DRI, the flagship company of Pahwa Group, an adsorption technology group in the world, has inaugurated the DRI Sustainable Agriculture Resource Center at Dadhikar village in Alwar, Rajasthan, in partnership with the Sapna NGO. With an aim to provide benefits to the farmers, the centre was inaugurated on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5, 2023) by Anandita Pahwa, Head-CSR Initiatives, Pahwa Group. Many of the farmers from the Dadhikar village were also present for the inauguration.
“The objective of the centre is to promote sustainable and environment-friendly agricultural practices and improve soil health and fertility through natural methods. Benefiting more than 150 farmers in the area, this project will lead to increased access to organic, healthy and chemical-free food for the local community, along with providing training and support to farmers and villagers transitioning to organic farming methods. Initially, four types of organic khad (fertilisers) will be made and distributed to the villagers from the new centre, namely Neemastra, Jivamrit, Vermi Compost and Rapid Compost,” Pahwa Group said.
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“This centre is aimed at generating awareness about organic farming and increasing the productivity of the crop. The long-term impact of this project will be to eliminate the use of synthetic inputs, such as synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, genetically modified (GM) seeds and breeds, preservatives, additives and irradiation. These will be replaced by site-specific management practices that maintain and increase long-term soil fertility and prevent pests and diseases,” the Group informed on the future roadmap.
Earlier this year, the company also inaugurated a check dam in the same area of Dadhikar village to balance the water scarcity by recharging the water table. Highlighting the past initiatives and the new centre, Anandita Pahwa said, “We are proud to say that the underground water levels have gone up since the construction of the check dams in the area, allowing the farmers some respite in terms of the availability of water. It has also encouraged them to get back to farming with vigour and we want to further work towards this. Moreover, we are sure that the new DRI Sustainable Agriculture Resource Center will act as a catalyst of change and arm the farmers with resources to move away from synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, towards using organic farming inputs.”
The centre will also be used as a farmer-training and capacity-building centre, where the company plans to conduct workshops and training sessions on organic farming practices. It will also provide education on soil management, composting, natural pest control, and crop rotation, and demonstrate different organic techniques suitable for the local conditions.
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In addition to the inauguration, DRI and Bry-Air (another flagship company under the Pahwa Group) also organised volunteer activities with the children studying at the Bry-Air and DRI Pathshalas in Dharam Colony and Carterpuri villages of Gurugram on the same day. The activities for the students included a drawing competition around the theme of ‘beating plastic pollution’, decorating flowerpots and planting seeds in them. The aim of the event was to create awareness among the students and sensitise them as future generations towards the growing strain on the earth’s natural ecosystem and encourage them to take steps to protect the environment.
For years, Pahwa Group has undertaken various initiatives like the construction of check dams for rainwater harvesting, plantation drives, and afforestation to increase green cover and improve the air quality in a step towards the restoration of the ecosystem. As a result of the regular afforestation drives in Dadhikar village, a forest of more than 750 medicinal and fruit-bearing trees has been developed. This will help in the re-greening of the area which will be able to provide fruits for the locality.
