“Magha na barse, bhare na khet. Mata na pasre, bhare na pet” (It is said that without good rain, land can not be irrigated properly. Similarly If a mother doesn’t serve then it cannot satisfy the hunger). Said Shyam Bai.

Keeping this in mind, Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) program was launched in the year 2018 to ensure local food and nutritional security for small farm families. Giving a major focus on a gender-inclusive approach, SAFBIN encourages male farmers to create an opportunity for women to be part of the learning process. As a result, 446 women have enrolled as trial farmers to take the small-scale resilient farming practices forward in an expressive way while 826 are getting benefited indirectly. While discussing the integrated small-scale farming system in smallholder farmers collectives (SHFC) planning meeting, smallholders especially women members gave more emphasis on the local food and nutrition security.

“Action is the foundational key to success” finds resonance with Shyam Bai Yadav (45yrs), a resident of Bagrohi village of Shahgarh Block of Sagar district Madhya Pradesh India. The majority of the people residing in this village belongs to the small and marginal farming community. Their main source of livelihood is agriculture.

Shyam Bai lives in a small house with her family who barely met their food requirement 3-4yrs back. Having 2.5 acres of land with the predominant conventional farming system in rainfed conditions it was not so easy to have sufficient food for all year round. Like other rural women, Shyam bai was among to suffer not only from economic poverty but also deprived of many essential entitlements due to lack of proper information and knowledge. Along with her husband Halke Yadav (50yrs) she had to work extra time as agriculture labour to feed her children. Soon after she became a member of smallholder farmers collectives, she oriented with various agroecological practices and botanicals preparation from their farm waste and resources.

“She often comes with me to work in and quietly learning the process of botanical preparation, application, and a few other agro-ecological practices. This has helped me in a great way to keep these practices applied on time even if I am not at home,” shared Halke Yadav, Husband of Shyam Bai.

With this enthusiasm, she could increase not only the farm components from four (4) to six (6) but also increased in type of crops and varieties which make her farm more resilient to cope up with climate shocks. i.e. field crops (wheat, black gram, green gram, lentil, peas, jwar, flax seeds, mustard), cattle (cow and buffaloes), small ruminants (goat), fruit trees (mango, guava, lemon, papaya, drumstick) mushroom, and almost 10-12 types of vegetables. Apart from this, she also gained hands-on experience in making vermicompost, Matka khad, Cytozin practices, Dasparni ark, Lamit ark etc.

Following the low-cost agroecological practices and other measures, she could manage to have sufficient food for round the year her family. She is now a lead trainer among women who keeps orienting in SHFC meetings by sharing her journey and motivating women to make their farm more diversified.

“Yes, there is an improvement in the nutrition status of my family, though it is not possible for me to measure it. However, the diversification of the food basket and the regular intake of green & fresh (nutrition-rich) vegetables have improved our health. Delightedly she said. 

Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) program is co-funded by Caritas Switzerland and Caritas Austria and implemented by Caritas India through its implementing partner organisations Jabalpur Diocesan Social Service Societies (JDSSS) and Manav Vikas Seva Sangh (MVSS) Sagar in Mandla, Sagar and Vidisha districts of Madhya Pradesh in India.