Participatory Action Research on

FacilitatingAgriculturalRegenerationMeasures (FARM)as an intervention to agrarian crisisand farmers suicides in Wayanad.

Kerala Social Service Forum

MALABAR SERIESWynad: ITS PEOPLES AND TRADITIONS

Panoramic view from the top of Tamarasseri ghat towardsthe Arabian Sea, a distance of thirty-nine miles.

“High mountains rise to the left with water glisteringon bare black rocks like tears of gladness in the eyes ofsorrow; forests stretch away here with gentle slope andeasy undulation, there down precipice and steepdeclivity; far below lie swamps choked with thornythicket and rank coarse grasses, breed-ing fevers andmiasma, but yet in whose bosoms are stored the streamswhich water those long stretches of rice fields, here sereand yellow after the sickle of the reaper, there whiteningunto harvest or again a vivid green where the secondcrop natures. Hills everywhere some arid, red andunfruitful, more covered in the feathery foliage of theEastern orchards.

Here and there smoke curls up in the still noon-tide air;or the glint of some mosque or temple or rirverpoolcatches the eye. As the distance groves farther, hill andfield all merge into one green plain, and beyond gleamsthe sea, hard to be discerned from the heaven that bendsdown and meets it. As you gaze, the thought rise fromthe heart that in such fair and well-ordered beauty, theaffairs of this world may perchance appear from theThorne of Heaven with all their inequality, so strange,so little comprehendable by us the dwellers amid its hillsand valleys.”

—MADRAS TIMES.

RAO BAHADUR C. GOPALAN NAIRDeputy Collector, Malabar

ParticipatoryAction research on Facilitating Agricultural Regeneration

Measures as an intervention to agrarian crisis and farmers suicidesin Wayanad

44444

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Executive SummaryKey Findings

Chapter 1. Introduction1.1. Backdrop1.2. Agrarian Crisis of Wayanad1.3. Transect of FARM Wayanad1.4. SFC Network1.5. Activities implemented- A flash back

Chapter 2. Participatory Action Research2.1. Pedagogy2.2. Scope and Relevance2.3. Synopsis of the PAR2.4. Profile of the Action Research Universe

Chapter 3. Analysis of the Secondary Data3.1. Review of Literature3.2. Sustainable Agriculture Measures of Kerala3.3. Interpretations

Chapter 4. Participatory Action Research on Sustainable Agriculture4.1. Backdrop4.2. Homestead Nutrition Gardens4.3. Action Research on Nutrition Gardening4.4. Case Study Analysis of Nutrition Gardens4.5. Action Research on System of Rice Intensification4.6. Case Study Analysis of System of Rice Intensification4.7. Promotion of Farmers Rights4.8. Interpretations

Chapter 5. Participatory Rural Appraisal5.1. Appraisal of Farmer’s Groups5.2. Interpretations

Chapter 6. Analysis of Programmes in Other Sectors6.1. Cost Benefit Analysis of the IGP6.2. Case Study Analysis of IGP6.3. Interpretations6.4. Analysis of Befriending Programmes6.5. Case Study Analysis of Befriending6.6. Interpretations6.7. FGD on interventions of FARM6.8. Interpretations

Chapter 7. Analysis of the Convergence Programmes7.1. Analysis of Consultation Workshops7.2. Analysis of Technology Transfer Programmes7.3. Analysis of Research Output Dissemination7.4. Interpretations

Chapter 8. Recommendations and Suggestions

Bibliography

Index

55555

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Table 1 Details of the Target Panchayaths 24Table 2 Distribution of units of the Nutrition Gardening based on tribal hamlets 41Table 3 Distribution of units of based on the cultivation selected 41Table 4 Distribution of units based on the tribes 42Table 5 Distribution of the Nutrition Garden covered under the research 42Table 6 Cost Benefit Analysis of the Nutrition Gardening and Chemical Farming 43Table 7 Distribution of the units of System of Rice Intensification 49Table 8 Comparison of SRI against conventional practices 50Table 9 Cost Benefit Analysis of System of Rice Intensification 51Table 10 Relative quantity of Participation in the Participatory Rural Appraisal 58Table 11 Historical timeline of the agriculture 60Table 12 Seasonal Calendar of Vegetable Farming 62Table 13 Daily Routine of the farmers 63Table 14 Distribution of IGP beneficiaries based on age 69Table 15 Distribution of the beneficiaries on the basis of IGP selected 69Table 16 Details of the beneficiary’s contribution to IGPs 70Table 17 Details of the input cost required for IGPs 70Table 18 Distribution of Income based on monthly basis from IGPs 70Table 19 Distribution of IGP beneficiaries based on monthly expenses 71Table 20 Cross tabling of Income and Expenditure 71Table 21 Distribution of the beneficiaries based on savings 72Table 22 Data on the suicides in Wayanad from 2000 to 2010 81Table 23 Data on the interview among the befriending clients 81Table 24 Details of the befriending services offered in the reference Panchayaths 83Table 25 Relative quantity of the participation in Focus Group Discussion 89Chart 1 Income sources of farmers 61Chart 2 Expenditure of the farmers 61

List of Tables and Charts

66666

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

I would like to appreciate the commendable work done by Kerala Social Service Forum (KSSF) and along withthe NGO network in Wayanad to address the hard core pressing issue of agrarian crisis together with Caritas.

With the agrarian crisis looming in the frontline, the concerns of the farmers are to be addressed more sensitively.The numbers of deaths resulting out of the crisis are vast and causes for this were many. A major cause for thecrisis resulted from crop failure and economic conditions. Through the active participation of KSSF and otherNongovernmental organizations to conduct Participatory Action Research on Facilitating Agricultural RegenerationMeasures as an intervention to agrarian crisis and farmers’ suicides in Wayanad, it has brought about a distinctperspective to the whole cause. It helped the farmers to change the outlook of farming by taking sustainableagricultural measures.

