Creating Awareness about Soil
Celebrating ‘World Soil Day’ on December 5, CARE India organized a community event in Khandera Village of Dadri Block in Gautam Buddha Nagar District. The event witnessed the participation of around 50 women from the community. The event raised awareness about the importance of soil and how the usage of chemical fertilizers like urea and Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) causes soil degradation. Long-term usage of such chemical fertilizers may even cause problems for food security and sustainability. CARE India also encouraged the participants to use organic fertilizers such as vermicompost which increases soil fertility, decreases the occurrence of disease, reduces the usage of water for irrigation and brings down input costs. Women were also trained to make vermicompost at home from cow dung cake, neem leaves, and worms. Participants agreed to make vermicompost and use it as manure in the field. Some women even decided to sell organic fertilizers to add to their household incomes.