1. It makes agriculture sustainable in the long run, both by using less water per unit of output and by improving soil health through compost applications;
2. All these measures increase productivity and hence farm incomes, thus providing financial sustainability to farmers; and
3. We assure ourselves of quality products in the future, thus ensuring sustainability of our businesses.

Agriculture extension services are promoted for enhancing land productivity through composting, higher yields per acre through varietal demonstrations and efficient management of water through group wells and sprinkler systems. Careful documentation of the benefits from these interventions helps in convincing farmers to adopt these on a large scale.
 

*Integrated Pest & Pest Nutrient Management

Breed Improvement Programme
Arable land in India is under severe pressure due to expansion of population and the inability of the manufacturing and services sector to absorbsurplus labour, leading to environmentally damaging practices by rural households. There is a critical need to deflect pressure from land to off-farm livelihood opportunities. Upgradation of livestock to increase productivity is one proven way of achieving this objective. This intervention promotes sustainability in the following ways:

1. By supplementing farm incomes, it reduces pressure on land, thus promoting long-term sustainability of agriculture;
2. It provides a viable livelihood opportunity, thus promoting financial viability of rural households; and
3. We benefit from the secondary effect of a revitalised agriculture since it leads to a stable production regime.

Our breed improvement programme aims at a significant increase in yield rates of milk during the lactation period. It provides integrated animal husbandry services that include pre and post natal interventions. Farmers benefiting from the breed improvement programme also get linked to formal milk marketing channels to get the best price.

Initiated in 2004-05 with 23 Cattle Development Centres (CDCs), the number increased to 77 CDCs covering 1,540 villages during 2006-07.