The strategies taken up for sustainable farming will definitely benefit a large number of people who are in despair.Organic farming taken up under this initiative will greatly benefit the community at large and the environment.Nutrition gardening will improve the nutrition status and ensure food security for the family. The two majorprogrammes implemented for the promotion of Nutrition Gardening - Homestead Farming and System of RiceIntensification will also improve the life style of the people with increased self sufficiency and reduced risk toincome from climatic, biological or market impacts on particular crops/products. Participatory Action Researchwill now enlighten the farmers on the use of techniques for socioeconomic development.

Caritas strongly believes in improving the lifestyle of the needy by combating poverty. It supports the promotionof growth and development of local and regional structures thereby bringing in equality among all. Empoweringthe local communities to initiate and sustain their own humanization process is one of the major roles played byCaritas India. Facilitating the activities that is bound to improve the social and environmental standards is of highconcer for Caritas India and it continually strives to promot such interests and issues.

Caritas is of the belief that we have to promote these types of pilot novel initiatives and models which can bereplicated by Government or Non-Governmental Organization/Civil societies to address the issues of the poorand needy.

Message

Fr. Varghese MattamanaExecutive DirectorCaritas India

77777

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

I am happy to present the FARM as an intervention to agrarian crisis and farmers suicide in Wayanad with theardent hope that the findings of this study will contribute in some manner to the evolution of a comprehensive

plan to salvage the agrarian sector of Wayanad from its crisis. Both the national and the regional media haswritten at length about the debacle of Wayanad with the Central and State Governments coming out withpackages aimed at providing relief to farmers. Scores of Studies have been conducted on the distress of Wayanadand the scenario has been well articulated, encompassing the agrarian, tribal and environmental arena. Unlikethe studies undertaken by arm chair writers, this study is parented by the men and women who toil in the soiland are exposed to an uncertain future. People are the masters and the scholars very often try to misguide themwith their nauseating theories.

In a liberalised economy where the masters elsewhere try to control our agriculture and industry, the knowledgeof the farmers and those who till the soil go often unheeded. The focus group discussions undertaken as part ofthis study bring out both the frustrations of the farm community as well as their answers to the vexing problemsstudied by the scholars. Kerala Social Service Forum made an attempt to document the multi-stakeholderresponses to the agrarian crisis in Wayanad in 2009. Study was conducted at Edavaka and Ambalavayal GramaPanchayaths and the report was well accepted by the NGO sector and the social scientists. We are nowpresenting this Participatory Action Research report which had a much bigger coverage area than the 2009study. Intervention is any distress situation must go beyond relief and consolation. Unfortunately no seriousefforts have been made to analyse the malaise and put in place contingency plans for possible mitigation. Thefarmer and the farming community must be ready for a resilience operation beginning with an introspection andreadiness to accept their share in aggravating the crisis followed up with appropriate corrective measures. Thetemptation to amass wealth in a short duration forces one to reroute farming practices with little concern forenvironmental values. The rare combination of natural conditions with economic variations which determine thestatus of agriculture. Retaining the soil conditions is part of the creed of farmers which of course is now the keydeteriorating factor with over use of fertilisers. Overuse of land is a cardinal sin as regards farm sector isconcerned. The participatory action research herein dwells with the human interference with nature’s unwrittenlaws and should help us to think critically.

The study offers pertinent suggestions and recommendations which are supposed to be taken up by the variousstakeholders as catalyzing agent in the agricultural regeneration measures of Wayanad. Revival of HomesteadGardens and possibility of Biodynamic Farming are two recommendations that need to be explored further.Traditional organic input preparations are proposed as an answer to the havoc of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.Return to paddy cultivation is a must for the revival of Wayanad. System of Rice Intensification alone has thepotential to turn the Wayanad into the granary of Kerala. As for allied incomegenerating ventures linkage of farm to milch cows and goat is proposed. Andthe ultimate answer is an all out exploration of organic farming.

Man stepped into farming for food and unless food crops prevail over cashcrops the crisis in food security will only escalate. Policy formulations must bemade to earmark area for food crops and commercial crops with stipulationsthat may not be overstepped. Wayanad can turn out to be a model in plannedrevival of agriculture if only the farmers and the government plan togetherstrategies and action plans. Kerala Social Service Forum and FARM Wayanadare proud to be part of the larger national network to rejuvenate agriculture. Iam sure this multi stake holder analysis of issues related to ecological andlivelihood crisis will usher in serious deliberations leading to lasting solutions.

Foreword

Fr. Romance AntonyExecutive Director-KSSF

88888

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

An effort has been made by Caritas Asia to support the action research on Improved productivity, protectionof environment and health of farmers and their families in different parts of Asia. The Facilitating Agriculture

Regeneration Programme (FARM) supported by Caritas India has been selected as one for doing action research.With an objective to analyze the actions towards the contribution on agriculture regeneration and the issues offarmers’ suicides, the participatory action research has been initiated.

The Agrarian crisis due to many factors including impacts of globalized trade regimes and liberalized economicpolicies has caused suicides by farmers in Wayanad. In order to help the farmers and the suicide victimfamilies, Caritas India initiated an intervention in Wayanad with a programme called “Facilitating AgriculturalRegeneration Measures (FARM)” in which 7 NGOs are partners under the coordination of Kerala Social ServiceForum (KSSF). The programme includes capacity building of various aspects of sustainable agriculture, befriendingof the victim families, networking and linkage with Government departments, supporting the victim families withlivelihood options. The programme has been successfully implemented by a team of Staff and volunteers. Manyfamilies were supported through the initiatives as many have ventilated thier feelings through befriending, increasedincome through livelihood options, group farming, improved helath through nutrition gardening, improved confidencein organic farming etc. This programme has also proved the effectiveness of collaborative effort.

