When women are empowered to decide what to grow, what inputs to use, when and where to sell – key shifts happen in agriculture and livelihoods. By empowering women in Marathwada as change-makers in agriculture, the WCRF model promoted resilient livelihoods for farming households while ensuring farming to become an economically viable venture.
In Maharashtra, the landholding under food crops has shrunk by 12%. However, the landholding for cash crops like sugarcane has almost doubled over the last three decades. But the water-stressed conditions in Marathwada make growing these crops unviable. Yet, several small and marginal farmers in this drought-hit region continue to grow water-intensive cash crops like soybean and sugarcane instead of growing food for themselves. Besides, growing these crops has created a dependence on expensive chemical fertilizers, pesticides and market bought hybrid seeds for the farmers, thereby, steeply increasing their cost of cultivation. With close to 80% of the cultivable land in Marathwada being rainfed, the water-intensive cash crops have a high risk of failure during a bad monsoon. Small and marginal farmers who take loans for purchasing farm inputs and grow only one variety of crops are the most affected. Moreover, women in these households are the most affected as they do not have ownership over land which limits their access to productive resources like finance, market, water and suitable government extension services.
Women in focus
Rural women from small and marginal farmer households have a predominant identity as agriculture labour. Despite their immense contribution of time, labor, and knowledge, they are not recognized as farmers. While the men take decisions on what and how to grow, where to sell, the women take up low skilled jobs on the farm like weeding and harvesting taking directions from the men. With this basic premise, SSP an NGO working in the area, designed a Women-led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) model as an empowerment pathway for women to transform them from labourers to leaders in agriculture in four agriculture cycles.
Women inherently understand the food and nutrition needs of the family, and hence when trained to take decisions, they choose to grow local cereals, millets, pulses and vegetables with natural farm inputs. These are short-duration crops that consume less water and are better suited for the local water-stressed climate – which means improved food availability even during adverse conditions like drought. Traditionally, women have been the livestock managers in the household – from preparing cattle feed and milking them to drying their dung for cooking. SSP’s model leverages this acquired wisdom of women in training them to prepare low-cost bio-fertilizers. Additionally, women are concerned about the health of the family members and will go that extra mile to arrange for the organic inputs. “If we need 10 varieties of leaves to prepare pesticides women will not stop till they find the tenth leaf; men may be happy with nine.” – says Rupali Vikas Shendage from Tugaon, Osmanabad. Today, most farmers we met feel use of bio inputs has improved their soil quality enabling it to retain more moisture, improving their productivity and helping them use lesser water.
Women inherently understand the food and nutrition needs of the family
Build-Empower-Sustain model
At the core of SSP’s WCRF operating philosophy is a three-stage model of Build, Empower and Sustain. First, SSP builds a conducive ecosystem of community-based resources, key partners, farmer adopters and refines them over time. In this stage of the operating model, SSP also creates community assets like demonstration farms in collaboration with adopter farmers and farm ponds and community tanks by accessing Government schemes. In the second stage of the operating model, SSP trains and develops the core ecosystem actors – the adopter farmers and matures them into dynamic collectives. This is done with the help of community-based resources like Krishi Samvad Sahayaks and Trainers who are groomed and mentored by SSP to become local agri experts. In the final stage, the farmer groups are enabled to sustain their operations by linking them to ATMA so that they can access Government schemes extended to registered farmer groups. With the help of these schemes, the farmer groups expand their farm-based enterprises and improve market linkages, which help them continue their operations. Moreover, the community-based resources by design are local women and extend knowledge support even after the programme ends. Additionally, the core ecosystem actors including the farmer groups and the community-based resources, develop themselves into adoption-ready social capital in which Government agencies and Donor organizations can invest.
On the field
The CRF model aims to achieve four key shifts in farm practices – the transition from cash crops to food crops, the transition from chemical to bio inputs, conservation of soil and water and diversified livelihoods through farm-allied businesses. To bring in these changes, women continuously need to use their innate wisdom of being food and nutrition managers of the family, which help them think and decide what to grow, what inputs to use and what farm allied activities to take up.
