Pune-based The Eco Factory Foundation (TEFF), a non-governmental organisation, has developed a unique knowledge mobile centre — Shashwat Bharat Krush Rath (SBKR) — that will empower rural people, especially those involved in agriculture, on the importance of sustainable farming.
“The mobile centre will function as a centre of excellence for rural sustenance and rural waste management. It will promote a grower-based ecosystem and show multiple ways of global farming systems that are sustainable,” said Anand Chordia, Founder, TEFF.
This mobile centre is first-of-its-kind targeting farmers, farm households, agri/eco-entrepreneurs, self-help groups, students and professors and those keen to know about sustainability.
To expand reach
“TEFF is working on a sustainable solution. We are working on sustainable farming and rural entrepreneurship programme based on farm allied business. There are eight different natural and organic farming practices. We will showcase these farming practices in the SBKR,” said Chordia, also director of species firm Pravin Masalewale and Suhana Masale.
In an online interaction with BusinessLine, he said growing a product is easy whereas it is difficult to store and sell.
“We will provide knowledge to farmers on value-addition. We have trained 20,000 farmers up to now and the mobile centre has begun doing rounds in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. We plan to launch SBKR in another six to eight States including Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat to make farmers aware of sustainability,” he said.
Another initiative
Sustainability is a paradigm for thinking about the future in which environmental, societal and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of improved quality of life. TEFF’s aim was to touch the lives of people across the country by improving their quality of life through sustainability.
In another unique initiative, TEFF has begun distributing mango seeds that are thrown away as wastes by pickle manufacturers. “In Dharwad, Karnataka, we have made arrangements with a pickle manufacturer to supply raw mango seeds to farmers. The growers have tasted success in sowing these seeds and this is catching up,” he said.
TEFF has also begun an initiative to produce briquettes from waste that can be used as fuel.
Waste management
Chordia’s journey into sustainability began at his business premises where he insisted that wealth be created from what was termed as waste. “I was convinced that waste was a resource in the wrong place. So in 2012-13, the idea got converted into an action plan. We did research to manage all wastes, including plastic and began initiatives like ‘trash-to-cash’ and ‘garbage-to-gold’. And we created a waste-to-wealth special purpose vehicle (SPV) in 2016 to look at sustainability in rural and urban areas besides industrial units, he said.
The SPV was named TEFF and one of its first initiatives was to set up a waste management park 45 km from Pune for people to learn about waste and become aware of creating wealth from it. “We showcased 25-30 ecological solutions in the park. Today’s it is India’s first such park and the largest in Asia,” Chordia said.
Urban sustainability
TEFF is now looking at urban areas to work on sustainability. “We want to create a smart and sustainable manufacturing system for the country. We are looking at green energy, waste management and ensuring wastes are collected. It is easy to come up with 100 per cent waste management,” the NGO’s founder said.
The organisation is now working on an urban garden and farming initiative where an efficient food forest can be grown on the balcony of a house. “This will help in a huge fixation of carbon emission,” he said.
TEFF will soon come out with the first green directory that will list about 200 waste management experts and scientists. All of them will be mapped in a one-of-its-kind app that will be available free of cost, Chordia said.
The Indo-American Chamber has become a knowledge partner with it in sustainability, while TEFF is working with voluntary organisations to plant native tree breeds. It has planted 60,000 plants so far around Pune, converting barren lands. It plans a similar initiative in Chennai.
Recycling plastics
TEFF has also launched an initiative in Pune to collect plastic wastes and give it to recycling firms. “The problem is to find an eco-friendly solution. But this has created a good impact and we have trained 20,000 citizens,” he said.
For its initiatives, TEFF has been conferred with the prestigious Energy Globe National Award, 2020, for “Fostering Sustainable Living” by Energy Globe Foundation, Austria (National Winners). It has also managed a total of 3,000 tonnes of waste annually and helped created a good amount of renewable energy.
All of TEFF’s work is aligned with National Missions of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, Land to Lab for Innovative Agri Technologies and Adoption of natural farming, and Doubling Farmers Income, Chordia said.