The social impacts of IDEI’s work are tremendous and accrue directly to the increased incomes of the poor smallholder families.
The social impacts of IDEI’s work are tremendous and accrue directly to the increased incomes of the poor smallholder families. Mentioned below are some of them. The social impact of IDEI’s work are tremendous and accrue directly to the increased incomes of the poor smallholder families. Mentioned below are some of them.
Typically smallholder families are able to grow a single rain-fed crop in the year. Lack of access to water for irrigation forces them to leave their fields fallow and migrate to cities in search of work. This leads to massive social disruption as often the young men and women of the family leave the elderly and the very young behind, working at menial jobs and at low wages. With low-cost micro-irrigation technologies, the smallholder farm families have assured access to irrigation and can undertake successful cropping throughout the year on their own farms. Without having to migrate every year for earning a living in urban areas or factories, they improve their working conditions, spend more time within the family and are able to think and plan about the future. Giving up the strenuous surviving strategy of wage labourers allows participation in family and village decision making.