Project Proposal Submitted by M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Biju Patnaik Medicinal Plants Garden & Research Centre P
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1 Project Proposal TOWARDS SOCIO-ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN FARMERS WITH A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN KORAPUT DISTRICT OF ODISHA Submitted by M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Biju Patnaik Medicinal Plants Garden & Research Centre Phulbad, Jeypore (RS) - 764 002, Koraput District, Odisha Phone: 06854-231773 E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.mssrf.org Head office: M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Third Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area, Chennai – 600 113, INDIA Tel: +91 44 2254 1698; Fax: +91 44 2254 1319 2 PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR MKSP Project Title Towards socio-economic empowerment of women farmers with a focus on sustainable agriculture in Koraput District of Odisha. Proposed Area of Koraput District, Odisha Action Executive Summary a) Project description 1) Existing collectives of MSSRF in Koraput District: The organization initiated its activities in Jeypore remote site, Koraput District, Odisha state, in year 1994, where its regional centre is now located. MSSRF has consciously made its science and technology based interventions focusing on rural women and providing them with necessary support for effectively managing their natural resource base, enhancing their livelihoods through skill and capacity enhancement, access to knowledge and information and opportunities for market linkages for the primary produces and value added products. By adding value to their time and labour, MSSRF tries to bring down the number of work hours in a day in rural women’s lives and add economic value to each hour of work. Various need based and women centric interventions have been undertaken in and around 62 villages in the tribal region that includes improvement of food and nutritional security, promotion of livelihood programs through the women self help groups based on the available local resources, establishment of community managed gene-seed-grain banks, promotion of nutritional kitchen gardens, conservation of medicinal plants and promotion of traditional healing systems, conservation of underutilized millets, conservation of local races of rice, watershed management, knowledge dissemination and capacity building. In our focused region more than hundred women self help groups have been promoted with the basic objectives of empowering them thorough different initiatives. Many successful livelihood initiatives being managed by the groups’ leads to empowering them on socio-economic aspects. M.S.Swaminathan foundation has been making efforts to conserve land races in situ and ex situ and project the role of society in their efforts of conservation which lead to the recognition of Koraput as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by FAO. The foundation has been making efforts to empower the community to adopt modern cultivation measures, like SRI in paddy, to increase the production. Value addition of some Head office: M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Third Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area, Chennai – 600 113, INDIA Tel: +91 44 2254 1698; Fax: +91 44 2254 1319 3 of these land races coupled with marketing tie ups by local institutions is hoped to make cultivation of these selected land races sustainable. Efforts have also been made to adopt a farming system comprising of intercropping complemented with live stock and aqua culture. Improved irrigation facilities as well as soil and moisture conservation measures have helped to increase the area under vegetable and ground nut cultivation during rabi season. Through participatory selection availability of quality seeds was improved. Thrust was given for organic farming was organic manures and bio pesticides were used to ensure eco friendliness. Simple machineries were provided to reduce the drudgery and increase efficiency. A special program focused on women and children (0-3 year’s age) is focused on improving health, nutrition and hygiene with a focus on sustainable agriculture. This centre could facilitate the women communities to receive the “Equator Initiative Award” at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 and “Genome Savior Award” from the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Government of India in 2007 and 2011. The communities with whom the foundation is working could also secure national level awards like “Krishi Bisharad Sanman” in 2003, Felicitation by Honorable Chief Minister of Odisha in 2004 and “Folk fare Award” in the year 2008. Creation of a cadre of community resource person: The organization has created about 40 no. of community resource persons who are called as the community hunger fighters and about 10 para professionals. Both male and female from all caste groups are selected through certain criteria and also through the participation of the community. In the selection process, the community is involved so that the resource persons can have good faith on them to receive their voice. They are in the age group of 25 to 45 years and must have potentiality to act as a resource person. The selected representatives’ from the community are trained through the capacity building programs on all the aspects like food, nutrition, health, hygiene, sustainable agriculture, livelihood promotion, kitchen garden promotion etc. Once become trained, they do conduct training programs on their capacity in their own village to address the hunger and malnutrition issues. The cadre of the community resource persons also organizes awareness programs on different social issues existing in the community. They also work on mobilizing entitlement schemes related to food, nutrition, agriculture and livelihood on the concept of deliver as one approach. 2) Description of proposed Project: Head office: M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Third Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area, Chennai – 600 113, INDIA Tel: +91 44 2254 1698; Fax: +91 44 2254 1319 4 The project envisages organizing women actively engaged in agriculture and giving them identity as ‘farmers’ and build their capacities on the different dimensions of sustainable agriculture livelihood activities as well as improving food, nutrition and health security. The project proposes to expand and strengthen the women empowerment activities of MSSRF in Koraput district of Odisha. We propose to reach 2500 women farmers in about 50 villages in the region, strengthening the existing producer groups and formation of new groups which would eventually be federated. Capacity building programs on different components of sustainable agriculture practices and livelihood options would be imparted to the group members based on the strength of the organization. The components of the capacity building programs would be on sustainable agriculture practices mainly focused on organic farming, soil and water management, seed selection and treatment, integrated nutrient management, integrated pest management, mushroom cultivation, spawn production, nursery techniques, livestock management, value addition from bio resources and rice and millet, backyard poultry farming, vermi composting, fish farming, herbal garden promotion, backyard nutritional garden, large scale vegetable cultivation, market promotion of products, health and sanitation improvement etc.. Simultaneously efforts would be taken to reach proper scientific advice to enable women farmers to take timely and weather based crop decisions. Towards this end, efforts would be taken to reach agro-met advisories to the group members through ICT (Village Knowledge Centers). Simultaneously, facilitation of access to schemes related to agriculture and others. Awareness creation programs shall be organized on various issues relating to food, nutrition and health issues. Locally preferable food crops, horticultural crops and backyard nutritional gardens would be promoted to increase household consumption of local food grains, vegetables, and fruits and tubers. Hunger fighters at the community level also shall be facilitated to create awareness and facilitate the community members. Periodic health camps and campaign on herbal preventive practices for different diseases occur at the community level would be organized to address the health needs of women and children. Better access to the various government schemes related to food, nutrition and health would be facilitated through the household entitlement card approach. The women groups would be organized to fight against exploitation being faced at the household and community level. b) Rationale for support under MKSP Agricultural reforms undertaken by the state have most of the time perceived men to be farmers and women as playing a subsidiary role. With agricultural sector in the country Head office: M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Third Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area, Chennai – 600 113, INDIA Tel: +91 44 2254 1698; Fax: +91 44 2254 1319 5 undergoing severe crisis and the men either migrating in search of alternative livelihood options or committing suicide in distress situations more and more women are entering and becoming responsible in the agricultural domain. The women farmers need support in the form of access to credit, technology, infrastructure and markets. They also need capacity building to reduce exploitation and to help them perform their role as farmers effectively. Women farmers have to be involved in various aspects of decision-making related to farming practices. In the past, they have had very little scope to think over such decisions collectively. Anxiety and self doubt are common among women farmers when it comes to