The intervention initiated in the year 2007 and a Participatory Action Research was carried out in selected areasof to highlight the impact of the programme on the life of the people in District. The action reaserch helped inbringing out the changes occured due to the implementation of FARM programme. From the interpretations ofthe data collected through research it can be noted that FARM project has emerged as a tool for the SustainableAgriculture Regeneration as well and arrested the suicide rate in Wayanad. The programme is still continuingwith more participation and actions.

Message

Dr. Haridas V.RManager (NRM)Caritas India, New Delhi

99999

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Facilitating Agricultural Regeneration Measures (FARM) Programme implemented by Save Farmers Campaign(SFC) Network, comprising 7 leading Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) under the coordination of

Kerala Social Service Forum (KSSF), during the last 3 years have gained remarkable positive changes in theburning issues of agrarian crisis and high level suicide rate in the small district of Wayanad, Kerala. Thisintervention with the solid support of Caritas India has been assessed in a systematic manner in selectedvillages under participatory process. Similarly, considering the prime need of adoption of Organic system ofagriculture as the only lasting solution to the damages caused to the region over the years due to the farmingpractices with the excessive use of chemicals, organic system has been familiarized and trials conducted in thetarget areas. The entire process has been covered under the Participatory Action Research (PAR) conductedwith the support of Caritas Asia.

The SFC Network Partner NGOs - Shreyas, Wayanad Social Service Society (WSSS), Women’s’ WelfareAssociation (WWA), Jeevana, Voluntary Organization for Innovative and Collective Education (VOICE), MalabarSocial Service Society (MASSS) and A Society for Total Advancement and rehabilitation Centre (STARS) -remains as the corner stones in the FARM Project. I wish to thank all the clientele especially the farmers whotook the risk to conduct the trials and build up the model farms under organic system. I place on record theunchallengeable spirit and enthusiasm showed by Mr. Jaimon C Uthup, Research & Documentation Consultantwho closely accompanied the entire Participatory Action Research process and documented this report. I wouldalso like to thank Fr. Antonyto Paul for his initial guidance and supports in designing the PAR. The Project Teamof SFC provided unraveled support in the PAR and their spirits needs to be quoted as the guiding light.

I express sincere thanks to Dr. V.R. Haridas, NRM Asia Coordinator who accompanied us in the entire processsharing knowledge, providing course corrections and guiding the entire implementation of the research project.I would like to express gratitude to Rev. Fr. Varghese Mattamana, Executive Director Caritas India and Rev. Fr.Romance Antony, Executive Director Kerala Social Service Forum for the trust they have shown in me tocoordinate the project in Wayanad. The continued support from Caritas Asia,Caritas India and the farmers of Wayanad reflects our commitment to combatthe agrarian crisis in Wayanad to redeem the pristine ecology therebyregenerating the lost paradise in Kerala. The results, outcomes and impactsprojected in this document will surely result in replication of such farmingpractices not only in Kerala but also in other parts of India. I am optimistic that,the much awaited change for sustaining agriculture is on the anvil. I believethat in near future, the agrarian crisis of Wayanad will turn into pages in thehistory and we will move on to a prosperous era with the Sustainable AgriculturalPractices.

Acknowledgement

E J JoseProgramme ManagerKerala Social Service ForumWayanad Regional OfficeKalpetta North (PO)673122(PIN)Tel: 9446841910Email: sfcwayanad@gmail.com

Executive Summary

1 21 21 21 21 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Wayanad has a glorious history of farming datingback to several centuries which was founded

on sustainable practices. The Neolithic inscriptions inthe Edakkal caves dates back to Stone Age from 5000BC to 1000 BC and are having possible connectionswith the Indus Valley Civilization which was alsofounded on Sustainable Farming Practices. The tribalculture and ethos of Wayanad are the reflections ofthe agricultural practices as harvest is alwaysconnected to festivals. Farmers have considered earthas “Mother God” and worshipped her before thecultivations. Sustainability has been a hallmark of ourfarming system from the time immemorial, growing thetime tested, weather suited, traditional crops with orwith out additional organic inputs, but deeply interwovenwith the ecological systems and climatic conditions.How ever these century old practices disappeared inthe wake of post independent era where the GreenRevolution made thrust on Grow more Food. But thisunmindful development has reverted the ecologicalbalances which was been practiced for centuries andhas led seemingly irrevocable ecological andenvironmental catastrophes in the district.

Green revolution has replaced the traditional varietieswith the high yielding ones making the farmers dependon tones of fertilizers to get the high yields. Thesecrop varieties were alien to the soil and suffered newpest attacks and disease outbreaks making the farmerto pour huge quantities of pesticides. Input costskyrocketed several folds due to these exotic elementsadopted in the farming and has resulted in multipleissues in the ecologically fragile land of Wayanad.Microorganism declined and the soil lost its fertilityand vitality resulting in the extinction of tested traditionalvarieties. Biodiversity of agricultural fields is now afairly tale and the farmland has become silent, devoid

of croak of frogs, chattering of warblers etc…whichwere an important parts of the chain of food cycle actingas host organisms. Water scarcity has emerged as abig problem even in Wayanad district which has aplethora of natural water resources. Eternal relationshipwith farmer and farmland was lost and the sustainableagriculture system collapsed, cost of the cultivationsoared, income of farmers stagnated and food securitybecame a daunting challenge. And thus came AgrarianSuicides numbering 1981 in Wayanad district the“Heaven of Kerala”.

