditional poultries and observes sound growth of birds.

She received 40 local varieties of chicks from the local vendor as per the contract and purchased another 40 local variety chicks from the same vendor through her own investment.  She invested Rs. 2400 for 40 chicks and poultry food Rs. 3000. So total investment Rs. 5400 for the poultry business. Presently she is getting a price Rs 250/ chick which means she now has Rs. 15000 as an asset. Now her 60 chicks value is Rs 15000, making the net profit to be Rs. 9600 (in 6 months period). After eight months the profit will increase to Rs. 13800, guaranteeing a monthly return of upto Rs. 1725.

Observing Mari’s poultry farm success and learning about the method, two more farmers from the adjacent hamlet have decided to apply the process through their own effort and investment. Meri will continue the poultry with 80 desi chicks and they will use some of the profit amounts to purchase two young goats to establish their own mini  Goat rearing unit.