::: LOK BHARTI - A Rural Revolution :::

Farm and Nursery section :

Our Agriculture section has made a well-planned programme to provide improved seeds in great quantities for seasonal crops such as cotton, castor, til (sesame) while our nursery makes it sure to supply grafts of mango trees, chickoo trees and lamon trees in thousands.

The farmers come in large numbers to see demonstrations of various crops prepared by our college and entrusted by the University. They are given proper guidance. The farmers are also supplied the best seeds of proven high yielding varieties of vegetables brought from all over India.

Go-Shala :

It carries out its extension work in two ways :

Our Go-shala provides demonstrations of how to increase milk production by improving cow-breed at our Go-shala. Moreover, from 1953 we had supplied good quality bulls for better breeding. We provide the service of artificial insemination (A.I) to cows. We have also provided the farmers the findings of our experiments carried out for improved cattle feed and green fodder. We have satisfying experience of all this till now.

With the help of district panchayat, 'Jiv Daya Mandal' and other donors, timely vaccination programmes for cattle have been organised in the surrounding villages by our students. Such vaccination helps to prevent the spread of disease among cattle. Moreover Lok Bharti also organizes diagnostic camps for cattle and provides free treatment to them. In such diagnostic camps 1,500 to 1,800 sick cattle are treated at a time. Two such diagnostic camps are held every year.

Health section :

Lok Bharti had been carrying out N.S.S. type of activities even before N.S.S. scheme was introduced in the Universities and the colleges. All rural-oriented programmes of Lok Bharti are similar to N.S.S. programmes. Like agriculture, animal husbandry and nursery sections, our health section activities also involve the students. Our college of rural higher education (Gram Vidyapith) has a medical officer (or teacher) on the staff to teach the subject of health-care. it enables us to carry out our health care programmes well.

Eye-Camps
Two Eye-camps with the aid of Shivanand Mission, Virnagar were organised

Year	Patients	No.of operation	Volunteers
1987	880	131	Teachers and students of Lok Bharti.
1995	290	42	Teachers and students of Lok Bharti.

This has become regular feature every year. And hence during last 12 years 57 eye camps have been organised in which 11,692 patients were examined and 775 of them were operated upon. They were provided free treatment. As a part of our health care extension programme, a group of eye doctors from Viranagar hospital for further treatment or operation and then sent back in the hospital vehicles. The entire arrangement is done by the health department with the help of N. S. S. unit and Extension section of Lok Bharti.

Dental camp:
This camp is held applying ancient technique of Jalandhar bandh yoga to remove tooth without injection or much pain. Dental Vaidya Shri Labhshakarbhai Shulka and his son Punitbhai render their services. Every year one such camp is organised in which entire work of organizing the camp is done by our students. During the last 30 years 24 camps have been held in which teeth of 6,024 patient have been removed.

Rural Development Section :

We at Lok Bharti Gram Vidyapaith firmly believe that the education system which loses its contact with the present problems of society and remains confined to the class-rooms becomes bookish and lifeless. It can be a treasure house of information bur it fails to help the students when it is needed most or to guide the students in real practical life. And hence comparatively an independent section or rural development has been established to be aware constantly of the problems of surrounding villages. This section helps organizing and co-coordinating the extension activities of various sections of Lok Bharti.

To adopt appropriate technology for the rural society or to alter or transfer technology is the chief need of Indian rural society. As a part of our rural development activity we carry out our extension activity at Lok Bharti and Maidhar for which we get financial assistance of America-based “Share and Care” Organization. Other donors too contribute.

The main activities of rural development section :

»	Gas-plant, organic farming and organic manuring.
»	Demonstrations of new crops, and new techniques of crop protection.
»	Forestry
»	Water resources development scheme
»	Rural sanitation and sulabh-toilet scheme
»	Farmer’s training classes
»	Training classes for women
»	Free butter-milk distribution centers
»	Scheme of subsidy on tools
»	Animal husbandry activity.

Water Resources Development Scheme :

Out experience of water harvesting and water conservation at Lok Bharti would have been replicated by the state. elsewhere But it did not happen so. But during the last years of the last century severe famines made the people realize the need of adopting water-conservation techniques on a large scale as well as on war-footing. Farmers of the region are hard-working with far-sightedness, but they found that their farm production was reduced to almost half. Then the scheme of the Department of the Rural Development of the Central Government was accepted for Water Resources Development. We implemented the scheme in our surrounding villages from 1995-2000.

Village Adoption Programme - A Successful Project of Sarvedi :

It will be adequate if a big farmer receives only proper advice about progressive farming, middle class farmers require fertilizers, seeds, insecticides and other materials besides advice. But small or marginal farmers are generally always under the burden of debts hence they need all sorts of assistance such as advice, materials, capital, understanding and organization for their upliftment. And to provide them with such assistance is a serious problem of agriculture in India.

Shri Manubhai Pancholi and Shir Lallubhai patel of Aspee Foundation jointly thought over the solution of the problem which resulted in the implementation of Village adoption programme of Lok Bharti. In the first year in 1975 a programme for 25 small farmers was given credit from the Banks, interest on that credit was borne by Aspee Foundation. Moreover, the foundation also provided funds to appoint one Lok Bharti graduate in the adopted village.

The farm product of all 25 farmers under the project was marketed jointly and from the income credit amount was repaid. Next year 12 more farmers of another village were included in the scheme. Finally out of 37 farmers, 23 could become completely tree from their debt. The debt of the rest of them decreased by 20% to 60%. Gradually we realized that under such a scheme there was a return of Rs. 5/- for investing just Rs. 1/-

The success of our project scheme has proved the fact that if the farmers are supplied materials, proper guidance, well planned direction, marketing facilities and if the industrial houses bear interest on the loans and managerial and administrative cost for a period of five years, such results can, no doubt, be accomplished.

Tough task of famine relief :

In every famine affected people are being migrated, sell off their cattle and become burred under debts. In such circumstances Lok Bharti set up a famine relief committee consisting of members from different caste groups, representatives of N. G. O. sand extension officer.

The committee gave priority to save cattle; secondly it planned to address water scarcity caused by requiring famines. Primarily such a scheme would also provide relief work to farm laborers and small farmers of the affected areas. Further we joined hands with district and taluka relief communities and prepared a plan to meet the expenses of relief work. If was planned to build check dams and farm ponds, too. 85 ponds were prepared in 78 villages.