Sustainable Agricultural Practices for Empowering Women Farmers: Green Foundation

<< Previous

Excerpts....

The Green Revolution of the 1970s encouraged farmers in India to forego the sustainable methods of organic farming and make use of hybrid seeds in a bid to increase the yield of their crops. While traditional agriculture was known to be sustainable over the centuries with high rates of productivity, the Green Revolution led to the erosion of genetic diversity. As a result of the Green Revolution, biodiversity took a back seat and the farmers made use of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers to protect their crops from pests and insects. This not only made the food harmful but also adversely affected the food and economic security of the farmers. In addition to this, the farmers were unable to sustain this type of agriculture for long due to the ecological damage it caused. Thus, GREEN realized that biodiversity was essential to ensure the food and economic security of these marginal farmers.

or or PayPal (11 USD)

While GREEN dealt with issues related to sustainable farming, it also had to tackle the issue of gender bias in agriculture (Refer to Exhibit II for a note on gender bias in agriculture). GREEN noted that women were heavily involved in all farming activities such as sowing, planting, harvesting, etc. except for plowing. However, their contributions were marginalized in Indian agriculture. In spite of contributing in a major way to farming activities, they had little power in the decision making processes concerning their households.........

During the Financial Year 2010-2011, the Government of India (GoI) launched the Mahila Kisan Sashakthikaran Pariyojana (women farmer empowerment project) (MKSP) program in a bid to improve the status of women farmers in India and bridge the gender divide that existed in the Indian agrarian world. The pilot program was launched across the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. The MKSP was initiated through Aajeevika – the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) – in partnership with the state governments and program implementing agencies (PIAs).........

In 2013, in a bid to further empower women farmers, GREEN in association with Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA), carried out a project, ‘Shakti – empowering Women to Lead’. The project involved around 40 women in the districts of Chitradurga and Kanakapura. The project sought to develop leadership skills in the women and thereby empower them to lead their own agrarian communities toward sustainability by training other farmers in sustainable agricultural practices.........

As of August 2014, the MKSP implementation was in its third and final year of implementation and was progressing in 104 villages of Ramanagara and Chitradurga districts. Through the MKSP program, GREEN was able to make an impact on around 3,000 women farmers in Chitradurga district and 2,322 farmers in Ramanagara district. According to Ramprasad, the effective implementation of the MKSP had resolved various problems related to the community level. She said that the community farmers appreciated the active involvement of women farmers in the MKSP activities and their improved knowledge on adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.........

To make its model sustainable, GREEN created and empowered SHGs and the farmers’ federation. This was a bid to sustain, enhance, and expand environmental benefits within the communities where the project was in operation. GREEN also focused on active participation from the communities, capacity building, and training, leadership, etc. as a key to project sustainability..........

Exhibit I: GREEN Foundation’s Objectives
Exhibit II: A Note on Gender Bias in Agriculture
Exhibit III: Objectives of the MKSP Program
Exhibit IV: Structure of the Community Consultative Committee