Empowering Women Through Natural Farming

Introduction

• Smt. Leena Sharma belongs to a simple family. She is educated, supports and takes care for all needs and requirements of her family members. There are four people in her family. Her husband is a science teacher who teaches in the nearby village school. Before joining Natural Farming, Leena Sharma was not so interested in farming and being a postgraduate herself, she wanted to make a career in teaching.
• She has a total land of five bighas which is rain-fed. She has a desi pahari cow. She cultivates her fields by paying charges and she does not have any machinery of his own. She has formed a group of 20 no. women farmers. All the women farmers works jointly and have covered an area of 80 bighas under Natural Farming in this village. More than one hundred farmers have also adopted the natural farming in her surroundings.

Trainings

• In 2018, on the behalf of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) District Mandi Himachal Pradesh, she has received a six days training on Natural Farming from Padam Shree. Shubhash Palekar in Kufri District Shimla. She was very impressed with the lecture’s given by him and to setup the natural farming in her fields. Her husband also supported him to start the natural farming system. After getting training on Natural Farming, she adopted natural farming in her fields. After this, various components used in natural farming like jivamrit, ghanjivamrit , beejamarit khatti lassi, agniastra etc, she made them in her sansadhan bhandar and regularly used them in her fields which brought very good crops in the first year . After seeing the result, the women of neighborhood also learned this method from her and used it in their fields and adopted this farming system.

Achievement

• She is growing crops of Peas, Garlic, coriander, Fenugreek, French beans in rabi season and maize, mash, soyabean, til, kodra & bhindi in kharif season in her fields. By doing this farming, their cost price has been reduced a great extent and as a result of good production and good quality products are also being obtained. She also produces seeds of these crops in her fields which she distributes to others farmers in the village for cultivation.

Recognitions

• She was awarded on the occasion of Independence day by SDM and MLA Karsog for doing commendable work under natural farming on the recommendation of Agriculture Department. In June 2019, Honorable VicePresident of NITI Aayog, especially shared her experience with fellow farmers.

Importance for Farmers

• She Inspired other farmers of the village also to start Natural Farming in their fields by this method, and the people of the surrounding villages also came to him and learned this farming. She also teaches natural farming to children in schools and NSS Camps etc and also gives the training of this farming to the farmers of different panchayats of her Block. Farmers from others Districts come to visit her fields. Leena Sharma was the only women farmer from India to participate in the organization of webinar at the International level about the impact on the environment and economic co-operation of agricultural activities including use of energy environment and water and food.

Source : Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare