After planting over 50,000 saplings across Belagavi district in six years, Belagavi-based NGO Green Saviours is moving towards promoting agroforestry in the villages in the remote regions of the Western Ghats.
On a pilot, members of the NGO, all volunteers, have formed a network of farmers in Belagavi district. “Our teams work with farmers and plant fruiting trees such as jackfruit, mango, kokum, chikoo, banana, and guava along with arecanut, cinnamon, and nutmeg among their field crops. The interspaces are populated with vegetables, greens, and tubers. The method also incorporates other species of trees and plants to generate mulch and offer natural disease resistance,’’ said Sameer Majli, founder of the NGO.
The NGO procures the farm produce for sale in Belagavi and the entire revenue is transferred to farmers. In return, the farmers assist the restoration work by planting other native species on barren land in and around the villages. While work has commenced in three villages, the team will be extending the work to cover 20 villages in the Western Ghats by December 2022.
