As big agro-business interests have often faced criticism for not giving adequate attention to the social and ecological concerns of India’s villages, can we, as an alternative, create models of small businesses that are very closely aligned with protecting the environment and the livelihoods of small farmers?
In this context, the Ken Betwa Women Farmer Producer Company (KBC) is an effort raising very interesting and promising possibilities. This company is led by women and has over 3,000 women small farmers of the Bundelkhand region as its shareholders.
This is a region of Central India frequently in the news due to the farmers' crisis, water scarcity, adverse impacts of climate change, and ecological ruin. In such conditions, a rural, women-based venture dedicated to protecting the environment and small farmer livelihoods is an invaluable development.
This has become possible due to preceding efforts over several years by a voluntary organization, SRIJAN, to promote natural farming among small farmers, with special emphasis on women and weaker sections.
To ensure better returns for them, a logical next step was to initiate the processing of farm produce and form a farmer producer company based on those women small farmers who are increasingly adopting natural farming practices.
While many crops can be processed, the company’s initial emphasis has been on mustard oil and groundnut oil. Desi ghee is also emerging as an important product, as are selected groundnuts and some pulses. In smaller quantities, other products, including some spices, are being tried, and a wider package of products is expected to emerge soon. As this is an early stage, some other supportive activities are also being taken up.
This effort is currently concentrated in the Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, although with further success, it can be extended to other parts, or similar efforts can be taken up in other districts of the Bundelkhand region.
Edible oils are products of daily consumption, and people are increasingly conscious that the oils they use should be healthy. With the market being flooded with cheap imports, there is increasing apprehension among consumers that what they buy may be adulterated.
In such a situation, KBC hopes to create a reputation based on healthy products that can be trusted by an increasing number of loyal consumers. In fact, these KBC products are already being sold not just at the local level but even in cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
The health credentials of KBC edible oils are established on the basis of the produce being grown by natural farming methods and the use of cold press processing technology.
The other big scoring point of this effort is that it is highly supportive of farmer livelihoods. Its profits are shared by its women small farmer shareholders, who, in turn, are mainly from the weaker or relatively weaker sections of rural society.
Another plus point is that this effort is highly supportive of the empowerment of rural women, including those in very remote villages. Women have been taking up all kinds of responsibilities for this effort and fulfilling them in satisfactory ways.
Abhilasha Pal is the present CEO of KBC. As she told me in her office located in the Jatara town of Tikamgarh district, this effort has been able to overcome several initial difficulties and is well on its way to progress.
Abhilasha was earlier the leader of a group of women committed to natural farming in a village in this district. At that time, she was also studying at a college. She was able to combine both roles successfully.
Several women members were consulted regarding the selection of the CEO, and the choice finally fell on her. So now she has many more responsibilities as the CEO but is still continuing to study further. Meanwhile, she has also married and has a child. However, she is happily combining all the responsibilities, providing an example of the special ability of women in rural India to combine several roles with grace and creativity.
In several villages that I visited in this district, women members and shareholders take pride in being a part of these efforts. They are also constantly benefiting in terms of selling their produce more easily and getting a fair price. In addition, the company is also useful to them as a provider of quality seeds at a fair price. At the company's processing centers, several women members can also use some of the available equipment to process their own produce.
Triveni, an enterprising woman from Pahari village, has been able to combine her personal entrepreneurial work with the company’s efforts, providing some important services and also increasing her income in the process.
Such opportunities can also increase for other women as the company progresses and expands its work.
As a part of spreading natural farming and diversifying farm activities, many small farmers here have been growing fruits and vegetables for several years. Hence, conducive conditions exist to use these products also to make pickles, jams, or similar products in decentralized units, and these, too, can be marketed by KBC once it is well established.
Kamlesh Kurmi, who has played a very supportive role in these efforts, says, “While this company is providing quality, healthy products, we hope that people will also recognize the wider social contribution of such businesses, which provide a different, innovative, and socially very useful model.”
Rakesh Kumar, who has also been very active in helping this effort, says, “When the expansion of a business is directly linked to spreading natural farming and promoting the livelihoods of women small farmers from weaker sections, then economic development, social progress, and environment protection can all be integrated very nicely.”
Surely, this is a very good reason for supporting this and other such efforts.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Save the Earth Campaign. His recent books include India's Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food, Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Man over Machine, and A Day in 2071
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