The Women-led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) model attempts to reposition women as farmers, leaders and change agents who adopt food secure practices on their farms. The model focuses on four key dimensions: Market Linkages, Federating Women Farmers, Technology Integration and Water efficient micro irrigation models. It is aimed at improving productivity, increasing income, enhancing health and nutrition of the family and building resilience.
The climate-resilient farming model promotes growing 6-8 food crops per season with natural inputs allocating a small piece of the family’s land. This requires concentrated effort, care, commitment and time – which men do not have. Hence, SSP’s climate-resilient farming model encourages women to gain cultivation rights from their families on a small piece of land – which usually starts with half or one acre, to grow local vegetables, millets, cereals and pulses for the consumption of the family. The model also promotes training and use of natural seeds, fertilizers and pesticides ensuring savings, improved health and conservation of water and soil.
Women are organized into informal groups of 20 members at the village level. Each group is led by two group members who are responsible for leading the group activities and coordinating with the village level community facilitator.
Trainings are imparted following a participatory approach to learning and later graduate them into producer groups during the final season. In the first two seasons, a new adopter is enabled to gain cultivation rights from her family over a small piece of land and is equipped with knowledge and skills in cultivating seasonal food crops. This includes identifying locally available seeds and preparing low cost and eco-friendly fertilizers and pesticides. To execute this phase, she integrates livestock with her farm for bio-inputs and addresses the food and nutrition needs of the family.
In the third season, the year-old adopter typically expands the land under her control and increases her production enough to have a marketable surplus, after meeting home consumption needs (See Box 2). Simultaneously, she is coached to start and execute farm-based enterprises in bio inputs, poultry, dairy, goat rearing etc., to increase the income for the household. In the fourth and final season, SSP helps the woman farmer in gaining legal land title, which helps her to access Government schemes in her name. Additionally, the informal farmer groups created during the initiation of the program are mentored to register themselves with ATMA to continue accessing schemes. Selected groups are coached to start farmer producer companies to run collective businesses.
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Box 2: One-acre farming model propagates a shift from cash crops to diversified organic farming “We were growing Soyabean and using chemical pesticides on our one acre. We barely saved 30% of our earnings,” says Archana Tawade from Gaur village, Latur, Maharashtra. “After the training, I convinced my husband to give me 10,000 square feet of farmland to apply my learnings”.Experimenting with a variety of crops – vegetables and cereals and using only organic fertilizer, Archana was amazed to see the yield multiple three-fold. While she netted a profit, her biggest accomplishment was the nutritious food she put on the family table. Encouraged by the success, Archana’s husband adopted the one-acre organic farming model. Cultivating 23 varieties of crops – vegetables, pulses, cereals and oil seeds, they save almost 60% of their earnings.
Today Archana is a sought-after speaker and trainer. Her experience serves as a powerful motivator for other women to take the plunge and implement the one-acre model. “As a woman, a mother and a farmer – the health of my family and my land is critical. The one-acre model helps me meet both my goals. This is the message I share with other women”, says Archana. |
Community Resilience Fund
Community Resilience Fund (CRF) is a community-owned, driven and managed low-interest fund which helps farmers access the Government schemes without having to invest a large sum themselves. Community Resilience fund or CRF is a quicker and easier way to provide low-interest funds the network of women groups. CRF has played a leading role for farmers in accessing key Government schemes (See Box 1).
