Women Protect Land & Promote Self-Reliance, India

Environment > Women Protect Land & Promote Self-Reliance, India

Women Protect Land & Promote Self-Reliance, India

Summary

Promote organic farming to ensure food security, conserve local biodiversity and empower poor women in Bihar, India, to build economic livelihood opportunities for themselves and their families. read updates from the field

How Donors Like You Helped

Thanks to donors like you, a total of $2,475 was raised for this project.

More Information About this Project

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

A consequence of modern agriculture is the introduction of high yield uniform crops, which seriously erodes the local variety of seeds, degrades soil nutrients and ultimately increases the cost of farming. To combat environmental degradation resulting from non-sustainable farming, Manavi trains women on alternative farming methods that reduce the use of chemical inputs. The project will work with 100 women to practice sustainable farming and identify opportunities to improve their livelihoods.

Activities

Organize 100 women into self-help groups to manage income-generating activities and build linkages with banks. Train women on leadership development, sustainable agriculture, seed conservation and new livelihood opportunities.

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: $2,475

Funding Information

This project is now in implementation and no longer available for funding. Received funds will be used to accomplish concrete objectives as indicated in the project's "Activities" section. Updates will be posted under the "Progress Report" tab as they become available.

Donors' contributions and pledges to this project totaled $2,475. The original project funding goal was $13,310.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources

Project's External Homepage (http://www.idex.org/partner.php?partner_id=5)

Why this Project is Important

Potential Long Term Impact

1oo women will improve the livelihood conditions of their lives and their families. The women will develop their skill for decision-making to become more self-reliant and engage in sustainable income-generation activities.

Project Message

There is a strong demand for education and health – mainly for girls and women, most of whom are illiterate. As SHG members need to read and write women are more eager to educate their daughters.
- Annu, Secretary (Excutive Director), Manavi

Who is Running This Project

Contact

Katherine Zavala,
Programs Coordinator, IDEX
827 Valencia Street, Suite 101
San Francisco, CA 94110
United States
415-824-8384
Email:

Project Sponsor

International Development Exchange (IDEX)

Organization

Manavi
Professor's Colony
Shiv Pahar
Dhumka, Jharkand 814101
India
91-6434-226885
http://www.idex.org/partner.php?partner_id=5

Learn more about Manavi and the project team.

Manavi's Funded Projects on GlobalGiving

Women in India Protect Land & Foster Self-Reliance

Self-Employ 100 Women in Organic Farming in India

Where this Project is Located

Country

This project is located in India and can also be found under Environment.

For more information about India, read the Human Development Report on India or the Wikipedia entry for India.

When this Project was Updated

Last Updated

This project was last updated on August 08, 2008.

Date Added to GlobalGiving

This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on November 26, 2007.

Latest Update from the Field

Final Report

By Yael Falicov - Director of Programs, IDEX, August 08, 2008 06:57 PM

With the support of GlobalGiving donors, Manavi has been able to reach out to many women.

243 self-help groups (SHGs) have been formed in 17 village districts, with a total of over 5,000 women members. The women meet weekly to discuss issues affecting them and to turn in their weekly savings quota of approximately US $0.15. The savings can be withdrawn at any time and serves as an emergency fund when needed. They take out loans to support their farming and other related income-generating activities, which they pay back to the group.

The women receive training on organic farming and seed saving. The idea of worm compost has been very successful and communities gradually understand the importance of compost better with time. As a result the demand for building worm composting pits is increasing quite a lot. To meet this growing demand some banks have agreed to provide soft loans to the farmers for the construction of bigger compost pits. Farmers are not only creating enough compost to use in their fields, they are selling some too. Additionally the use of organic pesticides has enabled the women to control 60% to 70% of pests.

58 SHGs have been linked with different banks. Normally it takes six months to consolidate a formal relationship between an SHG and a bank. After six months of bank transactions, these groups are eligible for bank loans or other kinds of assistance.

25 SHGs have been able to mobilize financial supports from banks and Manavi, with a total investment capital of over US $16,000. Most of these groups have invested in activities related with agriculture, animal husbandry, trading of locally consumable items such as fishery, vegetables, fruits etc.

Federations of SHGs have been initiated in more than 10 districts. We are encouraging the federations to take up issues like atrocities perpetrated on women and adolescents, dowry cases, health & education related issues, and other village and district-level development projects.

Thank you for your support.

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