Inland fishers and activists mingled with experts at a workshop on training of trainers on India’s fisheries policy. A prerequisite for implementing the ‘Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication’ (the SSF Guidelines) is to mainstream these into the State’s policy and...

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust organized a National Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop on the SSF Guidelines (Marine Fisheries), India at Asha Nivas Social Service Centre, Chennai, India, on October 13-15, 2022. There were sixtyseven participants from the coastal states of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra...

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust organized a National Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop on the SSF Guidelines (Inland Fisheries), India at Seva Kendra, Kolkata, India on December 22-24, 2022. There were forty-eight participants from the states of Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan...

A Singapore-based Sri Lankan Tamil entrepreneur has suggested a few small-scale agro-based projects with Indian private sector investment to help the hard-pressed fishermen and farmers of the North and East.  Taking into consideration the travails of the North Sri Lankan fishermen who have not been able to get their legitimate share...

Community participation and the use of technology in disaster response as well as the role of local self-government institutions (LSGI) in fisheries management were the highlights of a two-day workshop on Sea Safety and Fisheries Management in the southern state of Kerala. It was organized jointly by ICSF and the...

From November 2021 to January 2023, throughout the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), Coast 2 Coast (C2C), a Peruvian community-based nonprofit, collaborated with rural educators and young learners from public schools, nonprofits, and social welfare centers located in inland and coastal small-scale fishing villages in Peru,...

Purnima Meher is a staunch advocate of women fishworkers in the coastal state of Maharashtra in India. Purnima, who was born into a fishing community, is a postgraduate in Sociology from the prestigious SNDT University, Pune, and has worked as a social activist in her home state of Maharashtra for...

‘Going to the field is compulsory for our students’ – told a professor, ‘…even I go to field regularly. As you see, the knowledge of the farmers is quite poor, particularly about the latest technologies.’ ‘We go to collect data to understand farmer’s problem’ – chirped a student from behind. Our...

One of the most important staple foods, rice, is agronomically- and nutritionally-sound and provides the calories needed by around half the world’s population. There is an urgent need to take all necessary actions to produce rice in a sustainable manner in order to fulfil the future demand for food that...

The study is a part of a series of original research on social development and sustainable fisheries undertaken by ICSF in eight countries. The study documented the status of social development and decent work programmes, schemes, policies, legislation and institutional support (including community-based initiatives) to demonstrate how they strengthen the...

Millets have finally arrived on the global scene. With 2023 being declared as the International Year of Millets, by the United Nations, the spotlight is on millets. While half a billion people across the globe consume millets as a traditional food, it has taken decades, for it to get its...

The study is a part of a series of original research on social development and sustainable fisheries undertaken by ICSF in eight countries. The study documented the status of social development and decent work programmes, schemes, policies, legislation and institutional support (including community-based initiatives) to demonstrate how they strengthen the...

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) jointly organized a Training and Capacity Development workshop at KILA, Kerala, India on March 01-02, 2023. There were fifty-six participants from the various districts of Kerala. The two-day workshop was organized with an...

Because of our seed bank, we have native varieties again. By using indigenous seed our costs have reduced as we can grow and keep our own seed. So, we don’t have to depend on the market. In our seed bank, we also train farmers how to grow crops organically, free...

This study provides a quantitative assessment of the Indian dairy sector and aims to determine the underlying factors of the observed price movements. We analyse producer prices over time, differentiated by milk-producing ‘zones,’ and identify the underlying factors that might explain the observed discontinuities or interruptions in producer prices. The...

Developed in the Hurgaov region of Rajasthan (India), where droughts are frequent, this project allowed the promotion and conservation of rainwater through rejuvenating traditional rainwater harvesting water bodies (Naadi) with the participation of the community. 

Local varieties often cope better with drought and other stresses, and outperform modern varieties when grown under ecological conditions. Collect traditional varieties by visiting seed savers in their homes, or while attending seed festivals and farmer training events. Seed savers and seed producers select the varieties they like most. These...

Foot rot is a frequent disease that affects the hooves of cattle, sheep and goats and makes animals limp. Foot rot is caused by bacteria that enter the soft tissue of the hooves through wounds and cuts in the skin, which may have been caused by thorns or small stones....

The state of Andhra Pradesh in India has been promoting chemical-free agriculture under a programme launched in 2016. In the last six years, it has worked with 0.63 million farmers across six districts on Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). Researchers from the University of Reading in the UK and Rythu...

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a grassroot agrarian movement and a state backed extension in Andhra Pradesh, and has been claimed to potentially meet the twin goals of global food security and environmental conservation. However, there is a lack of statistically evaluated data to support assertions of yield benefits...