The Organization of Strong Women Alone (Ekal Nari Shakti Sansthan) has an open agenda – to work on any and all issues that are issues for single women. “Survival” is at the top or near the top of the list of issues, and so livelihood is a focus of concern. Most of the single women associated with the Organization are based in rural areas, and most of them have some link with “farming” activities.
“Farming” includes – field crop cultivation, animal husbandry and animal care, agriculture labour, and forest produce gathering. Most of the low-income single women do at least two or more “farming activities”, even if they do not own any land (e.g. agriculture labouring and goat or cattle rearing, or crop cultivation on their own land plus goat or cattle rearing and sometimes also agriculture labouring).
75% of the farming in India is done by women farmers, although “women” are not generally recognized as “farmers”! And this number will only get larger, as more men and boys migrate to cities for employment, leaving the village homesteads and land in the care of women.
Motivated by MAKAAM (Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch), a loose federation of women farmers and women working with women farmers, which came together about 2014/2015, the Organization of Strong Women Alone decided to try to organize Single Women Farmers within the Organization, and also include some married women farmers as well. A long term vision is to help to bring into existence a Rajasthan-wide forum of Women Farmers.
The Single Women Farmers of the Organization are taking the lead, in 14 Districts of the state. They have already started production of vermiculture fertilizer, planted multi-crop kitchen gardens, attended trainings, participated in study-tours to demonstration farms and organizations, and are holding regular meetings – these have been their activities up to now. They have shown interest to learn about sustainable agriculture practices and ecological farming. They are given opportunities to learn about these things.
Single Women Farmers are taking the lead to bring recognition to Rajasthan Women Farmers as “Farmers”, and to learn and practice agriculture activities that are ecologically sound, using whatever resources and opportunities they have!