Facilitating Agricultural Regeneration Measures is anattempt of the catholic church of Kerala to addressthe Kerala’s biggest agrarian disaster. Project had aglorified aim of empowering the farming communitiesin the Wayanad to address the issue in agricultureand to combat suicides. It is now three years ofrejuvenation therapy offered for the crisis affectedfarmers and they are convinced that the only way is toreturn to the traditional ways of sustainable agriculture.The demand for organic products at the marketspromoted by FARM project is high and the supply fallsshort. Thus organic farming assumed very muchimportance and the broad principle of “Live and let live”attracted the people of Wayanad. There have beendemurs and doubts on the practicality of organicfarming on the ground that the production wouldplummet and there will be another food crisis. This ledthe Save Farmers Campaign to have a FarmersParticipatory Action Research on the SustainableAgricultural Measure propagated through the FARMproject along with the validation of the variousprogrammes offered to the community.

Agriculture in Wayanad is at the crossroads…..

1 31 31 31 31 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

The main objective of the Participatory ActionResearch was to analyze whether the Sustainable

Agriculture Measures propagated through theFacilitating Agricultural Regeneration Measures(FARM) Project has contributed to agricultureregeneration and has addressed the issues of farmers’suicides. From the interpretations of the data collectedthrough research it can be said that FARM project hasemerged as a tool for the Sustainable AgricultureRegeneration as well and arrested the Suicide rate inWayanad. The main findings of the study are presentedhereunder.

1. The agricultural crisis that prevailed in this decadehas made the farmers of Wayanad to understandthe need to take up the Sustainable Farming.Farmers of Wayanad are now very much aware ofthe difference between the conventional chemicalfarming and the traditional organic farming as theformer is high input cost involved high risk farmingproducing inorganic products which ensuresmedium price harming the ecology and wellbeingof man, where as the later is low input cost involvedlow risk farming producing organic produces whichwill ensure premium prices and will not do anythingharm to the man and ecology.

2. Nutrition Gardening has improved the soil texture,soil fertility and water usage became minimal.There was 30% increase of productivity and mixedcropping helped the farmer to ensure food securityand nutritional security of the family.

3. Experimentation of the Nutrition Gardening andConventional Chemical farming shows a greatdifference in the cost benefits. In Nutrition inducedTapioca cultivation the cost benefit was 4.35 asagainst the cost benefit of 3.88 in the chemicalfarming. In Nutrition induced Cow pea cultivationthe cost benefit was 2.67 as against the costbenefit of 1.73 in the chemical farming. In Nutritioninduced Ginger cultivation the cost benefit was2.11 as against the cost benefit of 1.80 in thechemical farming. In Nutrition induced yamcultivation the benefit against the cost is 4.13 as

Key Findings

against the cost benefit of 2.61 in the chemicalfarming. Hence it is clear that the Organic Nutritionprogramme is a grand success in the cost benefitterms.

4. In SRI the input cost is very low as compared tothe conventional farming. Seed cost is reducedto 90%. Productivity in the SRI is one fold higherthan the conventional farming and is less proneto pest attacks. Net Income from SRI method inan acre is Rs 24,860 as against the Rs 9,550 inthe conventional chemical farming.

5. Farmers became aware of their rights and are nowactively engaged in dialogues with the Governmentfor ensuring their right to live.

6. Even though the effort and time required in theorganic farming is high, farmers are slowly shiftingto the traditional farming methods. This is onlybecause they are aware that the agrarian crisisthat hit the district in this decade is only becauseof the modern farming and the impact of the crisiscan be recovered only if they get retrieved to theorganic farming methods.

7. Marketing ensured under the FARM Project hasresulted in farmers getting gaining prices. But ithas found that the demand of organic products ishigh whereas the supply falls short.

8. A total of 1527 farmers are now practicing organicfarming under the FARM Project and it is expectedthat they will become organic certified in anothertwo years time.

9. Seasonality of the farming has undergone drasticchanges and in order to cope up with this issuethe farmers have to adapt to the climate changeby changing the old agricultural calendar with thenew practical agricultural calendar.

10. Cow rearing provided an income on a monthlybasis. Women opted cow rearing as the mostsuitable one as they could generate income at

1 41 41 41 41 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

the homestead and could link with the OrganicFarming as they got enough raw materials for theorganic input preparations.

11. IGPs have helped the women to becomeeconomically independent in a situation whenother opportunities are limited. All the beneficiariesindicated that the IGPs have helped them to tideover the difficulties they had experienced due theonset of the agrarian crisis. 57% of thebeneficiaries of the IGP support could save anamount worth Rs 1500 and above on a monthlybasis after meeting their household requirements.

12. Befriending deems to be quoted as the mostsought out psycho social service by the suicidevictim families as well as the distress families andhas helped hundreds from the bridge of life to death.

13. The suicide rate of Wayanad has now fallen downto 25.02 from 45.01 per Lakh in the severe crisisperiod, which was well above the national rates. Itcan be noted that in the year 2010 the suicidenumber is 38 as against the highest number of229 suicides in 2007.

14. As an output of the lobbying with thePanchayaths, these Local Self GovernmentInstitutions (LSG’s) have taken up the matter ofissues behind chemical farming and has initiatedcertain steps in the regeneration of the chemicalfarms through organic farming.

15. Ecological protection has gained importanceamong the recipient community and the notableinterventions are the youth and children taking upthe campaign in the schools where the FARMproject has offered awareness.

16. Awareness programmes in the health sector has

resulted in people understanding the reasonsbehind the increasing rate of killer diseases aswell as lifestyle diseases and thus the concept ofOrganic Farming has got wide acceptance.

17. As an outcome of the Advocacy, Networking andLobbying carried out in the FARM project thepartners were able to source out convergenceprogrammes from Government departments whichhas resulted in the value addition of theSustainable Agriculture Measures promoted bythe project.

18. Dissemination of knowledge on the preparation oforganic inputs has helped thousand of farmers toadopt the nutrition induced organic farming.Documentation of these Bio- fertilizers, Bio-pesticides etc… has helped in conservation of thetraditional farmer’s knowledge regarding the ecofriendly farming.

