These Telangana women show how to be Atmanirbhar
Atmanirbhar seems to be the buzz word in India today. The Government of India announced an emergency working capital of Rs 30,000 crore to farmers under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package but the families spread over 30 villages in Sangareddy and surrounding areas are not interested in any help. Read to know how they became atmanirbhar.
The 5,000 women members of Deccan Development Society (DDS) do not look forward to any help as they are already self-reliant in food production and grow crops organically without pesticides. The 75 village sanghams (associations) do not purchase seeds from outside, use natural resources, have their own market and the women also have their own community FM radio wholly operated by the women members.
Today, the women are self-reliant but the journey has been arduous. Starting in the early 1980s, women farmers under the DDS umbrella started growing diverse crops in small land holdings. Over a period of time, they formed village community gene funds in 60 villages.
Telangana being a dry area and the lack of irrigation facility doubled the difficulty for farming but the women planted over a million trees in 28 villages transforming the area. By 1990, they could make fertile over 1,000 acres of common land, a feat that propelled them on the world stage. The man behind the initiatives, P V Satheesh, director, Deccan Development Society is a firm believer in the autonomy of local communities.
Self-reliance has always been the fundamental principle on which DDS functions. This belief egged the society to come up with their own community radio. The women farmers conceptualise, write and produce content all by themselves. They have also made several videos.
The community swears by the idea- Mana pantalu-mana vantalu, meaning: our crops-our cuisine. While people in the cities have switched to refined food, the community consumes full grain and pulses.
Not so long ago, the staple food in Telangana was millets and the DDS has been spreading awareness on the need to return to millets. Dr Satheesh has been advocating this for almost three decades as he says even the soil in Telangana is conducive for it.
Not just that, DDS women grow 60 different medicinal plants in common lands which has resulted in a sound traditional healthcare system.
Even as the PM announced a package for farmers, the DDS launched a new initiative, ‘Swasamruddha Samudayala Sankalpam [Resolve for self-abundant community]’. With this initiative, designed to cover about 1000 poorest women mostly from marginal land holding Dalit families spread over 30 villages.
DDS will attempt the following:
- All these women will ensure their marginal lands bloom into food producing oases
- They will apply 48,000 kilos of farmyard manure over 1200 acres
- 12,000 litres of plant growth promoters such as Beejamrutham will be produced in their own communities and used on their lands
- Crop growth will be further strengthened through the application of about 5000 litres of tonics such as Panchagavya.
- 48,000 litres of Vermi wash will be sprayed over for 1,200 acres to help abundant flowering and plant growth.
- The women will plant 12,000 kilos of 10-15 different varieties of seeds togrow rich biodiverse farms.
- A total investment of around 60 lakh rupees will be made on these lands by the women to cover this kharif farming season.
The entire investment comes from the farmers themselves. Every element used on the land, from the farm yard manure to the seeds to various growth promoters, ecological pest repellents and biofertilizers will all be produced by the farmers within their own communities.
They will neither borrow a single rupee from outside nor use any external element for the crop production.
At the end of one agricultural season, the farmers will be able to display the classical multi functionality of agriculture, which is the most prised character of ecological agriculture. Every single element used in the entire process will proudly label itself as LOCAL.
In terms of economic returns, the non – irrigated, red soils being nursed with the string of productivity enhancing measures are expected to yield an economic return of up to Rs 55,000/ per acre.
