Projects In Asia: Snekithi

INDIA ($4,300)
Integrated Agriculture
Project Coordinator - Mr. S. Mathivanan

Twenty women farmers from two self-help groups in Karur District, Tamil Nadu are participating in this one-year project.

The beneficiaries own small portions of land and mostly are heads of household as their husbands are not offering support for a variety of reasons (illness, alcoholism, etc.). They have been raising mono-crops. For this project they will be trained in organic agriculture. Also, they will purchase an indigenous local calf with their loans and will use the dung to begin vermi-compost units. Each woman will receive $195 to purchase a calf, seeds and inputs for farming and vermi-compost units. They will receive training for two days in land preparation, nursery raising, organic inputs, soil and water conservation, and rainwater harvesting. They will also engage in a one-day exposure visit to a model farm. Loans will be repaid at 12% per year. Anticipated economics will be:

From Dr. R. Kannan’s report, Snekithi’s previous [RSWR-sponsored] project, banana value-added project, has been extended to add 20 more women. Snekithi has two female and two male staff. At Pathiripatti village, I met two target group members. Each member has a piece of land and shared their interest of calf-rearing, organic agriculture and compost. The village has water sources like ponds and canals. It also has grazing lands.”

Project Completed: December 31, 2010