1. Project description

Problems to be solved: The project area of the proposed project is hot and dry. Hence, the small and marginal farmers used to cultivate their lands with indigenous millet and paddy varieties which are drought resistant and quite resilient to a variety of agro-climatic adversities. However, the introduction of Green Revolution has changed the scenario upside down. The farmers have started depending upon hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides which resulted in the degradation of their lands. In addition, the emerging climate change scenario has affected their cultivation process resulting in loss of income, indebtedness and the women have lost their precious assets.

Project purpose: Therefore, GREEN having consultations with women farmers decided to bring back the traditional farming practices with indigenous crop varieties as a solution to address the above-mentioned problems. The basic idea is to involve women farmers in traditional farming with restoration of native livestock system. The targeted women farmers would be trained to traditional paddy and millet farming practices and produce and use low cost environment-friendly inputs and repellants with return of women’s role in the decision-making process on cropping pattern and conservation of native seed and livestock through effective management techniques.

Planned Activities: So as to reach our project purpose, we have decided to implement the following activities with the active participation of 100 women farmers selected from 500 women Self Help Groups having a total membership of more than 6,000 women members. The activities include:

• Orientation to women farmers
• Capacity building / Intensive Training to Women Farmers
  
  1. Training on gender and agriculture
  2. Land and Water resource management
  3. Integrated livestock management
  4. Intercropping System
  5. Crop production/ protection techniques
  6. Filed Demonstration on Crop protection methods
  7. Training on Value Addition and food processing
  8. Marketing
• Establishment of village level seed bank and agro service centre
• Establishment of farm level vermicomposting unit
• Livelihood support for women farmers : Providing inputs for effective land management and water conservation indigenous paddy for 100 acres of Paddy, 50 acres of vegetables, 50 acres of Millets and cultivation of fodder
• Livelihood support to landless women farmers: Supporting Landless women farmers through Marketing, and Providing Milch Animal through Bank loan
• Providing Technical Guidance and Exposure visit to pioneer farmers field
• Linkages with government departments
• Advocacy and lobbying for policy changes to promote indigenous paddy cultivation and millet cultivation, reorganization of women as a farmer and millet
• Formation of women farmers collective / Producers Association

 

2. Project progress up to now

Selection Criteria:

As reported earlier, we selected 115 women farmers with few fixed criteria. The criteria included (1) ownership of a minimum of one acre of farmland, (2) experience in dry land farming a minimum of 5 years, (3) a member of a women SHG, and, (4) a minimum educational qualification of reading and writing the alphabets. With these criteria we also selected 50 landless women agricultural laborers excepting the first criteria of land ownership since they are landless. The Team members selected the beneficiaries in their respective 10 villages during the first week of June, 2020 for the purposes of implementing the proposed project.

Orientation Program:

As planned, we organized an orientation training for women farmers in June 18 to 25, 2020. It was a one-day program spread over a period of five days held in five villages covering 165 women participants (115 women farmers and 50 landless agricultural women laborers) from 10 villages. The purpose of the orientation program was to make the women beneficiaries aware of the objectives and the key components of the proposed project. The program included description of the basic idea of the entire program with an introductory session. It was followed by self-introduction by respective participants informing about their name, village, occupation, experience in farming, family, etc. Our Team members headed by P.S. Bose also participated in the orientation program as resource persons. The other Team members are J. Senthil Kumar, Mutheeswaran, Kannan, and Ms. T. Ananthi. The team members explained the goals and objectives of the program, the context, the contents, proposed activities, time plan, and the expected results. The program was intercepted with input sessions, plenary sessions, group discussions, report presentations, and a concluding session at the end.

Intensive Training Process:

We started the intensive training program involving 115 women farmers. P.S. Bose, the leader, and J. Senthil Kumar, the Consultant resourced the training process. This intensive training is an on-going training process. It is divided into two sessions – (1) theoretical sessions and (2) practical sessions. During the theoretical sessions, so far, we have covered topics like (1) Training on gender and agriculture, (2) Land and Water resource management, (3) Integrated livestock management, and (4) Intercropping System, (4) Crop production/ protection techniques, and, (5) Field Demonstration on Crop protection methods. We adopted the same training methodology as in the Orientation Program to train the participants during the theoretical sessions. Mr. Mutheeswaran, Mr. Kannan, and Ms. T. Ananthi also trained the participants on and off the fields.

