FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
Self-help strategies come to the rescue in difficult times
M.J. PRABU
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The bio-village project has made women financially independent
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— Photo: MSSRF
Green route: Manitiri village residents showing visitors around their village.
“UNLESS agricultural policies aim at making farmers, particularly women, financially self reliant, the nation cannot achieve its goal of sustainable food security,” says Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Taramani, Chennai.
The challenge especially becomes tougher with poor and marginal women farmers as increasing their income becomes a necessity in the absence of any adult male members in the family.
Land holding
Manitiri village in Kendrapara district of Orissa comprises about 46 families with a population of nearly 360 people. The people are marginal farmers with land holding of 0.5 to two acres (mostly a mono-cropped) which depends on the annual monsoon for crop production.
As a part of a development project, a team from the MSSRF, visited the village in 2002.
Frugal lifestyle
“Most of its residents lived a frugal life. Regular cyclone attacks destroyed their livelihoods, livestock and shelters. The youth in the villages started to migrate to other States in search of work,” says Dr. Vijay R Subbiah, Project Coordinator, MSSRF, Chennai.
As a first step, the staff approached the ladies and after spending considerable time discussing with them, urged them to form some Self Help Groups (SHG) and involve in some revenue generation activities.
Though at first the women did not welcome the suggestion, citing absence of male members as the reason, they got convinced after several meetings and visits.
Self help groups
About 46 women of the village organised themselves into three groups called Jagannath, Baldev Jew and Subhadra and the institute’s staff trained them in fish rearing, dairy, poultry, duck farming, crop farming, bio-gas manure, mushroom, vermicompost unit, azolla nursery, apiary and organic farming.
Rainwater harvesting
The villagers, under the supervision of the staff renovated an existing community pond, and also dug a new pond for rainwater harvesting and started growing rahu and catla fish varieties in them. They also cultivated vegetables all around the ponds and green fodder on the inner walls of the ponds.
The villagers also constructed a poultry shed on one of the ponds and the birds droppings fell into the water which served as food for the fishes.
A dairy unit supplied the necessary dung required for bio-gas and power for 2-3 bulbs for lighting the poultry unit and cattle shed.
Pheromone trap
“A light fixed on one the ponds served as a pheromone trap and attracted insects which fell into the pond and were consumed by the fishes,” says Mr. Bijaya Kumar Maity, Site Coordinator, Biovillage Project.
The pond water met the irrigation requirement for vegetable plants grown mostly through the year. In 4-5 years the villagers grew different vegetables in the soil organically.
Bank account
The income from the farm deposited in a bank account opened in the name of farm school helped fund several activities of the farm.
Ms. Sukanti Jena a member says, “through the MSSRF project we realised how important savings are for us.”
Ms. Geetanjali Jena says, “we learnt to save money. Now we do not depend on the local money lender.”
Ms. Basanti Baral a widow member says, “some years back, getting a meal a day proved difficult for me. Today thanks to the MSSRF, I am able to buy good quality vegetables all through the year and am not dependant on the local market for their purchase.”
Increasing income
“The biovillage project at Manitiri village not only serves to increase the income of its residents, but also made the women financially independent,” says Prof. Swaminathan.
“The only answer to poverty alleviation springs from good income and this can be achieved when farmers adopt multiple cropping systems and different occupational strategies rather than concentrating on a single area,” he says.
For more information readers can contact Dr. Bijay Kumar Maity, Site Coordinator, Biovillage Project, Kakata, Kendrapara, Orissa 754211, email: mssrfbhu@sify.com , Phone: 06727- 221220.
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