Womens Group Set Up Centre To Hire Out Drudgery Reduction Tools
Patelguda, Adilabad, Telangana
Agriculture in the 20th century has forced a shift from excessive reliance on human power and animal power to mechanical power thus helping reduce physical stress on humans and animals. However, the recent push towards more sustainable and organic practices in agriculture have re-imposed a greater stress on human and animal involvement in the agricultural process. These eco-friendly processes, though economically viable and ecologically beneficial, are also physically more strenuous and involve a lot of drudgery. This factor is multiplied manifold especially for women for whom work at home involves a lot of drudgery and work in the field, besides being strenuous, is also filled with drudgery.
Chetna Organic, as promoter of Organic and Sustainable agriculture believes that simple, eco-friendly, and non-fossil fuel based mechanical power can boost productivity of crops apart from reducing drudgery. But sophisticated mechanical power driven tools and implements are still beyond the reach of small/marginal farmers and landless farm workers who constitute a majority of rural population. Small/marginal farmers and farm workers, because of their economic circumstances, are unable to own advanced farm implements on their own or through institutional credit. Therefore to bring farm machinery within the reach of small/marginal farmers, Chetna has been promoting collective ownership of productivity improving, drudgery reducing machinery like tractors, tillers, seed cleaners and graders, Broad Bed Furrow machines etc.
Going further down the chain, to reduce on- field drudgery for marginal farmers and farm workers, Chetna Organic with support from Felissimo corporation, Japan motivated a womens’ self help group to set up a Custom Hiring Centre under the Pace by Peace cotton program. The program started in August 2013, on an experimental basis in Patelguda, a Chetna supported 100% organic village of 48 households in Adilabad district of Telangana that has been practicing organic farming over the last 10 years.
Realising that farmers in the neighboring villages are often deterred from transitioning to organic farming due to the physical stress involved, Chetna motivated the all-women Sri Lakshmi Self help Group to set up a centre where farmers could hire drudgery reducing farm tools and implements at a nominal cost.
After extensive research and study on farmers’ requirements, Chetna provided them with small everyday tools and implements like light weight pick axes, crow bars and water trolleys that were specifically designed to reduce stress and drudgery while working.
The group has collectively framed the rules and regulations to run the centre. The facility has helped many women in easing their work related stress. In two years, the centre has successfully helped the 48 households in Patelguda village utilize different implements several times during the agricultural season.
The following are the list of implements the SHG are hiring out in the village.
S No |
Name of the Implement |
Total |
Hire Per Day |
01 |
Water Trolley |
05 |
5.00 |
02 |
Water Drums (100 lits) |
04 |
5.00 |
03 |
Crow Bar |
05 |
2.00 |
04 |
Hand Sprayers |
03 |
20.00 |
05 |
Plastic Baskets |
10 |
2.00 |
06 |
Sickles |
15 |
3.00 |
07 |
Pick axils |
15 |
2.00 |
08 |
Spade |
10 |
2.00 |
09 |
Small inter cultivators |
2 |
20.00 |
10 |
Big Inter Cultivators |
1 |
20.00 |
11 |
Weeders |
1 |
5.00 |
12 |
Axe |
5 |
5.00 |
The group has so far mobilized Rs. 1280 /- as amount charged for hiring out equipment. Apart from the above said implements, the group has been also provided with tools to undertake minor repairs for all these implements. Farmers have expressed their comfort and ease of use with the tools that are helping them save a lot of time and energy. The implements are helping farmers reduce their workloads and at the same time provide income to the groups to improve financially.
Expenditure particulars | Amount in INR | Income | Amount in INR |
Cost of raw grams for 500 quintals | 17 50 000.00 | Realization from the sale (@ 6000 per quintal/350 quintals output after processing) | 21,00,000 |
Processing expenditure | 2 00 000.00 |
|
|
Total Expenditure | 19,50,000 | Total Income | 21,00,000 |
Net Profit | 150,000 |
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