Organic farming also known as green farming was practiced historically in India before the introduction of chemical fertilizers, which changed the course of farming in a substantial manner. Although use of chemical fertilizers, at first, improved the overall productivity and management of pests, slowly it ruined the nutrient content of the crops and degraded the quality of land, polluted the water and air. Nowadays the crops are laced with harmful chemicals, which are not only tarnishing the environment but also contain carcinogenic elements which on consumption can damage the organs and even cause cancer in some cases. People are now aware of the adverse effects of inorganic farming on health, which is encouraging them to switch back to organic produce in the market. So, the scope of organic farming has substantially increased, leading to livelihood opportunities.
With a rise in demand for organic produce in the market, demand of organic manures and fertilizer has also increased significantly. Therefore, the opportunities for women entrepreneurs in production and marketing of products used for organic farming have also increased. Products such as organic manures, bone meal, vermi-compost, Panchgavya, Jeevamrit and Neemastra are rapidly capturing the market.
Scope of Organic Farming for women entrepreneurs
After the COVID–19 pandemic, people have become more health conscious and are shifting to organic produce, so demand for organic vegetables has increased rapidly.
Organic products such as Manures and Fertilizers are cost efficient i.e. cost of production is low and they fetch good price in the market.
For organic farming, manures and pesticides can be made from locally available materials such as kitchen waste, cow dung, cow urine and neem which reduces the cost.
Organic vegetables are premium in quality than conventional vegetables. They are sold at 10 per cent higher price than the market rate.
Organic farming increases productivity of the crops in a span of time and brings higher profits.
The Girl Power Project is funded by the European Union and executed by AIILSG with an aim to bring transformative changes in lives of 5000 women and girls all across Jharkhand. A total of five trainings of 50 women beneficiaries in each batch have been organised on organic farming by the Girl Power project team from May 2 to June 4, 2022, across the five districts of Jharkhand to strengthen women entrepreneurs in the field of organic farming. Since, the majority of farmers in Jharkhand depend upon the rain fed agriculture practices, it was best suited to introduce the women entrepreneurs with organic farming concept and practices before the monsoon commences, so that sowing and harvesting can be done according to the market timeline in order to be able to make a good profit out of it.
Objectives
The main objective of the Girl Power Project is to create women entrepreneurs and enterprises at the rural level to create a platform that provides them opportunities for growth, financial stability, social status and recognition. Training on organic farming was arranged for women beneficiaries with an objective of creating women entrepreneurs and building skills and capacity to foster their entrepreneurial skills.
The objective of the training was to generate employment for women in rural areas in the organic farming activities and marketing of organically grown produce as well as other related products. The training would build techniques and skills to reduce the cost and increase productivity to create more profit and increase the income of farm women. The training introduced them to different types of cropping methods, water management and crop management. They gained an in-depth insight about importance of soil health, management of nutrients, protection of the plants and knowledge about formulation techniques for traditional bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, and soil health promoters. The activity aimed to promote organic farming practices and create a market presence with organic produce, fertilizers and manures.
About the Training
In the training session, facilitator addressed women entrepreneurs and focused on the importance of conversion of conventional land into an organic land and use of sustainable water resources such as drip irrigation, rain water harvesting and creation of ponds and reservoirs for collection of water. Emphasis was given on self-labour in the training to reduce the cost of production. Through audio-visual method of training, women entrepreneurs learned about techniques for preparation of organic manure, such as vermin-compost, farmyard manure and green manure. Participants also visited nearby land areas where organic farming practices are being undertaken for more detailed observation and learning. Training on organic management of insects, pests and diseases was given in which women entrepreneurs learned about important soil formulations for soil enrichment and learned about the preparation of Panchgavaya, Jeevamrit, Beejamrit, Fermented Butter Milk and other Neem based products through live demonstration. Women were given important insights on marketing and packaging of the products to gain the market reach.
Benefits of Organic Farming
Organic farming, unlike conventional farming, increases the fertility of the land, improves the overall yield and increases profitability for farmers,
Not only is it inexpensive as compared with conventional farming but is also an approach to manage resources to create a sustainable environment for the future generations,
It ensures the productivity and sustainability of agriculture, and also ensures the use of organic wastes like crop, animal and farm wastes and other natural components by converting into fertilizers and manures to make the farming more environment-friendly,
Reduced cost of production as it promotes use of organic fertilizer, which can easily be made at home by materials that are already available and are cheaper, It promotes sustainable agriculture/farming, as it ensures the efficient and optimum utilisation of resources, so as to conserve the environment for the future generation.
Outcome
After the training, it is expected that the beneficiaries will be able to produce organic manures and pesticides like Compost, Farm Yard Manures (FYM), Vermi-Compost, Panchgavaya, Jeevamrit, Beejamrit, Fermented Butter Milk, Neem products and become entrepreneurs by selling these products. They will also provide handholding support to the farmers who will take up the organic farming in their fields. In future they will also themselves undertake practices of organic farming and will start producing organic crops and value-added organic products which has a great market. So, they can sell the organic produce in the market with proper packaging, certification and promotion. All these products starting from organic manures, organic pesticides/ insecticides, organic crops including vegetables, fruits and crops and their value-added products will be available at the Girl Power e-commerce platform. This will definitely help women not only in increasing their income but also work for
sustainable agriculture and environment protection.