Working with the people of Western Orissa from rented buildings it was heartfelt by the staff and members that SVA should have it’s own Technology Training and Resource Centre that would offer more flexibility to innovative Training Programme as well as to carry out various experiments and trials on Sustainable Agriculture Practices, Value addition to agricultural and Non Timber Forest Produces and to carry out livelihood promotion activities.

Currently SVA has TTRC in five places ,viz; Bilenjore in Nuapada district, Bhawanipatna, Balipada, Kerpai, Borda in Kalahandi district and one is under construction in Ranjitpur in Bargarh district.

The TTRCs vary in the size ,capacity and also in the nature of activities, they pursue but there are many commonalities. Base on the unique facilities available in TTRC-Bilenjore the Orissa State Watershed Mission has recently approved it as a Cluster Livelihood Resource Centre (CLRC) which will also run training programmes for Government supported Project Implementing Agencies in Nuapada district.

The following is a brief description of the various activities going on in the center and the facilities available in it.

TTRC-Bilenjore , Dist-Nuapada

1)Training and meeting hall: The training and meeting hall of SVA has a floor area of 600 sq.ft. with facilities like Computer, Xerox, Overhead projector, LCD projector, white boards, colour TV with DVD player etc., On special request SVA can organize transport facilities for the trainees to visit nearby villages or to be dropped at the Bus Station or nearby Railway Station. The kitchen having dining facilities for thirty to forty persons can cater both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Simple dormitory facilities are available for thirty to thirty five persons. Separate rooms are available for women participants.

2)Library: The TTRC has a small library which contains few reference books concerning statistics related to rural development and few books and magazines concerning rural development. It has also all the publications from Gaunli Vichar which publishes development literatures and periodicals mostly in Oriya language. The library also gets several newspapers in English, Hindi and Oriya apart from various periodicals on Rural Development, Community Health, Sustainable Agriculture etc.

3)Guest Rooms: There is a guesthouse of SVA which can accommodate eight persons (twin shared rooms). Apart from those four rooms there are four single rooms for the guests. All these rooms have attached toilet and bathroom with 24 hour water supply. During summer months all the rooms are provided with air coolers.

4)Agricultural Demonstration Farm: The agricultural demonstration cum seed production farm of SVA has earned the reputation for the successful model of organic farming in this region. Even though this farm is very small, with about one and a half acre, but varieties of crops are grown in it round the year and economically the farm has become self-sustaining. The farm has the following horticultural crops:

Mango(5 varieties): During July August Mango Grafts produced in the farm as well as Grafts brought from outside are sold at the center at reasonable prices. The varieties like Amrapalli and Beganpalli planted in the farm have been showing fascinating result whereas Mallika is not proved to be successful.

Horticultural tree species like Drum Sticks (3 varieties), Guava (3 varieties), Bael (2 varieties), Papaya (4 varieties) are available for demonstration. Among Agro Forestry species such as Teak, Acacia, Mahua, Subadul, Gold Mohur, Gambhari, Sishu, Bamboo etc. are successfully growing in the campus. Also the seedlings of all these species are made available to the farmers during the season.

Vegetables like Cauliflower, Cabbage, Radish, Brinjal, Ladies finger, Ridge gourd, Pumpkin, Chilli, Onion, Spinach etc. are grown in the farm for demonstration as well as for commercial purpose. Sometimes new varieties are also tried and after successful trial they are recommended to the farmers in the region. After trial of Broccoli it has been recommended and many farmers in this region have accepted it as a cash crop. Other varieties of vegetables popularized in the region includes N-53 onion, dwarf variety winged bean, honeydew papaya, POKS banana etc.

TTRC farm has also collection of about thirty varieties of medicinal plants to popularize their plantation in the area for domestic use as well as for commercial cultivation.

Nursery raising for vegetable seedlings:

Throughout the year the farm raises various vegetable seedlings which are sold to the local farmers as well as farmers coming from far away places of Nuapada, Kalahandi, Bolangir and Bargarh districts. The same seedlings are also planted in the SVA farm to get practical experience of its production, quality as well as to monitor the crops.

Vermi compost is regularly produced in the center and also some of the compost is sold in the nearby villages and towns. The resource persons from SVA helps various organizations to set up vermi culture plants in their organizations and to train farmers on this technology.

SVA has been promoting Nadep compost in Western Orissa and for demonstration and training purpose it has several Nadep compost pits in the TTRC farm. Without using any external vegetative materials the TTRC has been producing surplus manure from the vermi compost, nadep compost and the ordinary compost pits located in the farms. The surplus manure is shared with several local farmers.

Since the year 1998-99 SVA has been running a small dairy farm in the campus with the objective to restock the erstwhile famous Khariar breed cattles which are at the verge of extinction. This farm has few stud bulls of Khariar breed which are used by the local farmers. Also, the trained volunteers of SVA provide technical support to the local dairy farmers and the center is used for organizing veterinary check up camps involving Government and Private veterinary Professionals.

