People’s Action for Development (PAD) distributed water-resilient rice seeds to a hundred farmers across 10 villages in the Lakhimpur district of upper Assam. PAD has a history of working to help these marginalised communities, particularly Adivasis and tribal people, women, children and other socio-economically disadvantaged sections in this region for over two decades.
Following all the ongoing Covid-19 protocols imposed by the administration and additional suggestions from experienced medical professionals, PAD volunteers sent the seeds to the Village Disaster Management Committees (VDMCs) of the 10 selected villages, highly affected by the Subansiri river’s floods and erosion. From each village, 10 farmers were chosen as beneficiaries by the PAD volunteers and the members of the VDMCs.
This initiative is part of PAD's climate change adaptation and resilience-building project in the region.
In these flood-prone villages, rice seed with a higher water tolerance is a critical part of ensuring that harvest yields are not adversely impacted by heavy rainfall. With increasingly unpredictable weather conditions in the region due to the impacts of climate change, including unseasonal rains and large floods, the distribution of this rice seed is one way that PAD is helping local farmers to build their resilience and capacity so they can secure
their livelihood.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a large impact on PAD's ability to work in and support these rural communities, but there have been significant gains nonetheless. The PAD team has facilitated the building of high-rise clay platforms and elevated tube wells for access to clean drinking water. 5 country boats have also been purchased and are ready to be distributed, with priority being given to the most affected villages.