For those who haven’t heard about this topic, you must know about it. It is one of the recent agriculture projects launched by the government on the 28th of July, 2020. This project mainly aims to reduce the emissions from agriculture and ensure that the agriculture practices are followed, keeping in mind sustainability and growth. It will be implemented in 5 states, and they are –
- Mizoram
- Rajasthan
- Madhya Pradesh
- Odisha
- Uttrakhand
Aim of the Project
This project has been designed in such a manner so that it covers a large area of land up to 1.8 million hectares and provides environmental benefits at a global level. The area covered under this project is five landscapes, and all of them have a different land-use system. The project aims for sustainable usage of the land and the management of water correctly.
This project will affect approximately 1,04,070 hectares of land. The project is a look-through into the future, which aims to reduce the Carbon Dioxide equivalent in the air as much as possible. This is only possible when the land is used wisely with proper knowledge and the water is adequately used without any wastage.
Funding of the Project
The funding of the project is taken care of by the Global Environment Facility.
Implementation of the Project
The National Executing Agency of this project is the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare. There are also some other key players involved in this project. They are responsible for the implementation of the project successfully. They are the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Timeline
The government has planned the project for five years and will end on the 31st of March 2026 in all five states. The project covers 1,45,670 hectares of land in two districts that are Lunglei and Mamit. The project will cover an area of 35 villages that includes two protected areas. They are – the Dampa Tiger Reserve and Thorangtlang Wildlife Sanctuary.
Significance of Green-Ag Project
Agriculture is one of the significant natural resources in this world, and we have to protect it. It is not that we should not use agricultural resources at all. On the contrary, we should properly use them by conserving them so that these resources do not exhaust completely and are left for our future generations. This project launched by the government aims for the same.
This project has a lot of significance considering the present-day situation of agriculture. This project will help the local people of these states that have been selected for the project to use their rich-agro biodiversity and take advantage of it properly.
This project will also help the locals practice livestock production appropriately to benefit the whole country. The government has also included the promotion of secondary agriculture in this project. Secondary Agriculture is when the primary produce like fruits is converted to jams; soybean is converted to oil, etc. the project also includes enhancement of the green value chains.
A green value chain is a form of development that focuses on improving natural sustainability in the entire chain. This chain is a major focus on minimizing the harm caused to the environment and maximizing the usage of renewable resources.
The main aim of this project is Sustainable Agriculture. And that too becomes the significance of this project. Mizoram has been especially focused on this project due to some major reasons. Mizoram is a place that has very hard-working people. The agro-climate of that place and the availability of proper water resources makes this place a key focus of the project.
The site selection is very crucial for the successful completion of this project. The chosen landscape consists of revenue villages and community land. This area is close to the national parks and the protected areas. The government has put a focus on agriculture in these states for sustainable development. The state could produce the fruits their land specializes in. That means their niche products can be beneficial to the whole country and can be exported too.
Conclusion
This project aims to work a lot for the betterment and sustainable use of agriculture. This project will allow people to take advantage of their biodiversity that is rich in agriculture and also help the people earn some income by advantageously utilizing agriculture. Furthermore, the promotion of secondary agriculture will also help the locals exclude the middlemen and work directly on their products and sell them in both primary and secondary forms. Therefore, the sustainable growth and development and practice of livestock production appropriately can benefit the whole country.
