This blog on Women Leading in Organic Farming is written by Sangeetha Ramanathan, a Limitless Stree member.
About Sangeetha
I am Sangeetha Ramanathan and I live in Tamil Nadu, India. One of my hobbies is numismatic – I have collected 200+ old and current currencies inclusive inside and outside of India. Especially I collected the Indian Commemorative Coins. While writing this blog, I had an opportunity to learn more about farming which I am not that much aware of. I hope you read something informative.
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Women in Organic Farming
Food Production:
Food Need and Usual Cultivation Method:
We all know the population in India is growing at the rate of approximately 1-3% of the total population, which is nearly 1.5 crore per annum. In order to fulfil the need, toxic pesticides, chemical fertilisers and hybrids were being used to cultivate or yield more production, which degrades the soil and affects human health.
Organic Method for the cultivation:
As an alternative to conventional farming, Organic farming is increasing in almost all the country. The farmers care for the land, applying the concept/ philosophy toward health, ecosystem and care for human health and the environment’s future. Organic Farming is Environment friendly. Which fertile the soil wherein conventional farming fertile the plant.
Do you know which is the first state to cultivate Organic Food completely? Yes, it is Sikkim.
Women Farming Technique in Odisha:
Nirmala Barla, a women farmer from Odisha, cultivating more food crops by Organic farming. Not only her but many women farmers from Brahmanamara Village – Sundargarh district growing more crops by Organic farming.
According to the survey, approximately 75% of farmers are women in India.
Farmers from this village use their own seeds. Farmers achieved more cultivation by Organic Farming using different techniques such as
Multi – cropping: helps to grow multiple crops.
Mulching: helps to make the soil surface moist and
System of Rice Intensification this establish the early, quick and healthy plant
Women Leading In Farming
Pappammal is an Organic farmer from Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore. She is honoured with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her role in Organic Farming at the age of 107. She is very cautious about conventional farming, and she usually follows Organic Farming, which she learnt from her father.
Rajkumari Devi is from Bihar, Anandpur. In the early 1980s, in her village, farmers and her husband grew tobacco leaves. Post this, she decided to do something different and started sub-divided her land and started growing different food crops. Along with this, she helps others in their farming by sharing her experience and ideas. She was awarded Padma Shri in 2019.
Terrace Gardening:
Nowadays, people are coming forward and showing their interest in terrace gardening, which helps them grow their own vegetables. Even one can convert the complete terrace to a garden with the proper surface proof. Manure can be prepared at home by using biologically decomposing – biodegradable materials. Post cultivation people are even more interested in helping their neighbourhood by sharing their homegrown crops.
I would like to conclude this with the famous திருக்குறள்/ Tirukkuṟaḷ
“நீர்இன்று அமையாது உலகெனின் யார்யார்க்கும் வான்இன்று அமையாது ஒழுக்கு/ When water fails, functions of nature cease, you say; Thus when rain fails, no men can walk in ‘duty’s ordered way”
[Translation: If it is said that the duties of life cannot be discharged by any person without water, so without rain there cannot be the flowing of water], so as human beings we should conserve our mother earth. Try to take a step toward conservation and make a change.
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