During the year 2004-05 an Onestop Aqua Shop (OAS) has been set up in the campus with technical support from STREAM Thailand and the State Watershed Development Mission, Govt. of Orissa. Through this aqua shop various technical support is provided to the fish farmers of the region and also necessary equipments like fishing net, fish feed etc. are sold to them. This center is well equipped with educational materials and electronic equipments to organize relevant training courses for fish farmers

With the support of State Watershed Development Mission, Government of Orissa and technical support from Central Institute for Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) and STREAM, SVA has set up a mobile fish spun hatchery in the campus. This hatchery is also having a qualified technical team and it supplies quality spun to about fifty self help groups of fish farmers who have been managing nursery ponds to supply quality fish fries and fingerlings to the fish farmers.

For demonstration purpose as well as to meet the need of the hatchery unit SVA has taken lease of a Government tank and it has set up several nursery ponds in it. Those ponds are scientifically managed and are used for demonstration purpose for the farmers who visit the center. Those ponds always have stock of Rohu, Catla, Mrigal and Chinese Carps as brood sock and also for commercial sale.

TTRC has a modern mini rice mill having several automatic facilities. This is an improved version of the commonly used hauler. In this mill out put of rice is as high as the sophisticated rice mills. Yet it can be operated as a small scale industry.

To cater to the need of very small consumers of the local villages one Self Help Group has been managing a mini rice hauler in the campus. This electric operated rice hauler does custom milling for individuals even if some one comes for milling of one or two kilograms of rice. This hauler is also attached with equipments for grinding spices and making flour. The TTRC rice mill and spices unit also provide technical assistance to Self Help Groups to set up their own rice mill and spices processing unit.

TTRC has a small mushroom spawn production unit where on an average fifty bottles of mushroom spawn is produced in a day. The spawn are supplied to local farmers and Self Help Groups who are engaged in production of mushroom. This is the only mushroom spun production unit available in the entire Western Orissa. The trained workers in charge of the unit also conduct training programmes in mushroom cultivation for Self Help Groups and interested farmers.

The Seed Bank cum Seed Store collects seeds of indigenous varieties of crops from the local farmers as well as it sells seeds and seedlings to local farmers. This unit disseminates information concerning sustainable agriculture and on new varieties of crops tried by the members of SVA.

There is a chemical laboratory having facility to test water and soil. A few volunteers are trained for testing soil and water. This laboratory has the facility to test the water property like Torbidity, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Hardness, Alkalinity, Chloride, Nitrate, Fluoride, Total Iron, Phosphate, Faucal Coliform etc.

This unit of TTRC has a few tractors and small transport vehicles which are lent to the members of SVA and other farmers by charging a reasonable hiring charge.

TTRC has a 3 cubic meter capacity Biogas Plant which is mostly fed with cow dung and some vegetative materials. The slurry from this plant is used for the fishery tanks while the gas is used as a fuel for the kitchen of SVA

The campus houses a retail outlet where various products from the Member Organizations of SVA, local Self Help Groups and Cooperatives are sold. This unit has also its own packaging facilities.

TTRC has a screen-printing unit which is used for preparation of leaflet, posters and stationeries of SVA and its Members Organizations. This unit also conducts training programmes for young people interested in setting up of screen-printing unit in their villages for self-employment.

One of the allied agricultural; activity which SVA has been constantly promoting is local oil extraction for market use. The area grown a lot of edible oil seeds and thus outflow of oil seeds to bigger cities and import of oil to the villages is exploitative. SVA has been facilitating community based oil expellers in the villages.

The land a orund all the 4 TTRCs are suitable for onion cultivation. Since oinion fetches a good price it can help farmers extra income. SVA, through the TTC, facilitates trainings, demonstration and marketing of onion.

The villages around Bilenjore or mostly agricultural villages where above eighty five per cent of the population live on agriculture. Also collection of non-timber forest produces give a supplementary income to most of the population. Even though the area is a non irrigated one the farmers with their own initiative have been growing varieties of crops during winter and summer months by harnessing ground water with their own investment. The villagers are very cordial. SVA has initiated several developmental activities in those villages which includes creation of small irrigation structures, organizing women self help groups, establishment of seed bank, helping villagers to prepare micro plants and implement them etc.

SVA welcomes development workers and volunteers from various organizations for exposure visit to TTRC. If it is arranged well in advance, by charging a nominal fee TTRC facilitates the exposure visit in the campus so as to make it a learning experience.

SVA was founded in 1993 as a collective of several Community Based Organizations. It was formally registered as a Non-Government and Non-Profit Organization in 1996. Since then SVA has supported over 35 CBOs and 15 Co-operative Societies who are currently working in several parts of Orissa. It takes positions on various development projects and policies that affects the interest of the poor.

TTRC-Bilenjore is located along the National Highway No.217 that connects Gopalpur Beach and Raipur. It's nearer main Railway Station is Khariar road and the Nearest Airport is Raipur. It is well connected by Bus from Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna, Berhmpur, Rourkela, Raipur, Sambalpur etc.