Date :26-11-2019
Location :Satna
Project :BISLD-HCIL, Dist. Damoh
Details: www.maithiliprasang.com In the HCIL sponsored Project – Providing Alternative Livelihood to Rural Families by Establishing Livestock Development Centre various initiatives have been taken by BAIF for improving livelihood of participants. This is one among such success stories.
The 52nd Foundation Day and Annual Award ceremony of BAIF was celebrated on August 24, 2019 at BAIF’s Central Research Station, Urulikanchan. “Neer, Nari and Nadi”, are the basic components of a balanced eco system. Only when science i s used with sense, will community wisdom be recognised”, stated Dr. Rajendra Singh, Chairman, Tarun Bharat Sangh, Alwar, Rajasthan. Solar energy needs to be used effectively for water conservation and Mother Earth nurtured through sustainable watershed management, climate change adaptation and mitigation methodologies and by guiding the community towards a river- based approach.
“Hydraulic drought, a serious effect of climate change, is changing the production pattern of food and fruit crops with apple orchards being the worst a f f e c t e d w i t h s e v e r e destruction of apple crops, while frequent droughts with atleast 2-3 in quick successions have direct impact on the lives of vulnerable families”, stated Mr. Bharat Kakade, Executive Vice President of BAIF. While BAIF has shifted to climate proofing measures such as desert development in Rajasthan and water conservation measures in drought prone Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and climate resilient tree-based farming on dryland, it is necessary to assess which model is suitable for the community. Chemical- free farming has also been initiated on a pilot scale with the introduction of Integrated Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture (IRESA) and Phosphate Rich Organic Manure.
Suman Self Help Group, a tribal group from Baretha village of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, was awarded “Dr. Manibhai Desai Gaurav Puraskar 2019 and Smt. Vijayatai Deshmukh Gaurav Puraskar” for Best Self Help Group in BAIF Programme for its efforts to enhance village hygiene and sanitation through construction of 45 toilets under Water, Sanitation and Hygiene ( WA S H) Programme and Swachh Bharat Programme, use of waste water to establish kitchen gardens for intake of nutritious vegetables, p r a c t i c i n g o r g a n i c farming to reduce risk of chemical hazards and adoption of smokeless chulhas to reduce health and environmental hazards.
Bajrang Women’s Group from Dixal village, Kaprada, South Gujarat won the “Dr. Manibhai Desai Gaurav Puraskar 2019” for Second Best Self Help Group in BAIF Programme. The group launched a campaign for prohibition of alcohol in the village while establishing a grievance platform for marital disputes.
Sidheshwar Women’s Group from Shirapur village, Parner, Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, was the recipient of “Dr. Manibhai Desai Gaurav Puraskar 2019” for Best Self Help Group in Maharashtra Programme. The group initiated Custom Hiring Centre through BAIF from 2017 and so far, they have earned more than Rs. 85,000 with 149 farmers from different villages availing hiring service of various farm implements. They have also p r o v i d e d a g r i c u l t u r a l i m p l e m e n t s t o n e e d y farmers free of charge.
Smt . Kempamani , Guddenahalli village , Holenarasipura, District Hassan, Karnataka was Best Dairy Farmer; Smt. Lalita Baraskar, Banspur village, Ghodadongri, District Betul, Madhya Pradesh was Best Agriculture Farmer; Smt. Nilu Devi, Sarobag, Dharhara, Munger, Bihar was the Best Farmer from Non-Potential Area; Shyam Sunder, Cattle Development Centre at Atai, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, was the Best Cattle Development Centre In-charge; Manoj Wakode, Cattle Development Centre at Wari , Kopargaon , Ahmednagar, Maharashtra was Best AI Technician from Multi-Activity Centre; Anil Kumar Mishra, Cattle Deve lopment Centre at Chandanbhati, Bolangir district of Odisha for Best AI Technician from Non-Potential Area. Prizes were a l so g i ven to meritorious students and for the best scientific paper and case study. The BAIF Annual Report, Research Report and a book on Mahua Recipes were also released on this occasion.
