Rural development is not possible without stimulating agricultural growth. Agriculture holds a 20% share in the Indian Economy but very little has been done to promote this sector. Investment in the agriculture sector is the most important deterrent to upscale production and end poverty.

Most of the smallholder farmers are engaged in subsistence-oriented farming which is mostly of low intensity, low-yielding, and insufficient to cater for the needs of the farmer and his family. In North-East India, farmers are engaged in different agricultural practices such as the cultivation of both major and minor indigenous food crops which provide enough to support the family. However, due to low production and the absence of more crops, farmers are not able to sell their products in the market.

Farmers in the South West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya are also part of such practices and Caritas India under the ongoing FARM programme is trying to upscale agricultural productions especially in the backyard gardens so to improve their incomes and minimize dependence on markets of food.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is one such measure that aims to enhance livelihood security in the rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. MGNREGS consists of more than two hundred types of work that can be taken up by the people. The agriculture sector is also one type of work that is included in MGNREGS.

The State of Meghalaya formed Village Employment Councils (VECs) to address the challenges and ease the better implementation of the MGNREGS. Most of the Village Employment Council (VEC) in rural areas always concentrates on construction works that are non-agricultural.

The Community Mobilizer Shri Tanlin Wahlang from the programme has taken an effort to bring farmers and Government officials on the same platform to dialogue and share their concerns. The farmers requested support under some scheme for agricultural activities. The Block Development Officer informed that any type of support under MGNREGS can be considered after the recommendation of the Village employment council (VEC). The Community Mobilizer helped the community to draft their request to the VEC which was later accepted and approved by the Block Development Officer in June 2020 for 27 families of Mawthong village. The scheme included a plan to cultivate seasonal vegetables through trellises.

Caritas India as part of her interventions has been promoting the concept of Trellises in the region. Trellises are commonly seen structures used to growing vegetables in backyard gardens. These structures are a very common sight in the region. Generally, such trellises would have only one or two crops growing through a season and this is where things have changed. These trellises have been given a facelift for upscaling the production by optimal utilization of the space available. Thus, the same trellises are now designed as per the space available and are growing more products than ever before. And because of the scheme available, the bamboo has been replaced from the structure to make them permanent.

Upon the sanction of the scheme, each beneficiary received an estimated cost of Rs. 44,811. The beneficiaries started constructing their trellises according to the plan given. Now the trellises are ready, and the beneficiaries are cultivating different types of crops such as Squash, Pumpkin, Cucumber, and beans for income generation, and farmers are expected to generate income of around Rs.12, 000 per season depending on the climate.

“Farmers of Mawthong Village always wanted to have a permanent trellis to cultivate different types of crops both creeper and climbers to generate more income. FARM Project facilitation helped in getting the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to encash this opportunity to upscaling the agricultural products for more income. We are very happy and satisfied that now this permanent trellis can help in generating more income in the future,” said Smt. Tisbina wahlang and Smt. Bettina wanniang from the village.

“Nongstoin Social Service Society under FARM NE Project is trying to help more farmers to adopt trellises MGNREGS by approaching to the village employment council of the village,” said Ms. Roselin Mary Lyngdoh Marshillong.