Photo Essay: Joy of the daily grind

Touching the lives of over 3,500 women organic farmers of Bundelkhand, BASANT FPO buys their agricultural produce at fair prices, adds value and sells them as packaged products at local markets and urban centres Cleaning wheat, grinding spices and packaging products form the core of BASANT, the only all-women FPO in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Established in 2022 to empower marginalised women farmers in Jhansi, Mahoba and Lalitpur districts, the FPO based in Bedora village of Jhansi is more than a processing unit — it is a lifeline for over 3,500 women farmers from 55 villages.BASANT’s products are all organic, which include turmeric, coriander and chilli powders, chickpea, wheat flour and pulses. The FPO is fully managed by a 10-member women Board of Directors, with three each coming from Jhansi and Mahoba, and four from Lalitpur. Non-profit Action-Aid India oversees its operations.Saroj (35) takes a tub with dry turmeric towards the grinding machine at BASANT's processing unit in Bedora, Jhansi. A mother of three, she balances her time between goat rearing, integrated organic farming and working at the FPO. "We process and package what we grow… This work has helped us become financially independent," she says. Her family grows peanuts, urad dal and vegetables. They have also started machan practice, where multiple crops are grown simultaneously on the same land to maximise vertical space utilisation. (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Saroj pours dry turmeric into the machines for grinding. The centre relies on a small grinding unit that processes only 10 kg of spices per hour, significantly slower than larger competitors who can process 10 quintals at a time. Moreover, the power cuts often disrupt work for two to three hours. "This one removes stones from wheat," says Suman, showing the cleaner and grinder during the halted activity (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)The FPO buys organically produced raw materials from local farmers at above-market rates. The organisation themselves deals with the logistics, which helps farmers save transportation charges. Fair price is assured. For instance, coriander bought for Rs 10,000 is processed and sold for Rs 15,000 after value addition. However, profits remain slim — less than 10% — as most revenue is reinvested into operations (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Saroj fills a plastic packet with coriander powder. Of the 35 women formally connected to the FPO, only three work daily due to budget constraints. There are no full-time employees. They are paid on a monthly basis. Each day's pay depends on how many packets they make. The products are sold through Basant Community Farmer Resource Centre stores. Right now, there are 55 such stores in Bundelkhand. The products also reach customers in Delhi, Lucknow and other urban centres when BASANT sets up its kiosks during exhibitions and cultural fairs. However, direct market linkages are limited and the FPO is struggling to push their produce to urban markets. Reaching larger markets requires more resources in the form of logistics, vehicles, and more skilled and unskilled labour. “We are growing slowly but steadily,” says Sanjay Rajput, district representative, Action-Aid India. (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Saroj and Suman Rajput (42) (R) fill and seal packets of coriander powder using a packaging machine. Joining the FPO has been transformative for Suman, who cultivates two acres of land with her husband. "I first heard about BASANT in 2022; someone said I can work here. Initially, I thought what would I even do here. But slowly, I learned all the steps of the process," she says with pride. Now, in addition to cultivating wheat, peanuts and pulses, she works at the FPO centre, earning about Rs 5,000 a month (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Suman Singh, a trainer with BASANT FPO, at the kiosk selling organic agriculture-based products in Babina vegetable mandi in Jhansi. Singh, along with other women, sets up this kiosk every Tuesday evening (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Spices kept for sale without packaging at Babina mandi. “Many other spice brands are available in the market, so we often have to explain to customers what makes our products unique,” says Saroj, adding how the work has given them the confidence to step out and learn how to talk to people without fear. (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Rashmi Singh (19), a college student and Bedora resident, joins the centre’s office every afternoon to help with the paperwork. She puts stamps on each packet and maintains a register for sales. Her presence symbolises a shift — of the younger generation stepping into roles traditionally dominated by men. Anyone can join the FPO, provided they purchase shares in the company. Each share costs Rs 10, and a minimum of 50 shares must be purchased. This membership provides farmers with a stake in the FPO (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Customers at BASANT’s kiosk at Babina mandi. The kiosk earns Rs 700 to 1,000 every Tuesday. The FPO packages around one tonne of turmeric powder per annum. "We make an annual revenue of Rs 8 to 9 lakh," Sanjay says. However, this varies depending on many factors, including crop yield and flow of funds. The FPO’s initial capital was around Rs 4 lakh, which was given by Action-Aid. “Big companies sell cheap and still profit. Our costs are comparatively higher, but people only look at the price, not the quality,” he adds (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)BASANT FPO is a unique initiative that links farming with entrepreneurship, and provides training, credit and access to markets, helping women farmers support their incomes while promoting sustainable agricultural practices.This story was produced as a part of NCNF Media Fellowship on Agroecology. Cover Photo - Suman and Saroj spread turmeric to dry under the open sky in the courtyard of BASANT's processing unit in Bedora village, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)

Grow organic, sell non-organic: the strange predicament of Bundelkhand's marginal farmers

