When `We care’ helps a village makes changes

When we started a self-help group `We Care’ 7 months back to promote both farming and marketing of organic farm products in our village Chooriyatta, Vengappally in the district of Wayanad, we were not sure of its success. First of all people of this agro based village was no more in to farming, though the population here consist mainly of farmers apart from tribals. Second thing, we ourselves are not fully aware of the current socio- economic realities of Kerala because we had been guests to Kerala for several years. After ending our metro life we have settled here only for the last one and half years. 

Leaving their land barren they earned their day’s bread by doing odd jobs. Farmers with large areas of land are always in to banana cultivation. Others who own coffee estate have nothing to do but to wait for coffee harvest season. With land and water bodies at hand the villagers used to buy vegetables from the market for their consumption!!!. A pick up van with vegetables used to roam about the village as if it is a big city with no soil left for cultivation..  But we cannot blame the villagers because if they spend time in farming they should be assured of a fixed daily income.. In fact these villagers are experts in traditional farming practices and they can do magic in the soil. Almost all households have cows. So manure is not a problem and organic products can be assured. But they are reluctant to do vegetable farming even when a large population is waiting out for organic products. Because they don’t know how they can reach the market. There are elements that are ready to harvest on the farmers’ helplessness and ignorance.

                      We care  organised farmers' meeting with Milma Green at Elenjickal Farm House, our residence.

We, Milton and me did a lot of brainstorming. At last we heard of Milma’s new venture, Milma Green which procure organic vegetables and sell it in its shops in Kozhikode. It is a pilot project of Milma and running in Wayanad district for the last two years. They are badly in need of organic vegetables. We contacted them and held discussions. They were ready to come to our place and collect the products. Collection point was fixed in front of our residence. We informed the established farmers in our area. They are all farmers enjoying large scale govt subsidies in the name of agriculture, owns poly houses, rain shelters etc…But to our shock, they stopped even entertain our calls when we requested them to join the move. Later we came to know they have nothing against us but they have no vegetables to sell. Then why subsidies have been given?  . After accessing some information through the RTI from Krishibhavans, we concluded that farm subsidy itself is a business. In many cases, agriculture officers and certain farmers have formed a nexus in every area and they siphoned off the money meant for subsidy to all the farmers not name sakes. If any journalist can expose this it would be a greater scam than 2G!!!.

Then we turned  to the small scale farmers who never get the privilege of this subsidy business. They cooperated and we started vegetable sales the very next week of our discussion with Milma people. We started with four farmers but now we have more fifty in our group. Every Wednesday, in front of our gate, people come with their produce which includes even the banana flower, papaya, tender jackfruit, jackfruit etc. Milma Green procures everything fit for consumption.

There are no middle men for exploitation. Farmers get the best possible price for their produce. `We Care’ does not charge anything from the farmers. No service charge, no membership fee, nothing from anywhere. And no subsidies too.

Within months `We Care’ turned out to be a credible vegetable supplier of Milma Green and they wanted to meet the farmers in our group. Hence we held a meeting in December 2015 at our residence, `Elenjickal farm house, in which Milma CEO attended as chief guest. He was so happy and was not reluctant to say that `this is the most fruitful and live meeting of farmers he ever attended’

.              Home bound agri-market: Milma Green procure organic vegetables from We care farmers infront of Elenjickal farmhouse

`We Care’ encourages women to do the farming and I think women are the beneficiaries of our initiative. All our members earn average of Rs 500-1000 per week. Earlier farming was solely the privilege of men. Women help them and I don’t think they have any say. Now, in this vegetable cultivation and marketing through ` We Care’ women enjoy the major role. Men are seen helping them. I feel other than encouraging farming and ensuring a proper market, it is a sort of silent women empowerment too.

 Above all, now people are concerned of their land, plastic menace, shrinking water resources.  They became aware of all these realities when they turned to their fields for farming vegetables. Continuous banana cultivation had already drained water from all these fields once rich in paddy cultivation. In fact, `We Care’ initiative , though started as a marketing solution for small scale farmers is now has the responsibility to guide the people in waste management, water related issues etc because agriculture is not an occupation but a culture itself.