19. As an outcome of the research works, SFCnetwork was invited by Subject Committee of theLegislative Assembly, Government of Keralapreparing Organic Farming Policy to presentfindings and suggestion towards framing the policy.

20. Dissemination of the research outputs of theproject has further resulted in solicitation of thepartnership of the SFC network in variousGovernment programmes aiming at theSustainable Agriculture Development of WayanadDistrict.

It can be said that on the road map to SustainableAgriculture Development, the tools applied by theFARM project has resulted in behaviour change amongthe farmers of Wayanad resulting in more and moretaking up Organic Farming.

1 51 51 51 51 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Introduction1

1 61 61 61 61 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

1.1. BackdropWayanad district in Kerala lies on the edge of theDeccan plateau and is unique because of its elevation(700-2100 metres above mean sea level) compared tothe rest of the plains in the state. This district has apurely agriculture-dependent economy and is amongthe most underdeveloped regions. The social fabric ofthe district is distinctly different from the rest of Kerala,with the highest proportion of aboriginal tribes, a lowsex ratio, and an environmentally fragile ecosystem.The district covers an area of 212,560 hectares and ishome to 780,619 inhabitants (2001 census). Aboriginaltribes form 17.4% of the total district population.

Wayanad district is famous for its pepper and coffeein the international market and almost 80- 90% of thefarmers are small and marginal with an average landholding size of 0.5 acres. Wayanad is also famous forits paddy lands. The name Wayanad comes from ‘Vayalnadu’ which means land of paddy and these are thewater reservoirs of the region. The farmers here weredependent on paddy for their sustenance and their mainincome was from pepper, coffee and other spices. Ruraleconomy of Wayanad is totally dependent onagriculture unlike other districts in the state. The major

plantation crops (tea, coffee, pepper and arecanut)together constitute 38% of cropped area. SinceWayanad is a largely montane area that receives highannual rainfall within a short span of three to fourmonths, land performs important hydrological andwatershed functions. Wayanad is now announced ascrisis hit district by the Government of India and isplaced in the category of Backward District by theMinistry of Panchayath Raj. Despite some advancesin social indicators, poverty remains a major problemin Wayanad. The district is one of the most backwardregions in the State with fourteen districts. Acomparative data with rest of the State shows that thedistrict is ranked 14th in terms of urban population,13th in sex ratio, 12th in condition of houses, 14th intelephone facility, 12th in literacy etc

1.2. Agrarian Crisis of WayanadDecline in crop yield, coupled with sharp fall in theirprices, created severe distress in all sections ofagricultural population from the year 2000 onwards.This crisis has manifested itself in increasing poverty,falling prices of primary products, mounting debts andalso in suicide of farmers. Though the cause of thecrisis is apparently found in the changing trade scenario

worldwide, its features and thereasons for its escalation has beenrelated with a variety of factors,some inherent in the functioningof the country and the others asinfluences from outside. For years,this region has been a majorproducer and exporter of spicesand other major cash cropsproduced in India, thus contributingsubstantially to the GDP of thestate. In the recent years, however,Wayanad has come to be moreknown for the suicide of farmersrather than for the coffee, pepperand wildlife it was once famous for.This crisis has been characterizedby the low productivity, highincidence of crop diseases andpest attacks, natural calamities

Paddy ready for harvest

1 71 71 71 71 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

(Climate Change) like flood,drought and landslides, risingunemployment, increase in cost ofcultivation, outmigration of farmersand labourers.

Agrarian distress and farmerssuicide is a subject of widespreaddiscussion in recent years. Goingby indicators like agriculturalinvestment, output, prices andincomes, the emerging picture isnot at all satisfactory. Publicinvestment in agriculture has beenon the decline, output has beengrowing only at a rate of 1.5 to 2%per annum, the prices of BlackPepper, Coffee and Paddy whichhome the major producer of thearea have witnessed steep fall in prices from INR 2600to 650 for pepper, INR 6000 to 2300 for Coffee. Tradeliberalization has resulted in imports of severalagricultural commodities to the domestic marketthereby adversely affecting prices. Indebtedness ofsmall and medium farmers and low production hascaused further deterioration of the situation.

Many households failing to cope up with the distresscommitted suicide and there emerged a pandemicsituation in the agrarian terrain of Wayanad. Mitigationof agrarian distress required not only debt relief but along term regeneration strategy containing activitiesto rejuvenate agriculture, promote organic farming,continuous psycho social support, promotion of pricestability, support systems and creation of alternativelivelihoods to the distress families. This gave birth tothe Save Farmers Campaign Network in Wayanad tosculpt agricultural regeneration programme in thehistory of Kerala.

1.3. Transect of FARM WayanadAgrarian sector of Wayanad became stained withsuicides in the years 2005, 2006 and the situationaggravated in 2007. Suicides, something as morbidas people taking their own lives due to despair and

helplessness has translated into mere statistics now.When nightmares become a pleasant and preferablepreoccupation for an entire community, and death anopportunity for a better life its time to jam the brakesand take a check. The mounting rate of ‘farmer suicides’because of the loss of livelihood resource base; - andmany more in the fray - caused the concerns of thecivil society. Individuals and social developmentorganizations have the vital responsibility to collectivelyinvolve to mitigate the causative factors behind theissue; especially when the state responsible,maintained a rather ‘blind eye’ and did little or nothingto save the victims. Kerala Social Service Forumclimbed up the Tamarasherry Ghats in 2007 along withCaritas India to forge an alliance of NGOs to addressthe agrarian crisis. Thus the consortium of likemindedNGOs; Shreyas, WSSS, Jeevana, VOICE, MASSS,WWA and STARS was formed. The FARM project waslaunched on the 8th of August 2007 at Sulthan Batheryby Rev. Fr. Varghese Mattamana, Executive DirectorCaritas India in the presence of Shri P Krishna PrasadMLA and Mr. Sathyian Mokeri, Member of the StateAgriculture Debt Relief Commission.

