A role model from Kurichya tribal community in Wayanad
Yashodha Raman is a grassroot woman farmer and leader, belonging to the Kurichya tribal community from Maravayal in Wayanad District of Kerala. After the devastating floods of 2018, Yashodha and her husband both lost their jobs, as their livelihoods were dependent on agriculture. As agriculture became an unviable livelihood option, members of Yashodha’s community have migrated from traditional methods of agriculture to daily-wage labour in nearby plantations over the years.
When Swayam Shikshan Prayog – SSP began to work in these flood-affected areas, they began to provide grassroots women training on the women-led climate resilient farming (WCRF) model, income generation activities and entrepreneurship. Inspired by SSP’s work, Yashodha took the lead in forming the Sakhi Farmers group, made up of 10 women, in her village. In 2020, Yashodha’s group identified a small barren plot of land belonging to one of their group members and decided to cultivate it collectively. Using sustainable methods of organic farming, they cultivated vegetables like brinjal, lady’s finger, tomatoes, cabbage, and green chilli. The harvested produce was divided amongst the group members for household consumption.
Over the years Yashodha has emerged as a leader in her village, advocating for the rights of women farmers. She engages with local government officials and other community leaders. She regularly attends dialogues organised by SSP and has successfully negotiated access to inputs like seeds for her women’s farmers group. When Maravayal was beset by a pest attack, Yashodha successfully negotiated with the local Agriculture Department to provide farmers with technical training on the production of bio-pesticides and bio-insecticides to protect their crops. Today, under the guidance and mentorship of Yashodha, 10 farmers in her village have cultivated vegetable gardens to promote their family’s health and nutrition.
Over the years, Yashodha and her group have gained the respect of their community and got recognition from ward members. The representatives of the village Gram Panchayat even mentioned the success story of Yashodha and her group members in their speech, hailing them as role models in the village.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
April 17, 2024