ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad Launches OADMP Nutri-Garden Initiative to Boost Nutritional Security for Tribal Farm Women in Odisha

13-14 August 2026, Hyderabad

ICAR–Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad launched a Nutri-Garden and Backyard Horticulture Intervention under the Odisha Agriculture Drought Mitigation Programme (OADMP) to boost household nutritional security, promote dietary diversity, and strengthen climate-resilient farming during 13-14 August, 2026 in the project site.

With a strong focus on gender inclusivity, the initiative places a particular emphasis on the health of farm women, who constitute 90% of the total beneficiaries. To ensure a diversified and sustained food source close to home, the project allocated 1,840 vegetable seed kits containing 12 distinct crop varieties, alongside 4,500 premium mango seedlings of the Amrapalli, Desheri, and Kesar varieties.

To foster sustainable, eco-friendly, and highly productive backyard cultivation, the allocation also included 2,000 litres of microbial consortia and specialized pod borer control formulations.

Conducted alongside Raruan block officials-including Block Agriculture Officer Shri Satyabrata Sardar Singh, Block Technology Manager Shri Gurucharan Mohanta, and Assistant Horticulture Officer Smt. Subhasri Mohapatra and local village committees, the training concluded with each participant receiving two Amrapalli mango seedlings.

Additionally, a specialized horticultural component targeted 60 identified farmers owning farm ponds, allocating 500 L-49 variety guava seedlings for planting on the lower rims of pond bunds and boundaries.

This strategic lower rim bund-planting technique maximizes land utility, protects against soil erosion, and leverages residual pond moisture to create a highly resilient source of income and nutrition.

(Source: ICAR–Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad)