http://amefound.org/
AME Foundation is a resource organization, motivated by a deep-going concern for improving the farm livelihoods in fragile ecosystems.
Twenty five years ago, in 1982, AME was set up in The Netherlands, in response to worldwide concerns regarding environmental degradation, in the wake of the Green Revolution. It migrated to Pondicherry, India, in 1986, intensifying its hands-on training in sustainable agriculture. With a growing realization of the importance of rehabilitating the resource poor farmers in fragile dry farming situations, it moved on to the Deccan Plateau, based in Bangalore, in 1994. AME was transformed into a charitable Indian Trust, as AME Foundation, in 2001. As a resource organisation, it is now engaged in enabling interested agencies and farmers groups in promoting sustainable agriculture in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
AMEF is promoting Sustainable Agriculture in dry lands through combination of NRM and ICM practices on the same farm – rain water management, soil fertility improvement, diversified and improved cropping practices, supplemented by encouraging farmers to grow shrubs and trees on farm for meeting income, fodder and manurial needs. Most importantly, backed by farmer-centric learning processes like PTD & FFS and building rural youth as farm guides.
Our Focus
Improving farm livelihoods in drylands
Dry lands are vast, neglected and progressively getting degraded. Majority of the farming population are dry land farmers and resource poor. struggling to make a living. Increasingly it is realized that the livelihood improvements, food and income security, new sources of growth, ecological stability are linked to paying adequate attention to these areas.
Our Objectives
- Help farmers to adapt and sustain through changing climatic conditions through better management of natural resources
- Help farmers to make better choices of crops, cropping systems and farming systems and enable them to adopt the ecological agriculture practices.
- Build local level farmer institutions and their capacities to sustain the adoption of ecological agriculture
Our Approach
- Better on-farm resource management
- Empowering farmers through Farmer Field Schools
- Building capacities of rural farm youth
Areas of Operation
AMEF has been working in the three South Indian States – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Presently the areas of operation include Kolar, Dharwad and Magadi areas in Karnataka and Dharmapuri and Pennagaram areas in Tamil Nadu.