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Women of Azamgarh
district in UP have improved their financial status by growing tulsi
for Organic India, an MNC. In return, the firm has given them
medical facilities and provided education to their children, reports
Tarannum
THIS story dates back to 1998, when some women of the impoverished district of Azamgarh in UP decided to change the way farming was done in their villages, and in the process build better lives for themselves and their families. Most of these women were wives of migrant labourers, who had left their land and families behind in search of more sustainable employment elsewhere. Understandably, they were initially apprehensive about the risks they were about to take. It meant that they had to move out of their homes and become farmers themselves. It also meant that they had to learn how to use lesser-known organic farming methods instead of the traditional way of cultivation more familiar in these parts, and to do it in a way that conformed to the ethical farming principles proposed by the corporate body that had approached them. Incidentally, the company had also pledged to provide them access to better health facilities as well as buy their produce. Today, the gamble these women took for the sake of their families has paid off handsomely. After more than a decade, they have not only managed to become successful farmers, by profitably growing organic tulsi for Organic India — a Lucknow-based multinational company — but have also secured the promised medical facilities, and even managed to send their children to school. Organic India chose Azamgarh because it found the soil here was perfect for tulsi cultivation, and also because the district was behind on all development indicators. Vimla Maurya (40) of Bijoura village in Azamgarh switched to organic tulsi farming for Organic India — a company that prepares blends for organic teas and health supplements — some 10 years ago. The mother-of-three recalls how she and some other women who had decided to take up Organic India’s offer were sceptical at first. "We had heard stories of how big companies talk farmers into cultivating for them and then run away without buying the produce. But our experience, fortunately, was different. We had a lot to prove, not just to ourselves but even to the entire village," she says. In a district with an unsavoury reputation because of its association with criminal elements, Beenu Vishwakarma (35) of Kamhenpur village, who has four children to look after, clearly remembers her inhibitions: "Tulsi grows in our homes, and we worship it. But cultivating it on a large scale was an entirely new concept. Also, when the company said they wanted us to grow tulsi according to their guidelines, we thought it was strange, as we never thought that there was any special technique required to grow tulsi." Yet, despite the hesitation expressed by many women, the company managed to convince them about the benefits of growing tulsi. Women farmers from 12 villages agreed to enter into a farming contract with it but only on one condition: Organic India would have to give them assured returns, and also invest in the development of their villages. "We were taking a risk and we wanted an assurance for it," recalls Vishwakarma. Today, 300 women in various villages in the district grow tulsi on 2,000 acres of land. The medicinal plant is cultivated around July-August and harvested in November. They get a yield of around 2,000 tonnes per harvest, which is entirely bought by the company at a rate of over Rs 100 per kg. The last 10 years have changed the way these villages look. Every one of those associated with tulsi cultivation has a clinic where allopathic and ayurveda doctors treat villagers for free. Patients also get complimentary medicines and herbal supplements. Proper sanitation facilities have been made available to them, with their sponsor lending support for the construction of toilets in homes; and they also have access to banking facilities, with the payment for their produce being deposited directly into their bank accounts. Not surprisingly, the social indicators for the region have shown a remarkable rise. For instance, in Bijoura and Kamhenpur, the average school dropout was 63 per cent in 1999; today it is around 29 per cent. In fact, both Maurya’s and Vishwakarma’s children now regularly go to school. While people in the neighbouring villages have to wait a week before they get to meet a doctor, in these villages the doctor drops in twice a day. Even migration has slowed down, and those husbands who work outside the district often come back to their farms during the harvest to help out. Maurya says their produce has increased, too. The state Agriculture Department recently conducted a soil test and found that without fertilisers the land had become more fertile. "We had never thought of opening bank accounts and saving money," comments Vishwakarma, happily. Maurya adds: "We get timely payments, and through our accounts, we have been able to save money, too." And, of course, all this improvement in the quality of their lives has come along with an assured return for a crop that does not require much training or labour. Even the husbands of these industrious women are extremely proud and supportive. Munnu Maurya, Vimla’s husband, says: "I may have only a small piece of land, but at least I am growing something on it with the blessings of Mother Earth and the hard work of my wife." Today, Krishan Gupta, the global CEO of Organic India, is a satisfied man. He is pleased with the way the project has changed the lives of these women farmers. Now Organic India is also lending support to these women to cultivate wheat, pulses, peas, vegetables and even chicory. As he puts it: "We call such practices ethical farming instead of contract farming. The farmers agreed to our terms and, in return, we want to ensure that they lead happy and healthy lives." — WFS
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