Roadside Plantation: A Socio- Economic Venture by Mukti

Realizing the present scenario, Mukti has taken an initiative to plant trees that will play an extremely supportive role by improving livelihoods of poor communities.  Mukti is encouraging the women of SHG (Self Help Group) to plant trees of indigenous species, nurture them and then earn tree credits accordingly. Given the huge potential of agro forestry in India, intelligently designed policy interventions can go a long way in increasing income levels of the farmers and creating additional employment opportunities in rural areas.

Objectives of the program:

1. Employment to local people
2. To reduce the impacts of air pollution and dust as trees and shrubs are known to be natural sink for air pollutants
3. Under severe climatic conditions (such as cyclones), selected roadside trees can form wind breaks and shelter belts to protect crops, and help to reduce climatic excesses and soil erosion at the embankment slopes. They can restore some ecological diversity to areas of agricultural monotony.

Mukti has 97 nurseries over 97 katha of land where 10,000-11,000 grains are planted in each nursery. After some time 5,000-6,000 saplings will grow in each nursery. Mukti will be able to produce approx 5,00,000- 6,00,000  saplings in 97 nurseries.

Mukti nurseries are spread across:

Block	Branch	Gram Panchayat	Number of nurseries
Patharprotima	Herembogopalpur	Herambagopalpur	20
	Brajaballavpur	Brajaballavpur	5
Jaynagar II	Sonatikari	Nalgora	10
		Ghotiharania	10
	Kultali	Bhubannagar	10
		Maipith	10
Mathurapur I	Raidighi I	Mondalpara	3
		Kumrapara	4
		Naluya	5
Mathurapur II	Purba Sridharpur	Nagendrapur	10
		Kankandighi	10
4	6	11	97

The seedlings of Mahogani, Sishu, Amloki, Gayanim, Krishnachura, Radhachura, Gamaru, Bakul etc. are planted in these nurseries. 970 women SHG members (10 in each nursery) are nurturing these seedlings under the supervision of Mr. Jagannnath Das.

Roadside plantation acts as a buffer between the people and government- owned forests. In future, these saplings will be delivered to the Government’s NREG (National Rural Employment Guarantee Program) project resulting job opportunities for 10,000-12,000 people.