District: Ernakulam

Block: Parvoor

Panchyat: Chendamagalam

JLG: Lakshmitharu

Major Crops Tapioca, Banana, Vegetables& flowers (Seasonal onam)

In 2015 Tanima JLG was registered in the CDS. The group started with initiative of block Coordinator. JLG consist of four members Seena, Radha, Meena, Rashmi. Firstly they stated Tapioca in 50 cent mixed with pavar. Group members attended various farming training from Kudumbashree helped in doing it professional. Block coordinator and master farmer motivated the group and support the group. First farming was profitable so they all became happy to do more farming. The group done seasonal farming so result good profit. During onam they planted flower and sold it. They group started orchid farm also. There product’s got good demand in onam market. District mission support the group with incentive and interest free loan. Now farming become there part of life.

District: Ernakulam

Block: Parvoor

Panchayat: Kottuvally

JLG: Pratheeksha

Crop: Banana & Vegetables

Pratheeksha JLG started in the year 2012 in kottuvally panchayat. While attending an ADS meeting Helna, Moly, Bindhu and Radha members got interested in MKSP Project and registered as JLG Group (KGP/12/5) in CDS. During beginning they started vegetable farming in 25 cent of land in one of member moly’s land. Moly is a member of traditional agricultural family so she motivated and helped other members in farming. Her knowledge helped in farming. JLG got support from panchayat, cds and agriculture office. They marketed the products in local market and Kudumbashree market. Union bank assisted with a loan 50,000 and they repaid it timely. Kudumbashree assisted them with area incentive and promotional incentive.

After vegetable farming this group next venture was Banana farming in 2 acers. Moly insisted all the activities of the group as a result they didn’t face any lose. The group also planted variety crop named “CHAYAMANASA” which helps in preventing cancer. All together they took a loan of 5,00,000 and repaid it.

Moly got award for the best farmer award from CDS and Karshakashree award from krishibhavan for best farming group. They are planning to enlarge the farming in big scale in future.

District: Ernakulam

CDS: Vengoor Panchayath

JLG: Sakthi

Crops: Vegetables

Our group was formed at Vengoor Panchayath (IXth ward). 2 members from Anjali and 4 members from Sahodaya are formed as Sakthi JLG. We selected Mrs. Philomina as president and Mrs. Mariyamma as secretary. Other members – Mrs. Annakkutty, Mrs. Mary, Mrs. Vilasini and Mrs. Achamma. We opened a bank a/c with the help of ADS and CDS. It was very difficult to pay even Rs. 10/ per week. We didn’t have any earnings at that time. We got ready to take a risk for our future and we took loan from our Ayalkkoottam, Rs. 1000/- per head. We started with 95 cent farm. We got Rs. 20108 as profit and could return the loan. We restarted our agriculture in 1 acre – tapioca and banana, took loan and gold loan. Mrs. Philomina’s elder son is mentally retard, she had took personal loan for 5% interest while her son was admitted in hospital. At that time, our CDS chairperson Mrs. Sobha Sasi helped us to take loan from bank. We made tapioca and banana chips and got more profit from it.

Next year we increased the farm area and took loan of Rs. 200000/- We became earning members of our families and help our families for our children’s studies, hospital needs and other things. We can sell pure vegetables, rice and other products to JLG markets and other people. We can do these things with the help of Jilla mission’s interestless loan. We would like to thank to Jilla Mission in this occasion. We are selling cowpea for Rs. 60/- per kilogram. We have different types of banana farms also. We are doing our works as unity. Now we have new dreams and hopes.

District: Kozhikode

Block: Koduvally

Panchayath: Madavoor

Name of JLG: Daya

Area under cultivation: 7.5acre

Major crops: Banana, vegatables, tapioca, ginger, turmeric.

Rural indian is known for its rustic beauty and cultural life that amazes not just the subcontinent but the entire world, but it filled with stories of oppression and neglect faced by women, its not just a piece of information worth spreading, its a happening that needs to be celebrated.

Here is the succesful story of women empowerment. Dhaya is registered as jlg unit in Madavoor grama Panchayath in koduvally block in Kozhikode district.The unit members joined kudumbashree in 2004.The unit has given their life to excel their work in the field of agriculture from 2010.The journey began with the formation of jlg named DHAYA, the five members group Nadeera (sec), Subaida (pres), Raseena, Rashidha, Hajara started their life journey. Facing of many life challenges they have gained immense knowledge in the field of agriculture. All the field operation starting right from land preparation to harvest is done by group members collectively. This helps in developing a sisterhood relationship among the members.

