Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of smelter-grade alumina and a unit of Vedanta Aluminium, has launched ‘Sangam: Jeevan, Prakruti Aur Sanskriti Ka Ek Milan,’ an initiative that aims at supporting rural farmers through the development of climate-resilient livelihoods. Integrating sustainable agricultural practices, technological interventions, and natural resource management, Project Sangam is being rolled out across more than 40 villages and is set to benefit over 500 families. Kalahandi is primarily an agrarian region with limited livelihood opportunities.
It also witnesses low levels of rainfall, except during the monsoons. In response, Project Sangam has been designed as a comprehensive roadmap of efforts to augment the socio-economic development of the region by integrating natural resources management and long-term livelihood opportunities. Among these interventions is the establishment of Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs)- a federation of small farmers who aggregate their produce to avail the benefits of economies of scale.
Additionally, community members will be imparted skill development and capacity-building training in sustainable and profitable non-farm-based activities like pottery. Some of the women farmers have already taken up entrepreneurial pursuits like bee-keeping, which have the potential to generate a viable income with nominal investment requirements. To ensure consistent production and yield maximization, various agricultural ma.
