{"id":3350,"date":"2021-02-10T10:25:04","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T09:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ldc.com\/pk\/stories-insights\/supporting-women-farmers-in-rajasthan\/"},"modified":"2021-02-25T16:02:17","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T15:02:17","slug":"supporting-women-farmers-in-rajasthan","status":"publish","type":"stories-insight","link":"https:\/\/www.ldc.com\/pk\/en\/stories-insights\/supporting-women-farmers-in-rajasthan\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting Women Farmers in Rajasthan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Helping the smallholder farmers of Tonk district, India, to help each other<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The district of Tonk lies in the semi-arid eastern plains of Rajasthan in India, a farming region with low productivity, limited rainfall and a high incidence of poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main crops grown in the area belong to two seasonal categories. Kharif crops, sown at the beginning of the rainy season, include pearl millet, sorghum, black gram (a variety of bean), sesame and groundnuts. Rabi crops, sown at the start of the winter season, include mustard, wheat and gram (chickpeas). Farmers with access to irrigation also cultivate vegetables during both seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of Tonk\u2019s farmers are women, who are struggling to provide food security for their families due to poor crop yields. The average size of their farms is less than one hectare, and these tiny holdings face huge challenges. Annual rainfall across the region is only 500-650mm, and less than 30% of the area is irrigated. A high proportion of the soil is poor quality and low in nutrients. Disease and pests cause widespread crop losses, and farmers lack access to education about sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, working with the Louis Dreyfus Foundation<\/em><\/a> and the Centre for Microfinance<\/em><\/a>, an agency supported by the Tata Trust<\/em><\/a>, LDC embarked on a two-year program to enhance the food security and cash incomes of women smallholder farmers in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRural women in India – and across the globe – are the backbone of agriculture and the guardians of household food security in their communities,\u201d says Vipin Gupta, LDC\u2019s CEO for India. \u201c<\/strong>They are vital contributors to sustainable and robust supply chains as smallholder farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The project aims to train women farmers from 50-60 villages across the region in improved agriculture practices (IAPs) that can contribute to higher productivity and incomes. Training covers best practices in field preparation, selection of appropriate varieties of crops, seed germination test and treatment, use and dosage of chemical products, preparation of natural fertilizers and nursery management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training curriculum is delivered by professional agricultural technicians, and the farmers themselves also actively disseminate their new-found knowledge, sharing best practices in crop and vegetable cultivation with their neighbors, and thus helping to upskill women farmers across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n \n

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\u201cPreviously I was using urea fertilizers, which affected the quality of the soil,\u201d says Ratni Devi, a project beneficiary. \u201cNow I know how to make organic manure, which is better for the soil and saves a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/em>Since it began in 2020, the project has empowered over 2,350 local smallholder women farmers <\/a>to improve their livelihoods and increase their incomes. Local farming communities have so far seen a 10% increase in incomes, which represents 30% of the overall project target and positive progress despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA pond was built on our field as part of the project. Before we depended on the rainy season to grow pearl millet or other crops. Now we can pull water from the pond to irrigate our land and cultivate mustard and chickpeas throughout the year,\u201d say project beneficiaries Lali and Savitri Devi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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