A story of change brought about by collective action that happened in the lives of few hundreds of women of Osmanabad
Vaishali Munde from MalkaranVaishali Munde from Malkaranja village in Osmanabad was depending on the small income source from selling milk to run her family. Her husband, a truck driver, is out of the village mostly traveling on work. She has two acres of agricultural land and a buffalo. Her life changed in 2021 after SSP introduced Vaishali to *Lakshmi Dairy, which caters milk to 85 villages in the area by sourcing milk from women farmers. With the support of SSP leaders Shubhangi Lomte and Sunita Munde, she was given training in storage and supply of milk to the Dairy. To increase the milk production, she purchased 4 more buffaloes through a loan from ICICI Bank. Her transformation from farmer to entrepreneur was quick. She was provided training about SSP’s one-acre model of climate resilient farming, preparation of bio pesticides and fertilizers using vermicompost beds and Azolla. Vaishali started organic cultivation on her farm land and realized the benefits of growing crops and vegetables without chemicals using vermicompost. Motivated by the health benefits of organic produce, she cultivated all the Rabi crops without using chemical fertilizers. She harvested sorghum, green gram, wheat, mustard, onion and vegetables.
Her success in farming spread among the villagers and five more women approached SSP to learn about vermicompost beds. Slowly her milk business also got good benefits, her family helped her in the field and earns around 7000 per month. To diversify the business opportunities, Vaishali plans to cultivate fodder for animals on her land and buy more buffaloes. Enthused by the transformation, she is eager to spread the message of organic farming. “I want to make my whole village organic. And I can say that now women respect and understand the importance of chemical free food crops and protection of the environment,” says Vaishali. *Women led Dairy units (Lakshmi Milk Collection Center) provides quality milk and milk based products to 110 villages in Maharashtra. Promethean Power Systems are our Technology Partner and Market Access Provider in this initiative. SSP have set up 110+ village-level Milk Collection Centers in Osmanabad and Latur districts of Maharashtra, intending to increase the income of the farmers, by measuring the quality and ensuring the farmers get right prices for the milk they sell.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
21st June, 2022