1.4. SFC NetworkSave Farmers Campaign network consists of seven

Inauguration of Save Farmers Campaign Network

1 81 81 81 81 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

grass root organizations, one network organization andCaritas India as the facilitating organization. CaritasIndia, the social work organ of the Catholic BishopsCouncil of India having expertise of 49 years inaddressing the problems of the poor in India facilitatedthe project by providing funds, scientific know how,technical expertise and monitoring of the project.Kerala Social Service Forum the implementingcoordinator of the FARM project (Justice PeaceDevelopment Commission of the Kerala CatholicBishops Council) has a track record of engaging insocial work from 1981 onwards. KSSF is a pioneeringagency of Kerala in capacity development as well associal research and was the agency behind diocesansocial works institutions paradigm shift from charity tosustainable development.

Calicut Diocesan Social Service Society (Jeevana) isanother pioneering agency in the economicaldevelopment of the poor and marginalized in the district.Malabar Social Service Society (MASSS) is the socialservice wing of the Arch Diocese of Kottayam for itsrural development initiatives in Malabar region. ShreyasSocial Service Centre (Shreyas) is the social workconcern of the Malankara Catholic Diocese of Batheryand is a leading organization in the agricultureespecially organic farming. Society for TotalAdvancement and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) isthe social work organization of the Calicut CMI provincein Wayanad and are a pioneering agency in inclusionof vulnerable such as mentally and physically disabledin all programmes. Voluntary Organization for InnovativeCollective Action (VOICE) is a non governmentalorganization engaged in local resource mobilization toresource management. Wayanad Social ServiceSociety (WSSS) is the official social work arm of theCatholic Diocese of Mananthavady and is speciallynoted for its pioneering roles and the multi dimensionalactivities and undertakings thereto dealing withagricultural developments through organic farming.Women’s Welfare Association (WWA) is a voluntarynon governmental organization working with rural peopleof Wayanad and is noted for its integrated and peoplecentered rural development activities for improving thequality of life of the villagers.

1.5 Activities implemented - A flashbackThe duration of the first phase of FARM Wayanad wasfor 16 months. (July 2007 – October 2008). The secondphase of FARM Wayanad project began in November2008 after the successful completion of the first Phase.Second phase of the project proposed for two years iscompleting by the October 2010. The implementationof the 1st phase and 2nd phase of the project was donevery well and the visibility of the project has reachednot only in the district of Wayanad but also grabbedthe state and national wide attention. This intensecampaign to seek a lasting solution to heart rendingtragedies has yielded positive results. The uniqueexperience of the network of NGOs in Wayanad toaddress the burning issues of agrarian crisis andsuicides by farmers is being appreciated by the socialweb of Wayanad. In the second phase the programmesof the partner network were characterized into social,ecological, psychological, economic, tribal and health.Similarly the coordination level activities arecharacterized under Community based Human RightBefriending, Massive awareness building andCapacitation, IEC, Sustainable Livelihood Supports to850 suicide victim families, Workshops and Researchstudies, collaborative efforts with local self governments(Panchayath Raj Institutions) etc…

Impacts and Achievements of theFARM Ist & IInd Phase

Consortium of seven partner NGOs in the districtunder the coordination of Kerala Social ServiceForum named as Save Farmers Network Campaignemerged.An army of fifty social workers with adequatetraining and capacitation are working for theregeneration measures.All the Panchayath Raj Institutions have becomemore concerned and vibrant in addressing thesurvival problems and issues faced by the farmersafter the mobilizations at the PRI level.An accurate data base on the statistics related tothe various aspects of the agrarian crisis with thesuicide data was prepared.A total of 865 families out of the 1981 suicide

1 91 91 91 91 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

victims’ family were supported with incomegeneration programme through the first and secondphase.Befriending the most sought out form of psychosocial support was obtained by 6831 persons inthe three years time. This has resulted in arrestingthe suicide to the lowest one in the last ten yeartime. The feasibility and sustainability of organic farming& sustainable agriculture could be facilitated andpromoted as alternative in the present crisis.38,000 farmers and general community participatedin various awareness sessions and familiarized theconcepts and intervention strategies of the project.494 farmers were brought in to the process oforganic cultivation and certification.Alternative bio-inputs were widely propagated. Food

crops such as tubers, paddy, vegetables andplantain were promoted among the farmersespecially among the tribals.Networked with the government service providerssuch as NABARD, State Horticulture Mission forup scaling the organic farming concept.Recognition from the government by inviting for thepolicy level discussions of the Kerala State OrganicPolicy was yet another achievement.

The consortium was invited as member in variousplatforms of government as the network emerged asthe single consortium in the district addressing theroot causes of the agrarian crisis.

Flowering of coffee plants

2 02 02 02 02 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

2 12 12 12 12 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

2Participatory ActionResearch

2 22 22 22 22 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

2.1. PedagogyParticipatory Research can be defined by differentlevels and types of local involvement of localstakeholders in and control over the research process.It also encompasses different methods, tools andapproaches. The rationale for using ParticipatoryResearch is to encourage community participation inorder to improve the usefulness of research to localpeople (McAllister, Karen, 1999). Another reason maybe for empowerment or social transformation tostrengthen the local people’s capacity in decisionmaking in research, and in management of localresources, in order to improve their ability to act ontheir own behalf.

