Whether you’re raising cattle for meat or growing vegetables and flowers, farming can be a rewarding endeavor. But like any business, it takes a lot of work, capital and expertise to get started.

If you’re interested in learning more about farming, there are a variety of educational options available. These include formal education, community supported agriculture and working with a seasoned farmer as an apprentice or farmhand.

Khambampati Rama Devi mixes cow dung, cow urine, soil, and jaggery, creating a mixture called jeevamrutam. She then sprays the brown concoction on her cotton crop.

Rama Devi is a farmer in Chevuturu village in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in southeast India, who initially faced resistance from her family when she started what’s known as “natural farming” — a traditional method of that doesn’t use any chemicals or pesticides — on a half-acre of land. After the transition from conventional farming, there is usually an increased crop yield and more healthy plants. Natural farming is also significantly cheaper: Rama Devi has saved Rs.7,000 (US$85) in expenses and earned a profit of Rs.14,000 (US$169) per acre, per season.

“I make use of everything and nothing goes to waste,” said Rama Devi. “I even sell the grass that I grow on the edge of my fields as fodder for cattle.”

Moving toward sustainable agriculture in India is particularly important — the country is the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, according to data from the platform Climate Watch. Twenty percent of its overall emissions off-gas from agriculture and livestock.

Women are at the forefront of this evolution, encouraging other women to take up natural farming in whatever kind of space they have, even if it’s small. Ninety-two percent of natural farmers in India are women. And when it comes to the transition to a healthy, pollution free life, women are change-makers. Leaving behind conventional farming helps improve soil health and reduces emissions by using indigenous seeds and botanical extracts for pesticides, and disturbing the soil as little as possible, among other things.

The government of Andhra Pradesh formed a nonprofit in 2014 called Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) to promote sustainable efforts. For instance, RySS introduced the region to an agricultural method called pre-monsoon dry sowing, a novel approach that enables farmers to grow crops even in dry seasons. The process improves soil health, readying it for the primary crop, said Vijaya Kumari, a district project manager for RySS. The organization’s goal is to help transition 6 million farmers to natural farming by 2031.

RySS helps farmers maintain control of their agriculture practice, independent of corporate interference. Still, most women farmers don’t have land rights; the land belongs to the men in the family, with patriarchy and bias playing a major role in ownership. Eighty five percent of women in India work in agriculture, yet only 14 percent own the rights to their land. Because of this inequality, women lose out on benefits offered by the government. But the scales are balancing.

“The good part is that the RySS initiative explicitly recognizes and supports a woman’s critical role in farming,” said Kavitha Kuruganti, a social activist with the volunteer group Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture.

Challenges of natural farming include a long transition period of three to four years to harvest a good yield, and difficulty finding markets that will sell the non-industrialized, highly priced produce.

Lakshmi T., another farmer in Chevuturu, cultivates cotton on an acre of leased land. She prepares beejamrutam and jeevamrutam, both natural insecticides, to tackle pests. A trainer with RySS, K. Nageswaramma, said she assists farmers in identifying friendly insects that help crops and hostile ones that destroy crops.

Lakshmi said that her neighbors asked her about her preparation of the insecticides. It makes her proud to be an inspiration to others. “Natural farming boosted my confidence,” she said, smiling.

Another farmer, Shainabee S.K., doesn’t have the support of her husband, who is an alcoholic. Shainabee singlehandedly manages the home and an acre of land. She educates her daughters about practicing natural farming in her backyard. Every year, Shainabee’s land yields 35 bags of rice yearly. After keeping enough for her household, she sells the rest, bettering both her family’s circumstances, as well as the planet’s.

This report was written and produced as part of a media skills development program by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The content is the sole responsibility of the author and publisher.

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Source: womensmediacenter.com