How This Woman Single-handedly Proved Organic Farming Profitable For the Community and Her Family
Manjula Sandesh Padvi looks like an ordinary farmer, but her knowledge related to organic farming and her life struggle is way beyond that. Living in a small village Wagsepa, district Nandurbar of Maharashtra, she not only cultivate land organically but also fulfils her family needs and educate her daughter from the farm income.
Manjula’s husband left her 10 years back at that time, she had two options to do with her life, first one was to feel bad for her circumstances, gain sympathy and look for another person’s support; the second choice was to stand up on her own and become her own support. She chose the second option and today she is an independent organic farmer.
There was also a time in her life when her health was not responding well to her body needs. At that time, she was going through a heart-treatment, in which her heart valve was replaced, but she never lost her hope. After recovering from the surgery, she took a loan from the saving group and planted a motor pump in her field. To make the soil more fertile, she chose bio-fertilizer in place of chemical fertilizer and pesticides.
The money that she got from various government policies was a good amount for her and she spent it wisely by purchasing a pair of bulls. And now she uses the bulls to cultivate her land by hoeing it. She grew maize and sorghum and got good yield as well.
Manjula Says- “Yield of crops grown in the fields nearby is less than mine. Last year we grew maize but our yield was much better than them because I am using biofertilizers and others using chemical fertilizers. This year also I am growing maize and sorghum”
Public Service System located in Namburdar district has been a great help to Manjula in her farming venture. They have created 15 saving groups in her area, and through these groups, they collect money and provide loans to the farmers in need. They especially encourage non-chemical and organic farming. One more group of which Manjula is taking advantage is Indigenous Seed Banks, she takes seeds through these groups and practices diversified farming of vegetables, fruits, and cereals. Manjula’s daughter Manika is proud of her mother and she always supports her.
Today, women play a major role in the farming field, from sowing seeds to conservation and storage of crops. But when farming gets mechanized then women generally fall out of this category. But, Majula Sandesh Padvi never made herself handicapped and turn her weakness into strength. Single-handedly she took care of her farm, her daughter and her house needs. Today she has made her daughter well-educated and capable enough to earn and live a good life. Presently her daughter- Manika is working as a nurse in Jalgaon.
Women like Manjula Sandesh Padvi act as the powerhouse for rural India, women like her motivate other women to be strong and chose sustainable farming for better future. Today, we need more Manjula Sandesh Padvi, if we want our future generation to live healthy and without any scarcity.
Sustainable farming is the need of the hour because chemicals are decreasing the fertility of the land and making the underground life polluted, moreover chemical use also increases the cost of farming, which increases the debt and forces farmers to commit suicide.