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and non-profit initiatives have introduced them to chemical-free cultivation, but lack of designated markets and costly organic certification pose a hindranceJhansi, Uttar Pradesh: In the semi-arid Bundelkhand region spread across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, climate vulnerability is a pressing reality. With dwindling forest resources, the region is susceptible to desertification — something that does not bode well for agriculture here.According to Bundelkhand Drought, a report released by the National Institute of Disaster Management (except for Sagar and Jhansi districts), approximately 60% of Bundelkhand's population depends on agriculture, either as cultivators or labourers. Water resources were limited in the region, while recurrent and consecutive droughts made rain-fed agriculture uncertain. However, over the years, schemes such as Khet Talab Yojana and construction of dams improved water availability, but not without a catch.In recent decades, there has been a shift towards cash crops from millet cultivation due to increased water availability and other factors. A 2021 study published in the Indian Journal of Extension Education confirms the decline by analysing data regarding area, production and productivity of major millets between 2000 and 2020 in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.“This region was historically known for its largely chemical-free cultivation. Crops such as millets, oilseeds and pulses, which require minimal fertilisers, dominated the landscape. Today, minor millets such as sama and kodo have mostly disappeared, surviving only in isolated pockets where irrigation facilities remain limited,” Dr SS Singh, Director (Extension Education), Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University (RLBCAU), Jhansi, tells 101Reporters.“Rising food demand and improved irrigation have shifted crop patterns and increased fertiliser use, causing a decline in organic and natural farming practices,” Singh adds.At the same time, Bundelkhand's fragile soil makes it unsuitable for high-intensity cropping. Promoting organic and natural farming is the desired path to preserve the region’s ecosystem. A local vegetable mandi in Babina block, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters) Multiple challengesAatmaram Rajput (62) from Badaura in Jhansi's Babina block is a beneficiary of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). While the scheme officially lists his wife Ranjana Rajput as beneficiary, Aatmaram has been actively involved in implementing the organic practices promoted under the programme.“Under PKVY, I cultivate millets and vegetables on six acres. Last year's kodo millet harvest is still lying with me because there are no buyers,” Aatmaram shares. For cultivation, seeds were given under the scheme for free and farmers trained in preparing organic manure.The situation is no better for vegetables. “Organic vegetables are priced the same as chemically grown ones... There is a lack of market incentives for organic produce,” he points out.PKVY was launched nine years ago with the main objective to encourage organic farming among small and marginal farmers. However, the problem lies with a lack of designated markets and certification issues, which leave farmers with no option but to sell their produce in the markets where non-organic products are sold.Agriculture Processed Food and Export Development Authority (APEDA) functioning under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry regulates organic farming certification in the country through the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), which sets standards for organic farming, outlines procedures for accreditation certification bodies and manages the use of the India Organic logo.For certification, farmers need to apply in the required format, pay a fee and undergo a field verification process. Mostly large players have accessed it as the certification is costly. Put simply, a farmer has to spend anywhere between Rs 12,000 and 20,000 per acre per annum for the certification.According to Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment, the challenges that PKVY face include inadequate training, insufficient funding and the failure to establish a strong domestic market for organic products.“The certification process is very tedious. But it is important because otherwise the consumer will not know what is organic and what is not,” says Dr Yogeshwar Singh, Professor, Department of Agronomy and Agrometeorology, RLBCAU. "The process requires multiple visits from officials, and farmers must ensure that not only their farms but also the neighbouring farms are chemical-free as any chemical runoff from adjacent lands could contaminate their soil," Dr Yogeshwar explains. Moreover, certification alone cannot solve the market issue. There is a need for demand generation.For the farmers of Jhansi, the nearest certification centre is 462 km away, in Ghaziabad. Hence, most farmers do not show interest. "Who will travel so far for this spending their own money," asks Mansingh Ahirwar (62), a farmer from Khajuraha Bujurg in Jhansi district.   Mansingh Ahirwar poses with his vermicompost unit in Khajuraha Bujurg village in Jhansi (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Dr Yogeshwar suggests allotting a blockchain number for a group of farmers in a particular region. This will make it easier to grant organic certifications also. Moreover, the consumers will know from where the produce is coming. “The urban consumers are keen on organic products, but they face difficulties in finding reliable suppliers. Blockchain can solve this issue,” he hopes. “In the last three years, 80 clusters have been formed in Jhansi under PKVY by involving around 3,900 farmers. Each cluster deals with 50 hectares,” Anil Kumar Solanki, Senior Training Assistant, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jhansi, tells 101Reporters. “We are training farmers and offering assistance. Nevertheless, their products find it difficult to compete with the chemically grown produce in the market. Farmers ask us where is the market for organic,” he adds.  