Activities within the grant and impact:
The success of Phase I has lead to the implementation of this Phase II project. It is planned to:

	Undertake dissemination and demonstration of little millet production technologies
	Build the capacity of farmers to produce quality seeds and distribute these improved seeds amongst themselves
	Increase the productivity and profitability through low-cost inputs and in turn, improve the livelihood of tribal farmers
	Provide off-season rural job opportunities
	Enhance soil health through bio-fertiliser application and reduce soil erosion through soil and water conservation measures.

The Phase I project on millets has recorded an 82.3 per cent increase in little millet yield, simply through using quality improved seeds and following a scientifically-validated PoP for millet cultivation. However, as it was piloted in only 100 hectares, in comparison to the total area of 4,880 hectares under little millet cultivation, there is immense scope of upscaling this project and reaching out to approximately 3,500 tribal families in Javadu Hills. For these families, little millet cultivation can be developed into a highly-profitable venture, yielding a net income of Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 per hectare. Further, as little millet is highly resilient to drought and pest / disease attack, it is perfectly suitable for rainfed areas as well as significantly reduces the input cost for chemical treatment of pests / diseases. In Phase II, the aim is to saturate the area with little millet cultivation, which, being highly nutritious and multi-purpose in nature, will be able to successfully address food, nutritional, fodder and feed needs of tribal farmers in this region. Being a lucrative and beneficial livelihood option, the project will be developed into a model for the Department of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu, for upscaling it to all millet growing districts in Tamil Nadu as well as bringing little millet back on the state agriculture agenda.