Given the fact that different social groups have differentknowledge about agricultural management and differentissues relate to that, it is imperative to speak aboutthese social groups in the community (women, men,poor, marginal, different ethnic and social status group)with the objective of understanding the different socialperspectives because there are a myriad of socialissues in the agriculture regeneration. Daniel Selenerin his treatise, ‘Participatory Action Research andSocial Change’ clearly explicates the raison de’etre ofconducting the participatory action research to inducethe change. Participatory Research is thought tocatalyze social change by increasing local awarenessof problems and issues, encouraging them to collect,organize and analyze information relevant to theirsituation, mobilizing them to develop their own optionsand plans for dealing with problems, and strengtheninglocal capacity and options to act on those plans. Theshort term goal of mobilizing local people to solveimmediate practical problem is intended to lead to longterm shifts in power relations in favor of communityand governments.

Action research builds on a cyclical process in fourstages: planning, implementation, monitoring andevaluation and finally reflection to adjust planning (ZuberSkerrit, 2002). Participatory observation was also andimportant research method for recording the necessaryqualitative information on individual or groupdominations in the discussions, role of farmers

participation in the discussions, process of decisionmaking, conflict resolution and other relevant groupdynamics.

2.2. Scope and Relevance of theStudyFacilitating Agricultural Regeneration Project waslaunched in the year 2007 and is now in the third yearof being with the farming community of Wayanad.Plethora of programmes categorized under severalsectors was offered to ensure the regeneration of thepristine ecology of Wayanad and to address theagrarian crisis issues. Starting a model organic farmin which selected farmers, trained in organic farming,do farming in the traditional ways and other interestedfarmers visiting the farm to learn organic farming canhelp developing sustainable agriculture livelihood. Inorder to make the tribes aware of the necessity ofnutrition gardening to ensure food security, it needs topromote Nutrition Gardening among them.

There have been demurs and doubts on the practicalityof organic farming on the ground that the productionwould plummet and there will be another food crisis.This led the Save Farmers Campaign to have aFarmers Participatory Action Research on theSustainable Agricultural Measure propagated throughthe FARM project along with the validation of the variousprogrammes offered to the community. FARM projecthas propagated the idea of Sustainable Agriculture.The methods experimented are Nutrition Gardening toensure household food security, Group Farming usingorganic inputs for establishing the successfulness ofthe productivity and to intensify the paddy cultivationin the region though System of Rice Intensification. Itwas also decided to analyze the behaviour changes ofthe farmers towards the concept of sustainableagriculture in the light of socially relevant programmesoffered through the Facilitating AgriculturalRegeneration Measures Project.

Befriending programme is found to be successful inmitigating the stress, shock, and hopelessness ofmany victim persons and families. Therefore, it wassuggested to be beneficial if the whole processes

2 32 32 32 32 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

involved in befriending could be documented. For thesuicide victim families IGPs were provided and thisPAR attempts to evaluate how far these Income Supporthas helped them to take Sustainable Agriculture intheir homes. How far the IGPs have helped them torebuild the livelihoods; whether they break even givingthose engaged a normal profit; and is sustainable etc.are to be examined. It would also be interesting tolook into the linkages between befriending andlivelihood rehabilitation. An analysis of the factors thathave contributed to the success or failure of therehabilitation activities could provide insights regardingtheir replicability.

The process involved and the changes in their socio-economic situation need to be documented throughcollecting information on the process. This includesthe information on the situation before implementationand the changes happened due to the process ofbuilding awareness on Sustainable agriculture,supporting small farmers in sustainable agriculturepromotion, helping the victim families throughbefriending, linking Community Based Organizationswith the Panchayath Raj Institutions. The overall aimof the study is to analyze how far the concept ofsustainable agriculture has been actualized by therecipient community. Hence a Participatory ActionResearch to analyze and document the FARM projectwas proposed.

2.3. Synopsis of the ParticipatoryAction Research

Title of the Research: Participatory Action Researchon Facilitating Agricultural Regeneration Measures asan intervention to agrarian crisis and farmers suicidesin Wayanad.

Objectives of the ResearchTo document the entire process with activeparticipation of all stake-holders – community,project participants, government, civil society etc.To promote nutrition gardening among 200 farmersand to validate its effectiveness towards SustainableAgriculture.

To make case studies of successful as well asfailed cases of rehabilitation under FARM.To analyze the cost benefit of IGPs and examinewhether they are sustainable or not.To evaluate the peoples owning up of the conceptsof Sustainable Agriculture Measures deliveredthrough the project as a tool for overcoming theAgrarian CrisisTo facilitate technology transfer from lab to fieldthrough workshops and live demonstrations and todocument its impacts.To disseminate the outcomes & learning’s of theresearches and impacts among all the stakeholdersespecially among the farming community for owningup and replications

Design of the StudyParticipatory Action Research incorporatingpredesigned and unstructured tools were been plannedfor the Study.

Sources of Data CollectionPrimary data collection through questionnaires,interview schedules, focus group discussions,participatory rural appraisals, preparation of casestudies and field visits. (Researcher visited around30 institutions in Wayanad and Trivandrum as apart of the PAR in 2010 and collected significantdata regarding sustainable agriculture promotion.Secondary Data Collection through literature review,library visits, other published and unpublishedresearch reports about Wayanad and internetsurfingTransect visits in the PAR areaProcess DocumentationReports about the project available at the ProjectCoordination Office

Universe of the studyReference area of the Project consists of Vellamunda,Meenangadi, Muttil, Tribal clusters of Noolpuzha,Pozhuthana and Padinjarathara.

Unit of the StudyFarmers who are beneficiaries of the Facilitating

2 42 42 42 42 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Agricultural Regeneration Measures Project ofWayanad were selected as the unit of the study.

Sampling StrategyRandom Sampling is been followed in the researchprogramme

LimitationFew units of Nutrition Gardens were attacked by wildanimal as they were so close to the forests.Unprecedented rain affected the vegetable cultivationwhich was a component of the Nutrition Garden.Transfer of IGP beneficiaries of the FARM project alsoresulted in selecting alternative samples. Availabilityof respective officers of government institutions forinterview also posed to be a time consuming activity.

