This Pune non-profit led by women bagged an award at COP27 for climate adaptation

Pune-based non-profit Swayam Shikshan Prayog was recognised for its efforts in helping women farmers in the Marathwada region adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices for over two decades at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27).

The non-profit bagged the Local Adaptation Champions Award in the capacity and knowledge category at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

The award was organised by The Global Center on Adaptation, an international organisation that provides awareness and resources on adaptive climate solutions through public and private sector collaborations.

Also read: Here is why the world needs regenerative agriculture

Swayam Shikshan Prayog helps shift the focus of women farmers from cash crops such as cotton and sugarcane, which require massive amounts of water in poor monsoon seasons, to more sustainable agricultural practices. 

The non-profit educates women about water-resilient practices that are devoid of chemical fertilisers and pesticides to increase agricultural productivity in Osmanabad, Latur, Nanded and Beed districts in Maharashtra that are drought-prone areas known for farmer suicides.

On the ground, Krishi Samvad Sahayaks (KSS), as they call themselves, disseminate information about cultivating food crops such as millets, cereals, pulses and vegetables in mixed cropping patterns.

The organisation partners with the government and agro-tech companies, but the KSS women are the educators on the ground. In 2015, they collaborated with the Government of Maharashtra to scale up Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Paryojana (MKSP) to 21,000 farmers.

MKSP, a sub-component of the National Livelihood Rural Mission, seeks to improve women’s present status in agriculture.

The non-profit encourages women farmers from marginalised communities to diversify and increase crop cycles on small land holdings — six-eight crops per season.

Also read: CSE’s organic experiment: Challenge starts with procuring right seeds

In this women-led resilient farming model, women make all the decisions on the choice of crops to cultivate and sell, thus having more control over income and saving. The model also encourages women to get title rights from their families on a small piece of land to implement their learnings. The NGO calls this the one-acre model.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog targets women farmers as they believe that men are inclined towards increasing earnings for their families. However, women are more concerned with food security, health and their family’s nutrition, therefore being more receptive to the message.

The organisation receives funding from Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives and Sir Ratan Tata Trust, among other philanthropic organisations. They claim to have helped 41,000 women acquire 30,000 acres of land and increase 25 per cent of their average yield in food crops.

What the women said

During a recent virtual interaction, the NGO invited some grassroots women leaders from Marathwada whose work contributed to their recognition.

One such person is Sanjeevni, a grassroots farmer from Kalamb town of Osmanabad district, Maharashtra. She said she faced financial hardship for several years as she cultivated only two cash crops a year without much productivity and profit. She used ample amounts of chemical fertilisers to no avail.

She switched to organic farming after she was educated about the negative consequences of fertilisers on health.

“I realised that my input costs were reduced when I started making my own dashparni ark and urvara kits (natural pest controllers).” This increased her crop produce, she added.

“When I first started vegetable farming, I only cultivated Kharif crops because of lack of water. After I was educated on sustainable water usage, I now grow both Kharif and Rabi crops simultaneously,” she said.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog promotes water-efficient irrigation models by creating awareness of water conservation for farms, households and communities and increasing access to water-efficient irrigation techniques through government subsidies.

Also read: CSE’s organic experiment: Why we should make organic inputs accessible to farmers

It also helps farmers access water stewardship projects in convergence with government programmes.

Sanjeevni earned a profit of Rs 30,000 on less than one acre of land, growing 32 types of food grains, oil seeds, and pulses. She is also the owner of the land. Now, Sanjeevni engages in entrepreneurship activities by selling food and dairy products with her extra produce.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog also promotes the formation of agro-allied enterprises in dairy, poultry, vermicomposts and local seeds. It helps women farmers to sell their farm produce through these agro enterprises.

Another women farmer who spoke at the virtual meeting was Deepali Mahadev Suryavanshi. In 2014, she was on the brink of suicide since her husband passed away.

She was left to be the sole caregiver of a six-month-old infant. With the help of her father, she purchased a cow and made a living by selling milk. “However, now with the help of the cow dung, I prepare vermicompost and use it as a fertiliser for organic farming,” she said.

Suryavanshi also managed to acquire a small portion of land. “I use one out of two acres of land that my father owns to cultivate vegetables, which has increased my earnings to nearly Rs 20,000,” she added.

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