Yet, there are examples of organic farmers in the region making a profit when equipped with the right knowledge. Happy faces  “Ek din mein 6,000 rupay!” Pukkhan Rajput (56) screams with joy, as the women in the neighbourhood sit in a circle, discussing the day’s sale of vegetables worth Rs 6,000. Pukkhan was selected to grow a poshan vatika (nutrition garden) under the Women’s Livelihood Promotion Initiative of non-profit ActionAid India, to create sustainable livelihood opportunities by training rural women in organic and natural farming practices. Pukkhan and her husband used to grow wheat and groundnut on their distant two-acre land at Lahar Thakurpura in Jhansi district. To make ends meet, she also took up daily wage labour at construction sites in Ghaziabad and Delhi. Life took a sharp turn during the COVID-19 lockdown when she was forced to return home. Their savings began to dwindle and that was when Pukkhan decided to secure food for her family by joining a women’s collective in 2022. About 3,000 women entrepreneurs across 40 villages in Jhansi, Mahoba and Lalitpur districts are part of this collective that runs the programme of ActionAid India. “I started cultivating vegetables on my husband’s ancestral land, which was lying vacant," says Pukkhan.Organically grown ginger in Pukkhan’s nutrition garden (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Pukkhan was trained by ActionAid to grow organic vegetables, prepare manure from cow dung and practice multi-cropping. On one acre, she planted a variety of crops, including brinjal, bottle gourd, beetroot, tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, chillies, etc. She also received 11 types of vegetable seeds and some farming tools, spray machines, drums to prepare fertilisers and material for farm fencing.“After seeing my farm, other women in my neighbourhood evinced interest,” Pukkhan says. Her neighbours — Bharti Singh, Anita Rajput and Bichkunwar — went on to learn sustainable farming practices and have been growing nutrition gardens, producing seeds, doing multi-layer farming and vermicomposting. Anita plucks bottle Gourd from her nutrition garden in Lahar Thakurpura village in Jhansi district of Bundelkhand (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)“She sold vegetables worth Rs 1 lakh in just four months,” Bharti says, pointing towards Pukkhan. However, Pukkhan could gain profit because she managed to grow vegetables in large quantities with the right guidance, and not because her produce was organic. In fact, at present, both chemically grown and organic vegetables are sold for the same price in the same markets.ActionAid claims to be making an effort to ensure a stable market for organic products, but also admits that they are competing with big FMCGs, while the market is also flooded with cheap alternatives in general. Mukesh Kumar, district coordinator, ActionAid India, says their intervention is very targeted. “We initially offered several resources to farmers, including seeds, organic fertilisers, bio-pesticides, fencing material and training on sustainable farming techniques. Without this support, agroecological practices are tough to adopt," he says.Some non-profits are working to address parts of the problem. Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action (SRIJAN), which works in 11 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and Bundelkhand Initiative for Water, Agriculture and Livelihoods have set up bio-resource centres to improve production of organic manures and pest-repellants. One such centre is managed by Balchandra Ahirwar, a farmer from Lidhaura Tal in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand. Here, cow urine is turned into organic nutrients, while farming tools such as power tillers and sprayers are available for hire. The cost of organic nutrients is about one-third of chemical fertilisers, and organic pest repellents are much cheaper than chemical pesticides. Balchandra has already sold inputs worth Rs 60,000, helping farmers save money while protecting the environment.Suhavna Rajput (33) from Khajuraha Bujurg is into machan, where multiple crops are grown simultaneously on the same land to maximise vertical space utilisation. "I use jeevamrit and beejamrit for seed treatment, which protects the crops from pests and diseases. It keeps the soil healthy also," she says. After attending ActionAid's training, Anita Rajput (39) from the same village understood the importance of climate-friendly crops. "By using these flood and drought resistant varieties, we can ensure that our harvests are more reliable even in times of unpredictable weather," she says."We turn to livestock for income when excessive rainfall damages our crops," adds Devanti Ahirwar (28) from Khajuraha Bujurg, who follows the machan system and also keeps goats and chickens.A vermicompost set-up by a Chhaya local farmer in Baidora village in Jhansi (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)Agroecology the new hopeClimate modelling by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research predicts that temperatures in Bundelkhand could rise by 2 to 3.5°C by the end of this century.To mitigate the impacts, efforts have been made to develop Bundelkhand into an agroecology zone. In June 2022, the agriculture department prepared a roadmap to promote chemical-free farming, following the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to promote organic farming in the state.However, only regions with limited irrigation and non-remunerative crops offer potential for organic and natural farming, explains Dr Singh. “In areas where farmers are cultivating highly remunerative cash crops with chemical inputs and modern seeds, convincing farmers to adopt agroecology is challenging,” he says. Dr Yogeshwar adds that it is not possible to popularise organic or natural farming in the entire Bundelkhand. “More than 20% of Bundelkhand’s farmlands are suitable for organic farming, but we should only push for market-led production… Essentially, this technique should be promoted in low productive zones only, strategically avoiding high productive zones as such a move would lead to steep fall in production and affect farmers’ income,” he explains.He suggests that organic farming should be done in clusters, failing which it will be tough to establish their authenticity through blockchain. "It will only make sense when clusters growing organic produce are able to find and connect with reliable buyers," he adds. This story was produced as a part of NCNF Media Fellowship on Agroecology.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Pukkhan plucks pumpkin from her nutrition garden in Lahar Thakurpura village in Jhansi district of Bundelkhand (Photo - Sneha Richhariya, 101Reporters)