Activities On
Sustainable Agriculture

• To achieve the objectives of increased agricultural productions, increased  income  and increased  nutritional status of small and marginal farmers, a series of orientation and motivational camps, trainings, workshops, exposure visits, individual counselling, village level demo-shows have been organized.
• Revival of indigenous seeds of paddy, millets, pulses; oilseeds and vegetables through organic methods and mixed cropping patterns have been adopted.
• One of the pre-requisite for SRI method of cultivation is that there must be assured source of irrigation.
• Aim to involve different stakeholders like district administration, allied corporations like Agro-Industry Corporation, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) etc.
• Strengthening Farmers Clubs
• Formation and strengthening of Women Farmers Federation:
• Functioning of Seed Banks:
• Functioning of Farmers Development Fund:
• Organizing Workshops on Agriculture Policy and its impact on Farmers
• WOMEN COLLECTIVE FOR ORGANIC FARMING:
• With the objectives to increase food-security as well as nutritional status among women and children
• Women initiate Collective farming to grow safe food crops with organic inputs.
• Training and Demo-shows on Seed-treatment, Mixed-cropping, Mulching, Organic manure & Pesticide: 
• Organizing Village level Training programmes
• Organizing Farmers Fair and Seed Exchange Programme.

Experience in working with Community Based Organizations (CBO/FPO/Farmer Groups)

CIRTD has formed and worked with 94 nos. of Women's Self Help Groups through grant from NABARD in 50 villages in 3 GPs named Sumura, Garjanjore, Gopalpur in Hemgir Block & 44 villages in 3 GPs named Kinjirkela, Birkaldihi & Kusumara in Balisankara Block) in Sundargarh district;

• It had formed and worked through 25 nos. of Farmers' Clubs in the Blocks of Balisankara, Sadar and Tangarpali and implemented a 4-years' (from 2012 to 2015)project for Sustainable Agriculture with 1009 small & marginal farmers through grants from Action Aid India, New Delhi and NABARD, RO, Bhubaneswar;
• Under PKVY, 55 Clusters/ Local Groups/ Seed Users & Producers Groups of 2600 small & marginal farmers are getting financial and technical supports for organic farming from the year 2017 onwards.

Status of organic agriculture in the district

Majority of farmers, nearly 90 percent, do rain-fed agriculture with Mixed –crops of millets, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables on upland or undulated terrains in most parts of tribal villages, where organic farming has been done by default. These farmers do not get reasonable price for their agricultural produce although they do not use chemical inputs. It is due to lack of value addition to raw produces and lack of marketing linkage.