Agriculture is the main occupation of the poor in all areas where PIDT is working. The agriculture practiced by the poor often are single crop on un-irrigated and degraded land. Improvement of agriculture leads to better income and improves quality of life. Therefore after careful discussion and people's participation. Based on the combined resources of the people and PIDT several programs are being implemented.

Seed is one of the important problems of the marginalized farmers. The high yielding seeds that they buy cannot be maintained for a second planting and so each time they plant a crop they have to buy the seeds again. Due to their hand to mouth existence they often have to borrow money to buy the seeds at high rates of interest. The high yielding varieties also need fertilizers and pesticides, for which they again have to borrow money. Higher yields do not compensate for the Loss. Indigenous varieties of seeds are being collected by PIDT cadre and propagated to deal with the problem. In one year itself, 18 new varieties of rice have been collected and are being multiplied for distribution and sale to the farmers.

Knowledge of bio fertilizers which was an indigenous science has all but disappeared and their reintroduction requires Education, Demonstration, Availability and Marketability. PIDT is involved in all these activities.

Blue green algae, green fertilization through Dhaincha, Compost, VermicuLture and commercial Bio fertilizers, are being used to stimulate growth of the indigenous crop varieties.

While introducing these manifold varieties of environment friendly fertilizers, the farmers are encouraged to buy them and compare commercial significance of the indigenous variety of seeds.

Thus the fertilizers are sold to farmers rather than free distribution of them, which ensures careful usage and ownership of the process of analysis and adoption.

Indigenous varieties of food grain, grown without chemical fertilizers also fetch a good bargain in health food market. PIDT enables sales of these products through it's Sanhati Bipani (marketing outlet).

Experimentation on introduction of Mulberry plantation for silkworm rearing is ongoing. It is a high value cash commodity and fetches good cash incomes. Due to the scarcity of water in the area experiments are being made with Low cost drip irrigation.

Poor farmers are hardly able to use electric or diesel pumps due to their high recurring costs. The ever rising prices of energy and investment in pumps or pump-sets are inhibiting factors. Pedal pump, which also lowers cost of irrigation, are therefore sold to farmers. The pumps are also hired out by the owners of the pump to his hired neighbors. The pumps are also being used for household purposes.

Regeneration of the environment is a program that is carried out through careful water management planning and resource mobilisation. The various actions being undertaken by PIDT are

• Soil and water conservation measures.
• Encouraging plantation, afforestation through providing plants, counselling and other extension devises.
• Appropriate technology inputs for better environment management.
• Common property resource management.

Training and implcmentation of village youth in various environment programs and actions has lead to creation of two hundred (200) local Haryali Samities (Greening Societies) in 120 villages. These Samities are functioning in a self sustaining manner and their progress is monitored regularly through visits and field reports.

Soil and water conservation measures

Due to the poor water retention capacity of the land in PIDT research areas, soil conservation measures are necessary. Deforestation has also taken its toll on the land. Water harvesting structures are one of the major focuses to improve soil and water condition. Several soil and water conservation structures have been constructed and others are at various phases of planning and implementation.

Plantation

Large scale plantation in compact areas was implemented but could not be sustained. Various social issues and problems surfaced such as caste, clan and individual rivalries which resulted in destroying of large tracts of plantation. These problems could not be tackled without severe social engineering. We learnt to make afforestation a long term goal and concentrated on community managed forest protection and individual managed plantation in private backyards. Distribution of seeds and saplings is being changed to sales and demonstration within the PIDT campus since that helps people to assume ownership of the act of planting and care for the plant later. PIDT assists in making available plants as desired by the villagers, from different nurseries a distance away. This strategy has paid rich dividends in terms of plant survival.

The poor villagers have begun to understand the commercial and environmental significance of regeneration of environment. They have started planting Bamboo, Jack fruit, Shisam, Mango, Papaya, Banana and many other species which are now grown in abundance which find good market. Plantation has helped in soil conservation and water retention. Thousands of saplings are planted every year by the villagers on their own initiative in the hinterland of PIDT's field area. The greening effect has become observable factor in the area.