Dear Friends,

  I am writing to share notes from the last couple of weeks.

1. Water-melon farmers: The last time I shared an update , watermelon farm-gate prices ((http://magasool.org/blog04.php) were at Rs 1.50 per kilo. These have now risen to Rs 3.50 per kilo and we expect a further rise to Rs. 6 per kilo next week which is close to the input cost for farmers. The rise has been too little,too late and Covid19 has brought extreme hardship to 90% of the water melon growers. Magasool is petitioning the Agriculture Department on behalf of the farmers for a one-time loss-compensation payout to ameliorate some of the losses.



2. Proactive citizens of Chennai help farmers connect directly with stranded migrant workers: The Covid 19 lockdown has left many migrant workers  stranded in Chennai without access to work. The corporation of Chennai is providing them with dry rations in partnership with Citizens' groups and NGOs. In order to make the migrant food nutritious, a group of extremely proactive citizens is helping Magasool farmers in the Kalpakkam region directly supply fresh produce to Corporation Canteens and migrant-worker clusters. To date Magasool-partner farmers have supplied more than 500 kilograms of vegetables and 3000 kilograms of watermelons. In the next couple of weeks 2200 kilograms of fresh vegetables and 20 tonnes of watermelon will be supplied to more than 1000 migrants and several Amma Canteens.
 

3. Restarting field work: The new paddy season started in several parts of Tamil Nadu a few weeks ago. We have mostly stayed away from field work to ensure staff safety. In line with new Government guidelines, the Magasool team is now planning to restart field work at a low level and  we are discussing ways to ensure physical distancing during paddy nursery preparation.

I request you to share any ideas that you might have for helping field workers maintain distance during work.
4. New website and blog launch:  Magasool launched a new website (http://magasool.org/) and a blog (http://magasool.org/blog.php). We can now accept INR support from friends through many convenient electronic means of transfer (http://magasool.org/support-us.php)
Please let us know of your feedback/suggestions.  

Have a great weekend. 
Thank you
Ajay

Dear friends and well wishers,
Hope you and your loved ones are safe.

I am writing to share a few updates.

Magasool has  restricted field operations to only  four villages until April 15th to ensure  staff safety.  The Covid-19 lock-down has resulted in a demand fall for perishable produce and sharper falls in farm-gate prices (http://magasool.org/blog04.php). Many of our farmer partners have suffered huge losses and we are actively engaging with the Agriculture Department  to reduce farmer hardship.
We will  share biweekly notes in the coming months. Please let us know if you have suggestions/feedback on how we can better support the farming community in these testing times.

Thank you

Ajay
Trustee - Magasool

Dear Friends
Hope you had a great start to 2020.  With your continual support, the 2019 Magasool fundraiser  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/magasool-2019  has reached its target.

1. Maize and Urad  work with rain-fed farmers of Vilathikulam: The floods in Vilathikulam destroyed 30%-50% of the maize crop for our partner farmers. 5 farmers had to completely plough over their fields and plant another crop. Fortunately, corn prices are ranging on the high side and we expect the farmers to recover some of their losses. I will share specifics on yield and farmer profits in my next update.
The Urad Dal partnership with more than 80 farmers of the Toothukudi Pulses producer company was extremely successful. We were able to cut down pesticide usage by 50% through mechanical and biological pest control means. I will share yield and farmer savings data in March.

2. Modified System of Rice Intensification (MSRI) through mechanized transplanters
Magasool staff have completed transplantation work for 260 farmers in Kalpakkam (850 acres), 26 farmers in Cuddalore (84 acres), 23  farmers in Lalgudi (65 acres), 8 farmers in Thiruvallur and  9 farmers (35 acres) in South Tamil Nadu.  

3.  Organic Kitchen Garden Work: Vegetable seeds were distributed to 450 landless households in Pelasur Village (Thiruvannamalai District), Lalgudi and Kalpakkam.

4. Water Bodies Restoration on East Coast Road: We are partnering with 5 villages in Chengalpattu district to restore dilapidated water bodies and improve ground water availability for domestic consumption and agriculture. The villagers posted the issue in their Gram Sabha meetings on Republic Day. We are also following  up with concerned officials to survey the water ways.

5. Panchayat Level Agriculture Information System - Magasool staff got trained on using "Plantix" at Icrisat in Hyderabad. Plantix is a "be your own crop doctor" tool and we feel that it will be extremely useful for farmers to identify and manage pest attacks and nutrition deficiency. We are starting village level meetings next week to get feedback on  a community radio and Plantix integration as a tool for farmers..

Please let us know if you have any queries.
Thank you
Ajay