In 2010, 5 persons joined together to do cultivation.They did vegetable cultivation in 50cents, Banana in 4acres (Nendran variety in 3acres & Mysoor variety in 1acre), tapioca in 2acres which is intercultivated with ginger and turmeric.

The major challenges they have faced were the incidence of disease and pests, lack of water in summer months, poor market conditions, lack of machinery and infrastructure etc. Block coordinator from Kudumbashree district mission under MKSP project has given valuable information about the technical and financial assistance provided by Kudumbashree (fund for machinery through FFC, loans, incentives), through the frequent support the unit was able to prepare organic fertilizers and organic products. This unit provided with 3lakhs of loan amount from union bank of Kunnamanglam branch to improve their cultivation.

The pre-onam markets, onam markets, weekly markets and local markets brought them a large opportunity to improve the sales income. They are planning to cultivate cool season crops and also thinking to extent the area of cultivation.

District : Ernakulam

CDS : Kavalangadu

JLG: Dalia

Crops: Tapioca, paddy, vegetables and Banana

Kavalangadu is an agriculture area. The CDS gave more prominence to the collective farming sector because they have good agricultural practice. Number of successful women farmers is in the CDS. Dalia is one of the best performed JLG in the CDS. This group was started in the year 2011 at the leadership of Smt.Fousia, she is very active lady and also actively participated in all the Kudumbashree activities because when she became the part of Kudumbashree her life will changed.

Fousia is from a very orthodox Muslim family and she has not get any support from their family for this kind of collective activities at the same tie she had financial crisis. Fousia and 4 other members were started collective farming in one-acre land in banana cultivation. The first attempt became success that will gave positive energy among the members. Gradually they got benefit from the farming and they extended the farming in additional3 acres like tapioca, paddy, vegetables. They took loan from the bank many times they got Kudumbashree supports like farming incentives and interest subsidy.

Today they have improved their standard of living through this farming and also they started to do one value addition unit related to agri products.

District : Palakkad

Block : Kuzhalmannam

Panchayat : Thenkurissi

JLG : Karunya

Crops : Plantain, Paddy and Vegetables.

Team Karunya has established their group in 2012. Started farming with paddy in 3.5 acres. Team Karunya, becomes heroes by building success in fallow lands. They started plantain farming, and cultivating banana in 1.5 acres of fallow land. It was an amazing effort by them, because the land was that much unusable for farming, especially for vegetables. That makes team Karunya different. They are one of the important pillar of making the ‘Annam’ rice, the own rice brand of Kudumbashree, Palakkad.

Karunya JLG affiliated under Thenkurissi CDS in Kuzhalmannam Block Panchayath. This JLG was formed by 6 energetic women, among them Mrs. Kamalakshi elected as President and Mrs. Radha as Secretary and Mrs. Rema, Mrs. Devaki, Mrs. Thankamani and Mrs Janu performs as members as well. They found market for their product through Kudumbashree markets, Annam Rice and they have their own permanent customers. In vegetables the name Karunya JLG is trusted more than anything in the surroundings of Thenkurissi, because of the purity.

Each members of this JLG, are familiar face on the trainings and workshops on agricultural topics, conducted by Kudumbashree and Krishibhavan. They are that much curious in developing their knowledge in the field of farming. The greenish fields protected by them, creating another model for a glorious empowered women group. These fallow land made their life greenish. This fallow lands given them new visions of optimism and confidence.

Kudumbashree was the motivation force, through useful trainings and workshops. By these trainings they could gather new knowledge and advanced information about agriculture. Kudumbashree was the helping hand by providing financial assistance to build a beautiful group.

District: Kottayam

CDS: Kidangoor

JLG: Harithashree

Crops: Paddy, Banana, Tubers & Vegetables

Area under Cultivation: 8 Acres

Rural India is known for its rustic beauty and cultural life that amazes not just the subcontinent but the entire world. But there’s another side to it-filled with stories of oppression and neglect faced by women. So, when unknown women from villages of India do something that empowers the society in which they live, it is not just a piece of information worth spreading; it’s a happening that needs to be celebrated.

The success story of Mrs. Sathi Mohan and their group from Kidangoor in Kottayam district has a narrative arc that pushes the limit of unbelievable. A rural agricultural labourer who works with their family and does not get her remediation, after coming to Kudumbashree, she did not feel happy to work and wanted to earn better. The Kudumbashree group named Harithasree has cultivated 4 acres of paddy and 4 acers of other cultivations like banana, champu, kachil, ladies finger, peaetc.They receive all kinds of support from government authorities by which they were able to improve a lot. Now she has received lots of appreciation and many recognitions including the 'Best Farmer award' from Panchayath in 2012, 'Best Farmer award' in their Ward in 2013 and Ward, District and Panchayath wise awards in 2016 and 2017. Now, she is the ward wise master farmer in her Panchayath.

