Sahaja Samrudha, Promotion of indigenous varieties of cotton

Desi cotton, or indigenous varieties of cotton, are an integral part of cotton growers communities for centuries that have natural resistance to pests, and also good adsorbent properties and that are suitable for surgical cotton and well-suited for cushions and mattresses. However, with the prevalence of handloom cotton, area under desi cotton varieties are dropping at alarming rates forcing farmers to depend on cotton varieties that are more expensive to buy seeds and more irrigation.
Sahaja Samrudha, in association with Desi Cotton Growers’ Association (DCGA) and other local organizations, is attempting to revive these indigenous crop varieties in  Karnataka. This is multi-pronged approach including preparing a gene bank for the local varieties, promoting cultivation among farmers, helping farmers obtain organic certification, strengthening the DCGA, and providing market opportunities by including several partners and conducting cotton fairs and melas. The project is in its first year of funding, and AID San Diego has funded Sahaja Samrudha an amount of Rs. 5,00,000 towards this project.

• Name of the project     : Desi Cotton Revival Project
• Year                                   : 2016-17
• Name of the NGO          : Sahaja Samrudha
• Project coordinator      : Sonali Rahagude
• Funding requested       : Rs. 5, 00, 000
• Project proposal            : Click here (To be added)
• Site-visit report            : Click here (To be added)