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1. Title: Empowerment of Farm Women for Improved Quality of Life

2. Project team: Jyoti Nayak, Abha Singh, L. P. Sahoo

3. Name of the Collaborating Institute(s) : ICAR- Zonal Project Directorate,Zone – VI,

CAZRI Campus, Diesel Shed Road, Zonal Project Director ICAR- Zonal Project

Directorate,Zone – VII, JNKVV Campus. Zonal Project Director,ICAR- Zonal Project

Directorate, Zone I PAU Campus .

4. Objectives:

Assessment of nutritional status of farm families, nutritional challenges faced by them

and suggestive interventions for the management of malnutrition

Introduction of drudgery reducing technologies for enhanced efficiency

Need based technological empowerment of farm women for income generation and livelihood

security

5. Materials and methods used:

Hundred households from two to three selected villages will be identified for conducting

base line survey on health and nutritional status, resource availability, drudgery reducing

activities and need assessment for income generating activities at all the four centres (CIWA,

Bhubaneswar, ATARI Zone-I, Ludhiana, ATARI Zone-VI, Jodhpur, ATARI Zone-VII,

Jabalpur). At each collaborative centre forty households are selected for conducting intervention

and action research and all together 160 households are selected for interventions. In lead centre

two hamlets of village Haridamada of Khurda district were selected for conducting baseline

survey from hundred households as well as for intervention, forty households are selected.

Inception workshop of the project was conducted on 19-20 June, 2015 with all the

collaborative partners to finalize the technical programme and future course of action. Interview

schedule developed, pre-tested and data collection is continuing for assessing nutritional status of

farm families, resources available, farm activities done by farm women and information on

drudgery prone activities and need of the farm women.

6. Objective wise achievements:

(a) Assessment and management of nutrition status

Nutritional status assessment of farm women of 40 selected households indicated that 52.5 per

cent women were normal as per their Body Mass Index calculated by anthropometric

measurements and 10 per cent were obese. Around thirty seven per cent women were facing

Chronic Energy Deficiency from mild to severe degree. Disease and health situation was also

assessed and it was found that tuberculosis and diarrhoea affected the families from 15-30 per

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cent. As large number of population is suffering from CED, intervention has been initiated

among 40 farm families.

Interventions for Nutritional Improvement

1) Demonstration units: Nutrition Garden

At each centre, 40 nutrition gardens were established in this year to reduce the mal-

nourishment problem in children and women especially anaemia and Vitamin A deficiency and

focus was given on green / yellow and protein rich vegetables. Seeds of Spinach, Fenugreek,

Carrot, Turnip, Coriander, Amaranth and also distributed seedlings of Tomato, Cauliflower were

distributed for rabi season. Emphasis was given to grow vegetables without using any

insecticides/pesticides and intake of such vegetables will help them to improve their health

status.

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2. Skill enhancement Training

Skill up gradation trainings were conducted to enhance the capacity of farm women to

incorporate low cost nutritious food items in their diet the management of nutrition of infants,

children and adults.

Linkage was developed with was organized at lead centre in collaboration with Central Food and

Extension Unit, Gov. of India, Bhubaneswar and 5 Days training-cum-demonstration on

“Scientific method of preservation of fruits and vegetables, low cost nutritious recipes and

nutrition education” from 25-30 January, 2016 for improving the nutritional status and educating

the farm women on various aspects of nutrition. Skill trainings were also imparted for

developing low cost weaning foods for improving the nutritional status of infants and young

children.

3. Nutrition Education to farm women: Nutrition education sessions were organized to

improve the knowledge of farm women on the following aspects:

Dairy Management for milk production and utilization

Importance of Kitchen Gardening

Importance of green leafy vegetables in the diet

Conservation of nutrients during cooking

Hygiene and sanitation

4. Awareness cum health check-up camp: Awareness

and health check-up camp was organized on 23.12.2015

and 301 farm women actively participated in awareness

cum health check-up camp under Majhagawan KVK.

(b) Drudgery Reduction of Farm Families

Demonstration and distribution of drudgery reducing tools:

Following women friendly tools were distributed among farm

women for reducing drudgery in vegetable cultivation and

dairying activities.

1. Revolving Stool - 40 Nos.

2. Cow Dung Collector - 120 Nos. (40 X3=120)

3. Trowel - 40 Nos.

4. Light weight hand cultivator - 40 Nos.

5. Improved sickle - 80 Nos. (40 x 2 -80)

6. Small Sprayer - 80 Nos. (40 x 2 -80)

The assessment of these tools with traditional tools and impact assessment is going on.

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(c) Empowerment of Farm Women for Income Generation

Training and demonstration were imparted on the following areas for income generation and

critical inputs were supplied

1. Backyard poultry

2. Stitching decorative usable items from cotton fabric (small bags and purses)

3. Dairy Management

Under ICAR-ATARI, Zone-VI, Jodhpur one Krishi Vigyan Kedra, Chomu in Jaipur

district was selected for implementation of the project during 2015-17.

Selection of Villages and Families

From the selected Jaipur District, Village Abhaypura and Samod were selected for

implementation of project activities and Data Collection from the farm families. Survey was

conducted in the selected villages and randomly total 30 farm families from Samod village;

while total 40 farm families were selected randomly from village Abhaypura. In this way, total

70 families were selected under this project for data collection.

Data Collection of the Farm Women

i. Nutritional Status Assessment of Farm Families :

(i) Anthropometric assessment including measurement of height & weight.

(ii) Body Mass Index.

(iii) General assessment involving life style (lining standard).

(iv) Dietary assessment related to meal intakes and food habits.

ii. Assessment of Available Family Resources :

(i) Assessment of household agriculture and allied activities of rural women involving

drudgery with the help of interview schedule.

iii. Need assessment of Farm Women regarding drudgery and household farm level :

(i) With the help of interview schedule, we have find out the need and according to that we

have demonstrated the different technologies and equipments which are helpful to reduce

drudgery in farm activities.

iv. Need assessment technologies for empowerment of

women for income generation and economic stability :

Total 70 families were selected to raise the status of the

rural community through various activities for improving their

existing food, nutrition and social security system.

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(1) 70 Model Nutrition Garden was established in the adopted villages to motivate the farm

women to establish individual established nutritional gardens at home, for improving

their mal-nutrition status by consuming vegetable and fruits.

(2) Under technical support good quality of seeds and seedlings were supplied to the selected

partner farm women. In this way, they are able to earn money by selling and consuming

of fruits & vegetables for a longer period of time.

Sustainable Approaches for Nutritional Security

Other Income Generating Training Programmes : Non-Farm Activities

Several trainings were organized (15) such as; candle making, soap & detergent making,

preservation of foods, tailoring etc. to develop skills for income generating for improving

economic empowerment.

Drudgery Reduction

Training (10 Nos.) on drudgery reduction, time & energy saving technologies was given

to the women in the adopted villages. Rural women were motivated to use improved tools. The

different tools / technologies were disseminated at the adopted villages. Some of the technologies

and tools were as Revolving stool for milking animals, improved sickle, dung collector, hand

wheel hoe weeding tool, spray pump, dusting tool, seed treatment drum and other suitable

agriculture farm implements etc.

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Distribution of Dung Collector & Revolving Stool

Distribution of Twin Wheel Hoe Weeder and Naveen Sickle

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DEMONSTRATION UNITS

Demonstrations on Azolla was established and demonstrations on Barley, Oat, Methi

crops was conducted on their farm for increasing yield of different crops for improving income

by farm produce.

7. Outcome/ implications/ conclusions

i. Nutritional and livelihood enhancement and drudgery reduction of farm women

ii. Linkage development with line departments