Mangi Lal,the Agriculture Extension Officer at Eturunagaram in Andhra Pradesh's Warangal district, is a happy man. He no longer has to go off to far-flung areas on educational field trips for the farmers in his area. He just brings them down to Nagastram, a six-acre garden in the picturesque tribal block, as part of their exposure visit to demonstrate best practices.

This is a huge pat on the back for the women who have been responsible for transforming the land. The Nagastram garden has been cultivated by 11 women — all widows aged between 30 and 60 and belonging to the Scheduled Tribes — on a commercial plot. They come under the purview of the Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA), working under the Tribal Welfare Department of the state government. Peddi Mallamma, Tammeda Sammakka, Idena Saramma, Peddi Sarada, Peddi Lakshmi, Mukkera Saramma, Ketha Lakshmi, Basa Rajyalakshmi, Ketha Ramakka, Basa Sarojana, and Aila Boyina Lakshmi got together and formed a self-help group (SGH) and transformed land that was used as a dumping yard.

The SHG put forth a proposal to the ITDA to take up the land for horticulture and floriculture and agreed to pay an annual lease. The women belonged to the same gram panchayat and were fairly familiar with one another. That they were all widows was a coincidence.

Before starting out on this venture, the women used to work as farm hands. But despite all the hard agricultural labour they put in, they often found it difficult to make ends meet.

Today, with the help of a loan secured under the Community Investment Fund of the Indira Kranthi Patham poverty alleviation programme, they have managed to create a paradise for themselves. They had borrowed Rs 100,000 of which Rs 60,000 has already been paid back.  "Now, we are self-reliant. We were workers, now we are farmers. This is our own cultivation, our own yield. Our position has changed," says Rajyalakshmi, the leader of the SHG and a mother of two.

"We have our vermicompost manure pit, we spray the pesticides by ourselves and we sell the produce in the market, for a little less than the other farmers," says Mukkera. With all their hard work paying off now, the garden has blossomed into a full-fledged source of income. Each of the women now earns an average of Rs 5,000 per month.

Those members, whose children are now grown up, stay within the premises of the garden, in the small cottage at the entrance.

The women vouch by undying loyalty towards each other and unity. They have daily meetings where they plan what needs to be planted. They assign themselves duties and discuss money. 

For these Nagastram members, four years of toil has yielded sweet fruits. Buyers are eager to purchase their produce that is largely free of pesticides and chemical fertilisers and is competitively priced.

Women's Feature Service