Roy T. Bennett once said, "Dedicate yourself to what gives your life true meaning and purpose; make a positive difference in someone's life," says a group of 20 women from Bhima Ka Kheda in Banswara's Ghatol Tehsil. These women have not only changed their own lives but have also influenced the lives of other women in their village.
Most of these women have been farming for a long time, but they were unaware of the nuances of farming that would improve resources and livelihood at the same time. It was only after connecting with a programme called SIFS (Sustainable Integrated Farming System) implemented by Vaagdhara with the support of KKS Germany that they began practicing integrated farming, which helped increase their income and improve their livelihood.
"I was so ignorant earlier that when someone approached me and asked me about farming and livelihood, I would keep mum," Paru Devi, one of the women farmers of 'Saksham Samuh,' proudly says. "But now, after sufficient training and capacity building through the SIFS programme, I have managed to learn a lot of things, which has boosted my confidence."
“Since 2009, I've been involved with this programme, where a group of 20 women meets once a month to discuss and share new techniques and resources." She goes on to say that the SIFS programme provides timely training and capacity building, which helps to improve food security and income.
Devi shared that after learning about animal husbandry, she decided to get Sirohi breed goats, and she now has five of them, and she gets 10 litres of milk daily, which is enough to meet her family's needs, and her reliance on the market has been reduced.
She also mentioned that she is the proud owner of a nutrition garden, which she created using 10-12 varieties of seeds donated by the Banswara-based Vaagdhara civil society. After nurturing and caring for the soil and seeds, she has grown vegetables of her choice, as well as at least five varieties of fruits such as papaya, mulberry, mango, guava, and lemon, reducing her reliance on market, making her family self-reliant.
So, Devi's story is the best example of how SIFS (Sustainable Integrated Farming System) techniques have begun to assist families in meeting their nutritional needs while reducing their reliance on the market.
