Bhubaneswar: Converting the dreadful Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity, a handful of rural women from underprivileged communities in Khurda district are raising vegetable gardens at home, as a viable source of income during the lockdown that saw men, the primary breadwinners of their families, lose jobs.
The women are the direct beneficiaries of Family Strengthening, the community outreach programme of SOS Children’s Villages of India (SOSCVI) an NGO. The programme aims at increasing the household income of vulnerable families, and thus, upholds and enhances the quality of parental care for their children. The programme covers over 250 families with more than 600 children in the villages of Mahimangar, Kujimahal, Dalua, Nadhara, Giringaput and Haridamada of Khurda district.
The families belong to tribal, scheduled castes and other backward classes with many of them working as migrant labourers. With agricultural inputs like seeds, technical guidance, and cash support from SOSCVI, the women have become successful in cultivating vegetables such as spinach, pumpkin and brinjal that fetch them up to Rs 100 per day, besides catering to the nutritional needs of the family.
Commenting about the enterprising rural women, “Many of these families suddenly became cash-strapped when men, the sole breadwinners, lost their jobs during successive lockdowns. About 100 to 150 men, who were working in Bhubaneswar and other cities nearby, are now homebound. Hence, we are helping these families explore alternative livelihoods including home gardening,” said Sumanta Kar, Secretary General, SOSCVI.
“We provide agricultural inputs and arrange guidance from agriculture experts. It has proven to be a game changer. Though these women did not have prior experience in gardening, they were determined to succeed when they saw that home gardening could be a sustainable source of decent income. The initiative has also led to provision of healthy and nutritious food for their children. When households have secure income, the quality of childcare is enhanced. We are planning to replicate this success in more communities in other locations,” she added.
PNN