Sasha in Phulbani

Phulbani is in the center of Orissa's vast tribal belt. The project is typical of Sasha's work in tribal areas. It started with an effort to preserve a rich reservoir of artifact, skills, unwritten knowledge - history and literature, music and lore, which are in the danger of being lost forever. But it soon became apparent that these things cannot be dealt with in isolation. There is a whole environment to handle.

Organic Agriculture - Turmeric, ginger, paddy and vegetables are the main crops grown here. Sasha has about ten acres of land on which they experiment and demonstrate techniques for organic agriculture and work on developing better seeds and saplings. There is a program through which Sasha 'adopts' about 20 farmers a year and gives them seeds and know-how and guides them through the entire agricultural process. These farmers in turn spread their knowledge. Sasha has also helped to form a farmer's committee at the block (part of a sub-district) level in order to supply better quality seeds on credit. An oil extraction machine and a machine to grind turmeric have been installed.

Minor Forest Produce - Honey, mangos and jackfruit form the main produce from the rich forests in Phulbani. Sasha works to preserve these forests, harvest and market this produce. There have been two workshops for women to form them into a group for this.