case-study-gardening

Background: Hundreds of women in a small rural village in India dealt with the same struggle of trying to make ends meet with minimal employment options. The majority relied on agriculture, but their lack of direct income-generating activities and limited market access meant they were economically reliant on their husbands. In response, a group of women took the initiative to establish gardens which led them to sell products and use money as their only source of income. The Initiative: It started from home based yard of local womens self help group (SHG) where they were anyhow not using the land. Supported by a local NGO their training on organic farming and growing variety of vegetables in kitchen gardens followed sustainable agriculture (composting, water saving) practices. Women began with very modest kitchen gardens where they grew produce as tomatoes, cumbers, spinach and peppers. Turning Point: Originally, the gardens were seen as a way to put healthy foods on their tables and to save money at home. But, when the plants grew rapidly they thought of making the project at scale. A few women also started selling vegetables in nearby markets hence earning a little stable income. Before long, the women’s group decided to come together and contribute jointly. Then, with the help of the NGO, they pooled their produce and started collectively marketing it. It allowed them to have a better price and target both local areas as well as reach other towns in the region. Outcomes: Key Lessons: Conclusion: What was first a project for the kitchen garden of our home had become an active community business. The changes are not only affecting the lives of single women for good but their families and communities as well. The success that has come out from their venture demonstrates the ability of gardening to serve as a source of livelihood for women living in rural areas and shows how some small steps can go ahead long way towards enabling them economically, with willpower, cooperation and the right resources.

Background Kavitha, 35 years old woman from a remote village in South India, with less formal education was a full-time housewife managing her family. Her husband was not earning enough and there was no way they could move into the city or leave their house, and they had two tiny mouths to feed so she started looking for part time work. Challenges In fact, the isolation of the village made sale to urban markets very difficult. Low technical knowledge: The failure of Kavitha stems from here, as she did not know the advanced gardening techniques, lacked to grow high value corops for which farmers are even willing to shift scales in procurement and did not have much experience. Aditi was a woman, restricting her control over actions and movements (in a largely patriarchal rural setup to begin with) as well had hardly any money of her own. Intervention Kavitha participated in one of the self-help group (SHG) meetings for women, where an NGO was attending with a plan to work under agriculture department promoting organic kitchen gardening. The NGO’s program provided: Implementation Kavitha did this by starting with a small patch of land near her own house, making compost from kitchen waste and adopting regular organic farming practices. In the beginning, she cultivated simple vegetables like palak, tamata and hara mirch (apart from rice and wheat) to fulfil their household requirements. Growth and Scaling After experiencing this success, Kavitha extended her gardening land. Soon, she diversified and began trying her hand at high-value crops like herbs with medicinal values, micro greens as well as exotic vegetables like lettuce and bell peppers which commanded a higher price. To sell her produce, she: Outcomes Challenges and Solutions Conclusion Kavitha gardening story is the inspiration of women in rural areas to get small scale gardening to be more of self independent. Her story will remind us that when given little resources but with the right assistance, rural women can perform in sustainable agriculture not just from a household income perspective, but to also in contributing to the local food system.