For the purposes of practical training on intensive farming based on traditional farming practices, we engaged the selected women farmers in their respective rain fed lands amounting to approximately 225 acres. They started the practical training first by preparing their lands with tillers and bullocks. Since our project area has a good monsoon from the usual South West monsoon starting from June, every year, we have a series of ploughing activities during the months of June and July. Soon after the tilling process, their first priority was the selection of seeds and improving the fertility of the soil. Hence, we involved them in establishing Seed Banks and vermicomposting units.

Establishment of Village level Seed Banks: 

During the reporting period of June to August, with the active participation of beneficiaries, we were able to procure 2 indigenous paddy varieties, viz., Mapillai Samba and Poongar and 2 minor millet varieties, viz., Barnyard millet and Little millet from an Organic Farmer Producer Company located in Pudukkottai district. So as to store and distribute the seeds to the participants, we involved women from 5 villages to set up 5 Seed Banks in their villages in July, 2020. These Seed Banks distributed seeds to women farmers as per their requirements at free of cost in August, 2020. The beneficiaries who received the seeds were expected to pay back the same seeds double the size soon after completing their harvest successfully. With this understanding, the Seeds Banks were established and seeds were distributed. This activity was coordinated by Team member Mr. Mutheeswaran.

Establishment of Vermicomposting Units:

Similarly, we established 10 vermicomposting beds in ten villages. During the composting process, we involved the trainee participants to educate them about the vermicomposting process. The participants collected the green leaves during the month of June and August and put them into the beds for mulching. During the month of July and August, we involved them in stirring the mulched manure and poured cow dung into bed on a layer basis. We also introduced earthworms into the beds. Mr. Kannan, one of the team members, coordinated the program. During the month of August, the ten beds supplied 200 bags of vermicomposting manure. All the manure were supplied to women farmers and they in turn spread the manure across their rain fed lands.

Livelihood support for women farmers:

We involved women farmers in dividing their lands as different sections for the cultivation of paddy, vegetables, millets, and fodder varieties. These activities were held during June, July and August. It also included training them on livestock development and management. We negotiated with local banks, arranged loans and distributed loans to 20 women farmers to buy goats for rearing. Ms. T. Ananthi, the trainer, coordinated this activity.

Livelihood support to landless women farmers:

During the month of July and August, we arranged for bank loans to 50 women to buy goats and set up poultry farms. We also arranged a training program on livestock development and management inviting the local veterinary doctor.

Exposure Visit:

We organized an exposure visit to a biotech farm called as RK Biotech Farm situated in one of our target villages, viz., Odaipatti. In the month of July 2020, we organized a program taking 25 women farmers to visit and to learn the different activities carried out in this farm. Ms. T. Ananthi, the trainer, coordinated this activity.

Linkages with government departments:

So far we have established linkages with 5 commercial banks, departments of agriculture, horticulture, and veterinary services. We are utilizing their services for the intensive farming practices by women farmers. Now women farmers are approaching the officials of these departments for subsidies and other benefits offered by both the central and state governments.

Advocacy and lobbying:

We have invited key farmers, politicians, intellectuals, professors, teaching faculty members from nearby agricultural college as part of our efforts to promote advocacy and lobbying for policy changes to promote indigenous paddy cultivation and millet cultivation, and reorganization of women as a farmer. This activity was carried out during the month of August, 2020 coordinated by S. Bose, the Team leader.

 

3. Project plan forward

In addition to continuing the above activities as processes during September and October, 2020, we look forward to undertake training on Value Addition and food processing, and Marketing and initiation of formation and registration of a Farmer Producer Company during September and October, 2020. We have noticeable improvements in terms of acquisition of organic farming practices, skills, preparation of low cost inputs, selection of indigenous seeds, establishment of Seed Banks, vermicomposting units, livelihood support to women farmers, exposure visit, linkages with government departments and commercial banks,  and advocacy activities for policy changes during the last three months of project implementation. We expect to continue the same activities during the rest of the project period, including training on value addition and marketing during September, 2020 and initiating the process of formation and registration of a Women Farmers’ Producer Company during the month of October.

 

4. Photos

We have enclosed 10 photos of 2 to 10 MB size. While taking photos, we got the permission of concerned persons through writing and they gave us the permission to use them and publish them in appropriate forums.