1. Project description 

Heavy usage of inputs with chemical fertilizers, pesticides in practicing agriculture, lack of critical awareness, knowledge, skills and way forward in adopting organic as well as climate resilient minor-millet based traditional and locally rooted agriculture, induced poverty due to heavy expenses in pursuing current patterns of agriculture and consumption of toxic food substances and environmental perils are the problems which need to be solved and redressed. The purpose of the project is facilitating small, marginal rural women farmers- who have lost livelihood, facing poverty, unknowingly harvesting toxic food & damaging ecology- and motivating to transform for traditional organic agricultural processes to cultivate local traditional minor millets, supporting and sustaining local markets and gain productive income for subsistence and save local ecology/ environment-is the purpose of this project. Mapping of women small farmers, training will be on practicing organic inputs and agriculture, selection of traditional seeds and sustaining activities to keep the agriculture safe and secure.

2. Project progress up to now 

Ø  A Survey mapping of women small farmers has been done in Narangiyan Patti, Sothuppalai, Pappudaiyan Patti, Chokkanathan Patti and Adhanakkottai villages to identify women small farmers who are showing interest, having aspirations to overcome gendered poverty, and a strong passion to sustain ecologically relevant and symbiotic living with nature.  This was done on 16, 18, 22, 25 and 28 May, 2023 and a team of B. Subbulakshmi, Program Coordinator, R. Subramanian, Managing Trustee, S. Sathya, Field Worker, M. Renganayaki, S. Murugesan and I. Latha field staff had participated in the survey mapping.

Ø  Identified 100 women small and marginal farmers who are from poor vulnerable socio-economic background and who passionately committed to do climatically resilient millet cultivation to protect nature and deeply interested in pursuing organic farming and practices to earn decent income and at the same time protect soil fertility and resources.  

Ø   An orientation program was organized for 100 women small farmers on June 5^th at Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Pudukkottai to debrief about the project and inculcate the need for engaging in this project to work for sustainable agriculture. S.M. Nallathambi, Organic Agriculture trainer Namakkal, M. Babu John, Millet and Herbal Expert, Pudukkottai and P. Pakkiam Periyasamy, Millet and Herbal input expert trainer from Pudukkottai and staff team conducted this orientation. They have internalized about the programme and its purpose and vowed to take it up with concrete interventions.

Ø  Training on Organic Agriculture was conducted for two days from 24 June to 25 June for the first batch of 50 women small farmers at Perungalur village. Resource persons S. Murugesan and T. Sudha both were organic agricultural expert trainers engaged in the training to impart skills, knowledge and perspectives on traditional farming and millet cultivation.

Ø   On 1^st and 2^nd July 2023 for second batch at Thenippatti was conducted to impart knowledge, skills and perspectives for the best practices and critical importance and usefulness of organic agriculture to sustain local food-based economy. Trainers include K. Murthy and M. Mekala and staff team conducted this important training. Practical implementation strategies on organic farming, challenges they face and mitigation way forward was also discussed.

Ø  At the end of the training, Success Trust had distributed carefully sourced millet seeds of 400 kilograms quantity. Traditional millet species such as Kuthiraivali, ragi, pearl millet and maize- Cholam, Hoc-millet- Panivaragu fine-millet, foxtail-millet- Thinai, Little Millet-Samai have distributed to 100 women small farmers.

Ø  Conducted training on bio-fertilizers with two batches for each 50 women marginal and small farmers on 12 and 13 July, 2023 at Sothuppalai, on 15-16 July 2023 at Koothachipatti village. Trainers include S. Murugesan, C. Vidya and Success Trust staff team conducted training with practical demonstration on how to prepare natural compost manure, panjakavya with five types of ingredients, amirtha mixture, fish acids, egg acids and bio-pesticides – herbal insect repellent- Mixture with green chili, garlic and ginger extracts, neem seed mixture for women farmers on how to prepare organic inputs for practicing locally based, socio-culturally, traditional relevant food production that suit to the roots of the villages and region. Each women farmers has 1 acre land on their own and has wherewithal to practice this experiment of organic millet based cultivation which would be a booster to them and to others in the surrounding. As training on marketing also was done in this phase, they would be able to sell their products to local markets without any intermediaries apart from own use for their families.

3. Project plan forward

District Level Conference of Small Women Farmers for total 200 Small and marginal women farmers is being planned and this would be conducted in October 2023 at the time of this phase of project closure. To continue to sustain this initiative in future, support from Korea SHE is needed to realize the objectives and broad base the impacts.

4. Photos