Meera Tonchire, from Pimpalgaon Yewla in the Loha Block of Nanded District, Maharashtra, belongs to a large joint family of 10 persons. Her family owns 2 acres of land, on which they primarily cultivate cotton and Soybean. Being fully dependent on the market for their household food products, the family’s consumption of vegetables was limited due to the heavy costs incurred in purchasing them. In 2021, Meera tai was approached by the local village Arogya Sakhi who urged her to attend a training on health and nutrition that would benefit her and her family. Through this training hands on support for seed sowing and developing kitchen garden, Meera tai learnt about the importance of a healthy and balanced diet, food groups (importance of iron and calcium), and SSP’s women-led one-acre farming model using organic methods.
Inspired by this training, Meera tai started cultivating various vegetables in her farm as she does not have much place to grow vegetables surrounding her house, thus she and her family used to grow vegetables in the farm. In 2022 when they constructed a new house, they got about 30 foot space beside their house to set up a kitchen garden in her backyard. Through SSP’s support, she was able to access seed kits which guided her in planting vegetables for the first time. She used organic methods of cultivation, as she has cattle in her house to get green manure. They use it for their soybean crop as well as for their kitchen garden. By 2022, Meera tai was cultivating vegetables like methi, shepu, brinjal, tomato, chilli, bottle gourd, pumpkin etc. In addition to reducing household expenses on food, there was a marked improvement in the health of family members. Today, she also sells the extra vegetables in the market, earning an annual income of around INR 5,000.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog is implementing a ‘Health and Nutrition’ program in Nanded District, Maharashtra, with the support of the Kamal Udwadia Foundation. This program aims for holistic development of women focusing on health and livelihoods. Arogya Sakhi’s, locally trained promoters of health and nutrition, are the catalysts that work to bring about social and behavioural change amongst the community, particularly women, children and adolescent girls.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
April 05, 2023