Atmanirbhar women farmers show the way

Padma Bhusari of Saoner in Nagpur is a farmer’s daughter and a farmer’s wife. But now she is a farmer as well. Not that she got the right without struggle. “I did not agree with my husband’s pattern of growing cotton and toor together. I said why not dump cotton and grow toor dal, moth (horse gram), moong and urad together. After all, do we eat cotton? My husband rubbished the idea.He asked ‘What do you know about farming’?” says Padma without batting an eyelid.
Padma is not an exception in a country where a majority (about 75%) of full-time workers on farms are women and yet they have little or no say in deciding what to grow. But Padma was an exception in a sense that she did not take her husband’s drubbing without putting up a fight. “I said I still want to try my way of farming and if you are not willing to give me the land to grow crops of my choice then give me my share of the property (land) and I will use it the way I want to. He still did not relent,” adds Padma who says she then secretly went to the farm when her husband was out of station and sowed 12 types of seeds, mostly pulses, using the principles of ‘Swawlambee sheti’ (self-reliant agriculture). “The crops grew healthy and my husband had to eat his own words. He was still upset though that I did something behind his back. Male ego doesn’t go easy, does it?” said Padma with a broad smile.
Empowering women, the farm way!
Padma is one of the 200 women farmers from six districts of Maharashtra who follow Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch’s pattern of ‘swawlambee sheti’ (self-reliant agriculture). “The idea is to empower women by giving them access to farm, help gain control of farm operations and in the process provide food and nutrition security,” says Suvarna Damle, regional coordinator for Prakruti Sanstha, which is part of the all-India network of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch. She had come with a bunch of women farmers at ‘Beejotsav’ – a three-day event to emphasise on the importance of seed conservation and sustainable agriculture – in Warora recently.
Padma is proud to say she recently harvested 16 types of vegetables from her one-acre field. “Earlier, we would sell cotton and use the little money we got to buy vegetables and pulses from the market. Now, I feed organically grown food to my family at a cost which is a fraction of what we would spend on growing cotton.”
Self-reliance makes them confident
Yes, the resounding principle of ‘swawlambee sheti’ is ‘grow organic for less cost’. Padma’s husband did not relent for no reason. Growing cotton has become increasingly expensive for Vidarbha farmers over the years because of the high cost of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides in the face of rising pest attacks like pink bollworm that have the potential to wipe out the entire crop. Moreover, the market price of cotton is highly fluctuating. No wonder about 50% of farmer suicides recorded in Maharashtra this year till August (total 1,809) were from the cotton belt of Vidarbha.
“Earlier my husband took me for a novice. Now he sees that the variety of food crops I grow are without expenses of pesticide sprays and fertilizers. In contrast, growing cotton would require 2-3 times more investment. I know this because I write down all the farm expenses,” adds Padma.
Nirmala Katahwate of Sawarmendha village in Saoner taluka too struggled to get one acre land from her husband three years ago. “First year I struggled, second year I struggled less and third year has been smooth sailing so far. Now my husband asks me what crop I should grow and when?” laughs Nirmala.
“Suvarna madam told us that ‘swawlambee sheti’ will increase our confidence and would provide nutritious food to our family as well. I am glad I intervened at the right time and helped turn my husband towards natural farming,” says Nirmala, who like many other women folks in the village bears the brunt of abject poverty and life-long entanglement in loan cycles.
Improves soil fertility and self-respect as well
These women have learnt their lessons the hard way though. “First year I planted toor the wrong way and did not get results, but I did not lose heart and tried again the next year. Last year, I got 3.5 quintal tur in 1 acre plot without any chemical sprays. Earlier we used to get this much yield in 3 acres of land when grown along with cotton,” said Nirmala.
Not just quality food for less cost, the women farmers’ experiments with natural and self-reliant farming has resulted in increased soil fertility. “Even if the yield fails in the first year, the leaf litter from toor, urad, moong etc adds nitrogen to the soil, which results in better yield the next year,” says Suvarna.
Geeta Pusnake of Ralegaon taluka in Yavatmal district -- the ground zero of farmer suicides – says her barren land has got converted into fertile land. Eventually her success with self-reliant farming made her popular in the village and many other women are now emulating her model of farming. “I get respect from so-called farm experts who want to know more about what I do,” says Geeta.
More than 12 crops in just 1 acre land!
A majority of women farmers from 8 to 9 villages of Ralegaon taluka in Yavatmal district are now part of the ‘swawlambee shetee’ movement. Chandatai Godam, an Adivasi from Ralegaon, says she had heard about mixed farming but most men farmers were smitten by the idea of growing soybean, cotton and tur only. “Earlier, I wasn’t sure if I would succeed growing more than 12 crops in just 1 acre of land. Today, my husband has offered me all 12 acres of land. He said: ‘Do what you feel is good for our family’,” says Chandatai shyly.
Another woman farmer said the results she got were phenomenal. “One kg moong seed gave me 20 kg output. While the same amount of seeds gave 5 kg urad and 15 kg groundnut. All these seeds were given to us for free. My husband had never ever grown these crops. I think our ‘acche din’ have finally arrived,” she added.
Beating alcoholism
Nirmala Katahwate says about 80% households in her village are financially dependent on women because of alcoholism in men. “We look after the farm, family and children. Now by taking farm decisions we feel in charge. I tell other women to break the shackles, stand up for their rights and farm on their own.”
Makes children proud
Ujjwala Shrikant Shinde, Visapur in Nagpur, has got ½ an acre land where she grows toor, native cotton, urad, moong, ambadi (gongura), boru (fodder crop), barnbati, sesame, jowar and a variety of vegetables. “This crop diversity makes the soil rich and also provides a variety of nutrition to my family.”
Padma says she makes salad with a mix of veggies and pulses for her 10-year-old son, who loves it. “Mumma, I love it because you have grown these veggies yourself,” she says with moist eyes. Elder daughter Monali, who is pursuing bachelor’s in pharmacy, understands the value of food nutrition and tells her mother not to share the yield with anyone but keep them for the family. She also tells her college friends with great pride, “My mother is a farmer and a progressive one.”