Empower with Turmeric?

Monday, September 5, 2016

The power of women’s self-reliant groups (SRGs) to transform life in our villages is starting to unfold in Amrita SeRVe communities across the country.

In Byse, Karnataka, for example, Amrita SeRVe has organised the women of the village into four SRGs.

Here the main crops include paddy during the monsoon season and areca nut, which is grown perennially, through conventional methods involving heavy chemical use.

To introduce organic farming, we convinced members of one SRG to sow organic turmeric in their fields. Four members agreed to experiment and were helped by our coordinator, Chaitra.

Apart from this, we are consistently trying to motivate people to grow organic vegetables in their kitchen gardens for their own use. SRG members have planted cucumbers, beans and okra.

The farmers’ input on methods of organic farming has been positive. They say it is a step forward in the right direction. This is also an important component of sustainable development in India, the country with the world’s largest rural population.