WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Manjalende community is made of subsistence small holder farmers who depend on subsistence rain-fed agriculture and rely on a single maize harvest for their livelihoods. As such, they are very vulnerable to climate-related natural calamities and disasters, such as floods and droughts, which directly affect agricultural productivity. Cases of extreme poverty which is bench marked by the majority of people earning less than U$1.50 a day are very high with women and girls being the most affected as compared to men and boys. Inappropriate agricultural practices with clear cutting, subsequent soil erosion, and indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides have disrupted nutrient cycles.Moreover, the intensification of agriculture in areas of fragile ecological balance is having a deep negative impact on the socio-economic arrangements of the farmer community at Manjalende and has created a growing dependence on external markets for hybrid seeds, pesticides and chemical fertilizers
