Kachnariya is a small village that comes under the district of Agar Malwa. Like the other rural sectors , people in Kachnariya are also predominantly dependent on agriculture.
Rekha associated herself with Solidaridad when she and her fellow women farmers were overwhelmed by agriculture-related challenges. Under the programme Good Farming – Good Food, Rekha and her friends learned and applied sustainable cultivation methods for productive and profitable crops like soy.
The holistic nature of training under the programme proved to be a boon for Rekha. To improve the productivity of her crops, Rekha started investing in compost for her fields. In agriculture, the soil is the mother who gives, and to her, we must give back. By strictly following the guidelines provided in the training sessions for biodegradable compost and the practical demonstrations of preparing the same, Rekha began to make the compost of her own and reduced the synthetic inputs like fertilisers. Fruit scraps, left and rotten vegetables, cow dung, stubs from the harvest, and other biodegradable components were used to make the compost organically effective. Also, as per the suggestions by experts from Solidaridad and partnering public educational bodies in the agriculture sector, she used waste decomposer efficiently to speed up the breakdown of organic material into a final product.
The ready compost was then used on her farm, and the results were equally gratifying. There was a substantial increase in the final yield. By improving her land inputs, Rekha was able to expand her operations. She grew other crops like Wheat, Gram, Onion and Vegetables along with Soybean as an intercropping measure.
Rekha has used the same compost to grow quality vegetables for her family in her kitchen garden. Under the training for Kitchen Gardening in Good Farming – Good Food, the farmers are collectively shown the correct way of utilising small space behind their houses to grow nutritious vegetables. These vegetable gardens can provide a yearlong supply of chemical-free and organically grown fresh vegetables for the family. The overall idea behind Nutrition Gardens is to uplift the nutritional status of the farming community, which would reduce the cases of anaemia in women and children.
Most of the farming communities are unaware of the dietary benefits associated with their farm produce especially Soy. For them, what grew in the farms is meant to be sold and not consumed. Many of them have thought of soybean as a crop that is only grown for extracting oil; unaware of its dietary values and various ways of its consumption. After consistent endeavours under the nutrition aspect of the programme, Rekha and her friends are also following the recommended nutritious diets derived out of vegetables and soybeans. A similar trend can also be seen slowly adopted in their small village community.
Rekha is undoubtedly a leader in farming. Through the efforts and direction of MPSRLM, Rekha also started a Self-Help Group along with the women farmers from her community. MPSRLM is an industrious government body industriously working to provide livelihood opportunities to the rural areas. It is also an active public partner of Good Farming – Good Food. Through her newly formed SCG, the community secured funds to develop critical agricultural inputs like wells, further strengthening the agricultural foundations of her community.
Rekha is a role model, not just for her community but also for other struggling farmers of her farming community. The support from the Good Farming – Good Food programme is meant to transform women and farmers' lives, like in the case of Rekha.
Rekha associated herself with Solidaridad when she and her fellow women farmers were overwhelmed by agriculture-related challenges. Under the programme Good Farming – Good Food, Rekha and her friends learned and applied sustainable cultivation methods for productive and profitable crops like soy.
The holistic nature of training under the programme proved to be a boon for Rekha. To improve the productivity of her crops, Rekha started investing in compost for her fields. In agriculture, the soil is the mother who gives, and to her, we must give back. By strictly following the guidelines provided in the training sessions for biodegradable compost and the practical demonstrations of preparing the same, Rekha began to make the compost of her own and reduced the synthetic inputs like fertilisers. Fruit scraps, left and rotten vegetables, cow dung, stubs from the harvest, and other biodegradable components were used to make the compost organically effective. Also, as per the suggestions by experts from Solidaridad and partnering public educational bodies in the agriculture sector, she used waste decomposer efficiently to speed up the breakdown of organic material into a final product.
The ready compost was then used on her farm, and the results were equally gratifying. There was a substantial increase in the final yield. By improving her land inputs, Rekha was able to expand her operations. She grew other crops like Wheat, Gram, Onion and Vegetables along with Soybean as an intercropping measure.
Rekha has used the same compost to grow quality vegetables for her family in her kitchen garden. Under the training for Kitchen Gardening in Good Farming – Good Food, the farmers are collectively shown the correct way of utilising small space behind their houses to grow nutritious vegetables. These vegetable gardens can provide a yearlong supply of chemical-free and organically grown fresh vegetables for the family. The overall idea behind Nutrition Gardens is to uplift the nutritional status of the farming community, which would reduce the cases of anaemia in women and children.
Most of the farming communities are unaware of the dietary benefits associated with their farm produce especially Soy. For them, what grew in the farms is meant to be sold and not consumed. Many of them have thought of soybean as a crop that is only grown for extracting oil; unaware of its dietary values and various ways of its consumption. After consistent endeavours under the nutrition aspect of the programme, Rekha and her friends are also following the recommended nutritious diets derived out of vegetables and soybeans. A similar trend can also be seen slowly adopted in their small village community.
Rekha is undoubtedly a leader in farming. Through the efforts and direction of MPSRLM, Rekha also started a Self-Help Group along with the women farmers from her community. MPSRLM is an industrious government body industriously working to provide livelihood opportunities to the rural areas. It is also an active public partner of Good Farming – Good Food. Through her newly formed SCG, the community secured funds to develop critical agricultural inputs like wells, further strengthening the agricultural foundations of her community.
Rekha is a role model, not just for her community but also for other struggling farmers of her farming community. The support from the Good Farming – Good Food programme is meant to transform women and farmers' lives, like in the case of Rekha.