Natural farming: Women in Kinnaur see new hope
SHIMLA: A group of 20-odd women farmers at village Chagaon, 175 km from Shimla in the tribal district of Kinnaur are part of a new change that Himachal Pradesh is witnessing.
They are growing apples, Rajmash, garlic, maize, and traditional crops—all free from the use of chemicals and results are immensely encouraging.
This is how the Himachal Pradesh government's initiative on zero-budget farming, also known as Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) is making a difference on the ground with women also in the centre of the innovations.
Meet Prem Pyari, a young woman farmer, who believes that change over to the non-chemical based farming is not just symbolism but many families are now encouraged to change the way that had been cultivating the land.
Charna Devi, 49, another woman farmer describes it as a turning point in her life. She is the one who travelled to Kurukshetra along with a group of farmers from the state taken there for the exposure trip to natural farming.
"This visit changed my outlook towards agriculture," she says. Another group of 20 women farmers at village Khaushshah in Jhakri area are no less turning pioneers in natural farming.
Harshita Rana Bhandari, 28, President of the local group says, "The apple orchards were not giving good results due to overuse of chemicals and the expenditure was increasing. Now, underwent training for natural farming under PK3Y, the effort worked wonders."
Harshita is now leading the natural farming initiative by propagating it among other women in the village.
The women farmers group is doing natural farming individually on land measuring around 12.5 bighas and the SPNF technique has helped them take multiple crops alongside apples, like pulses and vegetables, which not only supplement their family income but the farm health also.
Over 1.5 lakh farmers in Himachal Pradesh have so far been trained in SPNF technique. The number of women participants in all the training sessions was reasonable and the results in the field are encouraging.