| Box 1
Asha Hajgude from Osmanabad was in a dilemma. She wanted to access drip irrigation under the Government PMKSY scheme but needed to invest first, a lumpsum INR 30,000 to purchase the drip irrigation system. Government subsidies get credited in the account after the farmer purchases the product or service. This was a big sum for the family. Things became easy for Asha when she got a quick, easy, and low-interest CRF loan of INR 25,000 to purchase her drip irrigation system. “I had to invest only INR 5,000 at that time”, recalls Asha. Started in 2009, CRF is sourced through bank loans and maintained by SHG Federation Sashakt Sakhi Sangstha in Osmanabad and Tuljapur blocks. |
CRF is accessed by farmer groups created and disseminated to individual farmers through the group lending norms. Accessing CRF is quicker, attracts lower interest rates than bank loans, and reaches the account before purchasing a product or service. A farmer’s bank account gets credited within 8 days of CRF loan application on which she needs to pay an interest of 8% per annum. CRF also helps farmers access loans for purchasing animal fodder, hydroponics, growing vegetables, etc., which they cannot access otherwise from MFIs or banks.
Impact
The programme had a significant impact on the lives of women farmers. Women gained access to land and right to cultivate land, meeting the food, nutrition and income security of the families (See Box 3). By switching to organic farming methods, they contributed towards better natural resource management. Participation in the entire value chain from farming to food processing, supply and distribution and consumers, made these women more confident and empowered. By getting involved in marketing, women became more financially independent. There is increasing recognition of women as farmers and decision makers in the family and in the community.
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Box 3: Land ownership for women farmers Recurring drought in Marathwada left the farmers in distress with huge losses and increased farmer suicides. The women farmers from Ekurga village in Kallamb, Osmanabad decided to take the matters in their hands and came forward to help their families overcome the situation. Adding to the distress, the area also saw a rise in alchoholism amongst men. “My husband started working as a driver and would stay away from home most of the time. His drinking became uncontrollable. My in-laws started fearing that he would sell all our land. To save the situation, I convinced my in-laws to transfer the land in my name.” shares Manisha Yadav. Today Manisha owns one acre land from which she has earned Rs. 2,50,000 by cultivating vegetables. SSP started training women in Ekurga on climate resilient farming model. During this training, women realized the importance of land rights and ownership to access the government agriculture schemes & resources. They in turn formed a group of 400 women farmers to acquire land rights. The women started communicating with their families about the benefits and convinced family them to divide land on their name. Savita Tai Bhore was the first woman to convince her husband and completed the legal process without any cost at Block Tahsildar. Savita is an advocate & role model of women land ownership in Ekurga village and has helped more than 50 women get land ownership from family with agreement. |
Scaling up
SSP first piloted this model in Osmanabad where they introduced cultivation of less water intensive food crops and a shift from chemical to bio farming practices in one acre of land. The WCRF model also popularly known as the one-acre model involved women acquiring one acre or even lesser parcel of land to start the shift in practices and growing food crops.
It needs a collaborative effort to unlock the true potential of a model. SSP collaborated with key ecosystem partners like UMED-Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Government of Maharashtra, MISEREOR Germany, Huairou Commission, Welthungerhilfe-GIZ, Hindustan Unilever Foundation, Kamal Udwadia Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, ASHOKA, HSBC and NABARD in improving the reach, impact and effectiveness of the model. On the other hand, the ecosystem partners have leveraged SSP’s collaboration in increasing the uptake of their initiatives with women.
In 2014, SSP teams evolved this approach with an aim to promote participation of leadership of women to ensure food and income security among marginal farmer households. In 2016, the partnership with Government of Maharashtra came as an opportunity to scale up the approach through building a cadre of agriculture leaders as Community Resource Persons to further train and handhold women farmers.
In seven years, 75,000 women farmers and households have begun the shift towards climate resilient farming in over 750 villages across Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur and Nanded districts of Maharashtra. Currently it is being scaled up to Jalna, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad districts and also to Bihar and Kerala states in India. In this process, the program has transformed 65,000 acres of farmland by growing food crops using exclusive bio-inputs. The unique cascading approach in ground deployment of the model makes it scalable, replicable and efficient.
Upmanyu Patil
Upmanyu Patil
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
102, First Floor,
Gayatri Building, Orchid School Lane,
Balewadi Phata, Baner, Pune 411045,
Maharashtra
E-mail: sspindia1@gmail.com