District: Thrissur

Block Panchayath: Puzhakkal

Grama Panchayath: Adat

Jlg Group: Aswathi

Adat is a place which is still preserving its agro culture and continues its importance in cultivating rice massively, situated in the Adat Gramapanchayath of Puzakkal block. A group of women from adat is trying to hold the same agro culture with four members in 2000. Each and every member has a good farming background with experience makes it one of the best JLGs of district. They started the group by investing small amount from their own pocket and start paddy cultivation. In the initial stage they didn’t get much expected returns, but they keep their perseverance and unity they stepped up their initiative from 2 acre to 3.5 acre and started vegetables too. This time they were successful and that gave them a boost. At that time they happened to know more about the JLG scheme of Kudumbashree and registered it with Kudumbashree and availed financial benefits like incentives, Interest subsidies and loans. Now Lakshmikutty, one of the four from the Aswathi JLG group is one of the best farmer of the district. She got different training from Kudumbashree. Krishibhavan and so on. According to her, if we love plants and dedicate much as passion agriculture will never fail us. And that makes her and her group successful.

District: Thiruvananthapuram

Block Panchayath: Varkala

Grama Panchayath: Elakamon

Jlg Group: Mythri

Mythri is a registered JLG unit in Elakamon Grama panchayat in Varkala block in Trivandrum district. The unit members had taken membership with kudumbashree in 2002. The unit has given their life to excel their work in the field of agriculture. On the same way they have shown their excellence in Animal husbandry as well. In the beginning, they started to do agriculture individually. At that time they have to face many challenges and from those challenges they have gained immense knowledge in the field which helped them to excel. In 2010, 5 persons joined together to do cultivation. They did vegetable cultivation in 50 cents, Paddy cultivation in 5 acres and in 3 acres they did banana, black gram, tapioca, ginger, turmeric and pea.

The major challenges they have faced were diseases affecting crops, pests, lack of water, poor market conditions and the politics played by brokers. The cultivation will be done twice every year. Due to lack of machinery and infrastructure a lot of crisis has occurred.

Block coordinator from kudumbashree district mission Trivandrum has given valuable information about the assistance provided by Kudumbashree through orientation programmes and field visits. Through this frequent support the unit was able to prepare organic fertilizers and organic products. These organic products got wide acceptance in the market. The pre-onam market and onam market brought them a large opportunity to improve the sales income. Healthy discussions are going on regarding the participation in weekly market as well.

Now we are planning to cultivate cool season crops. We are also thinking to extent our land space for cultivation. Through these new initiatives, we would like to be the best model for other JLG units who want to excel.

Name of the Farmer : Usha Solomon

District : Kollam

Block : Ithikkara

Panchayat : Adichanellor

Crop Cultivating : Tuber crops, Vegetables , Banana and other fruit crops.

JLG formed : Avani JLG

Ward : 12

Number of members : 4 (Usha Solomon, Komalavally, Prema, Chandrika)

Area of cultivation : 1acre

Usha Solomon, a self sufficient women farmer who has achieved a sustainable source of livelihood at Adichanellur CDS in Ithikkara block. Usha started the practice of agriculture in thought of her family’s health in the availability of pesticide free food material and also to escape from rising price of food products in market. Usha worked almost alone in her own land , in her success in cultivation she decide to take agriculture as her path of livelihood . she made her farm a better one by practicing organic method of farming . Now she started to cultivate variety of food crops in her land .Usha used to bring her vegetables in nearby markets for sale and also vendors come to her home and purchase the vegetables . she used to motivate other farmers in her village in adopting farm practices. She selected as the cluster level secretary in krishibhavan.

In 2016 she joined Kudumbashree mission and she got inspired in group farming technique initiated by kudumbasree. Finally she formed a new JLG and named as “Avani”. She guided other members in the group in adopting new agriculture practices. With her guidance they started to cultivate different crops in her land and found success. She selected as master farmer in her block. Because of her hard work she succeed in her field and gain respect from her family and society.

Support from Kudumbashree : Got training for different cultivational practices. Got support from kudumbasree in form of Interest subsidy and Incentives and found a better way to sell their agricultural products.

Awards: Received Akshyashree award and Dr. B R Ambedkar excellence award in 2016-2017.