What can be done with a hand-held projector? Spreading new and innovative systems in farming with semi-literate and illiterate persons in the lead role!
The Non Pesticide Management (NPM) wing of Medak District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in association with Digital Green, an organisation supporting technology, has been recording the innovative practices being followed by farmers and spreading them with the help of technology.
The department has hired six video resource persons -- four men and two women -- who can record these practices. The artistes on the screen are only farmers and they use their own language and slant so that it would be convincingly pass on the message. For the past three months they have been working in the field and so far nine videos have been recorded on the best and innovative practices of farmers in the district in NPM.
After the footage is recorded, it is sent to the district headquarters for editing and loaded on a chip. Formal approval of officials concerned is taken before it is distributed for viewing by the farmers. Once the videos are ready, the persons handling the hand- held project go round the villages and exhibit them. As the project is supported by battery and video can be played even on a wall, farmers are viewing these videos even in late hours.
“Farmers are not only gaining knowledge on NPM practices with the help of these videos but also practising them. Farmers feel that following these practices will reduce their input cost,” said Gangaram Ramayya, a farmer of Kambalapally village of Sadashivpet mandal, who also doubles up as video exhibiting person.
“We have so far uploaded six videos in Youtube which can be viewed by anyone who want. Another three videos were yet get technical approval for uploading,” said Mr .Vasudev, in charge of NPM activity in the district.
“Digital Green uses information and communication technology to improve the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of small farmer livelihoods. We aim to raise the quality of their lives through targeted production and dissemination of agricultural information through a cost-realistic medium of participatory video and dissemination in partnership with local, existing people-based extension systems of civil society organisations and governments,” said K.P. Rangacharyulu, programme manager, Digital Green.