The BAIF Shri. Uday Shirsalkar, C G M , NABARD, Maharashtra Regional Office, Pune, complimented the women fraternity who were felicitated for their work and for their confidence to share their experience. Ms. Ritu Nathani, Director, Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd. and Head – Cybage CSR, Pune, appreciated the women for establishing their identity through their empowerment. Others who spoke on the occasion were Dr. Anand Sardeshmukh, former Director General, MCCI and Shri. Sunil Lalbhai, Trustee, BAIF. Earlier, Dr. Ashok B. Pande, Group Vice President, BAIF, welcomed the women groups. Dr. Jayant R. Khadse, Research Director, BAIF, proposed the vote of thanks.
At first, Rangaina Koppalu village in Hunsur taluk of Mysuru district appears to be nondescript, but as one walks by its bylanes, one gets to see boards next to the main doors bearing the names of ‘Champion’ women. They are championing women empowerment and right agricultural practices, and are trained under Mahindra & Mahindra’s Prerna initiative.
The initiative, which was first launched in Odisha in October 2017 and later expanded to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, is positively impacting the lives of thousands of women farmers in partnership with Central Institution for Women in Agriculture, Indian Council for Agricultural Research, BAIF Development Research Foundation and NGO Pradhan.
In Karnataka, the initiative is carried out in two clusters, one in Mysuru and the other in Tumakuru.
Each Prerna cluster comprises 100 Champion women farmers, who in turn train 10 other women. Therefore each cluster covers 1,000 women.
The women are trained to use gender-neutral, easy-to-use farm tools such as battery sprayer, pedal-operated thresher, dry-land weeder, power thresher cum winnower etc, which reduces farm drudgery, increases farm productivity and thereby their income.
“Through Prerna, we aim to empower women farmers with the necessary opportunities, training and equipment to be better skilled and more productive in farming operations,” says Rajesh Jejurikar, President, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
From playing a secondary role — by weeding, watering, harvesting and threshing, as instructed by their husbands — these women are now decision-makers and financially independent.
“Earlier, we were ignorant and would blindly do what was told by our husbands,” says Mangala Gowri, a 41-year-old champion farmer.
“But now, we have a good understanding of seed selection, the right time and method to sow, the way to water the crops, and manure application. In fact, we advise our husbands on farming,” Mangala Gowri says.
Mixed cropping
Resource persons from the agricultural department and NGOs take monthly sessions on different farm practices. Demo plots have been created for the practicals. They are even taught to prepare organic fertilisers and pesticides at home using locally available resources. The use of these eco-friendly solutions not only improves the soil quality but also saves a major portion of their income.
The farmers of Rangaina Koppalu, who were mainly cultivating tobacco earlier, have now adopted mixed cropping and are gradually switching to ragi (finger millet) and toor dal (pigeon pea) as the main crop along with avarekai (hyacinth bean), hesaru (green gram), yellu (sesame) and vegetables, which have improved their earnings.
“We were provided with better-quality seeds, using which we harvested 14 quintals of ragi per acre, whereas before we would harvest just eight quintals per acre,” says Roja Mahesha, a 25-year-old farmer.
The once-shy women are now confident and participate in gram sabhas, social meetings, and voice their opinions.
They are taken to krishi melas and agricultural institutes in different parts of the state, which has given them a good exposure.
“As we were confined to our homes earlier, we didn’t know the details of our farmland like its measurement and survey number. We weren’t aware of the agricultural department and the facilities we could avail,” says Shashikala Lokesh, a 38-year-old farmer.
“Most of us did not have proper documents either.” Now, they are well informed, get their soils tested and visit the panchayat office and agricultural department on their own.
The road ahead
“The programme will be implemented for a period of two years in each cluster, and we ensure that the women will be self-sustainable within this period,” says a project leader.
Beyond sessions on agricultural practices, sessions on health, hygiene and nutrition are in place to bring about a holistic development.
The initiative has also empowered these women digitally. They now use smartphones, are part of WhatsApp groups where they discuss agricultural practices, and know how to transfer money online. Mangala Gowri proudly shows the wristwatch she recently ordered online.