2.4 Profile of the Participatory ActionResearch AreaAreas selected for the participatory Action Researchwere six Gram Panchayaths viz., Vellamunda,

Meenangadi, Muttil, Noolpuzha, Pozhuthana andPadinjarathara. These are basically agricultural villageswith the major crops such as Pepper, Coffee, Coconut,Arecanut, Vanilla, Ginger, Rubber, Paddy, Yam, Cocoa,Turmeric, Banana Cardamom, Cashew, Tapioca,Mango, Pineapple. The main agriculture based issuesof the these Panchayaths are crop diseases, pricefall, poor fertility, less water and soil conservationmeasures, shift from food crops to cash crops, attackof wild animals, sudden climate change issues,extensive use of pesticides and chemicals.

Vellamunda Gram Panchayath is a typicalagricultural village coming under Mananthavady Talukof Wayanad District. Agriculture is the main source ofincome for the people and the GP has taken keeninterest in the revival of paddy cultivation. Chemicalfarming method of banana cultivation is on increase inthe GP and this has necessitated the authorities topromote Organic farming. Vegetable cultivation is alsoan important step taken by the Panchayath but GP

Table 1: Details of the Target PanchayathsIndex \ GP Vellamunda Meenangadi Muttil Noolpuzha Pozhuthana Padinjarathara TotalArea in 65.5 59.25 46.71 196.64 68.7 55.76 492.56Sq kmDensity of 556 541 669 133 253 445 2597PopulationNo of Wards 21 19 19 17 13 16 105No of 7037 7220 8407 5604 3770 4917 36955HouseholdsTotal 36415 32067 31227 26184 17458 24823 168174PopulationMale 18359 16176 15535 13265 8810 12318 84463Female 18056 15891 15692 12919 8648 12505 83711Scheduled 5720 7094 4562 10288 3266 2647 33577TribesMale 2821 3513 2281 5179 1594 1324 16712Female 2899 3581 2281 5109 1672 1323 16865Schedule 683 1039 1069 662 1199 1718 6370CastesMale 341 513 532 341 590 838 3155Female 342 526 537 321 609 880 3215Source: District level Database, Local Self Government Department

2 52 52 52 52 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Vellamunda Gram Panchayath is a typicalagricultural village coming under Mananthavady Talukof Wayanad District. Agriculture is the main source ofincome for the people and the GP has taken keeninterest in the revival of paddy cultivation. Chemicalfarming method of banana cultivation is on increase inthe GP and this has necessitated the authorities topromote Organic farming. Vegetable cultivation is alsoan important step taken by the Panchayath but GPshares boundaries with Thavinjal GP in the north,Edavaka GP in the east, Padinjarathara GP in the Southand Kozhikodu District in the west. As per the statistics

of the government a total of 12,727 workers are therein this GP. Of this 1964 are main cultivators, 2724 aremain agricultural labourers, 493 are marginalcultivators, 2034 are marginal agricultural labourers andthe rest engaged in other non agricultural sectors.

Meenangadi Gram Panchayath is an agrarian villagecoming under the revenue village of Purkkadi andKrishnagiri. Panchayath shares boundary with PoothadiGP in the north, Sulthan Bathery GP in the east,Ambalavayal GP in the South and Muttil GP in thewest. Majority of the people in the Panchayath depends

2 62 62 62 62 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

on the agriculture for livelihood. Panchayath has around12 watersheds to conserve natural resources such assoil and water and to promote eco restoration. AnimalHusbandry is another source of income in the GP. Inthis Panchayath there are around 13,317 workers. Ofthis 1746 are main cultivators, 1921 are main agriculturallabourers, 409 marginal cultivators, 2091 marginalagricultural labourers and the rest engaged in nonagricultural sectors.

Muttil Gram Panchayath is another agrarian villageconsisting of the revenue villages of Muttil North andMuttil South. Panchayath has taken steps in promotionof organic farming by promoting the organic cultivationpractices. Further the GP has also implemented stepsin reducing the pesticide usage to ensure the qualityof the drinking water. Panchayath shares boundary withKaniyambetta GP in the north, Ambalavayal GP in theeast, Thrikkaripatta GP in the South and KalpettaMunicipality in the west. In this Panchayath there arearound 11,503 agricultural workers. Of this 1291 aremain cultivators, 1659 are main agricultural labourers,263 marginal cultivators, 1438 marginal agriculturallabourers and the rest engaged in non agriculturalsectors.

Noolpuzha Gram Panchayath is a Panchayathhaving most of the area protected as reserved forest.Muthanaga forest comes under the GP and sharesthe boundary with the two states. In the north GPshares boundary with Karnataka, Karnataka and TamilNadu in the east, Tamil Nadu and Nenmeni GP andTamil Nadu in the south and Sulthan Bathery andNenmeni GPs in the West. The tribal hamlets of theGP were selected for the participatory action research.Gram Panchayath also has taken keen interest in theagriculture promotion and one of the notable steps

taken is the survey of biodiversity. A total of 11220workers are there in this forest clad Panchayath. Ofthis 1935 are main cultivators, 2684 are main agriculturallabourers, 539 marginal cultivators, 2101 marginalagricultural labourers and the rest engaged in nonagricultural sectors.

Pozhuthana Gram Panchayath is a special gradeGram Panchayath sharing boundary with Thariode GPin the north, Kalpetta Municipality and Vengapally GPin the east, Vythiri GP in the South and PuthupadyGP in the East. Tribal clusters of this GP were selectedfor the PAR. Kuruvanthode, Kurichiyarmala andSuganthagiri are rich in biodiversity and most of theareas of this GP are tea and coffee estates. Watershedprogrammes to ensure the irrigation to agricultural plotsof the small farmer is been envisaged in thedevelopment plan of the Panchayath. This GP holdsthe lowest number workers which come around 6813.Of this 211 are main cultivators, 334 are mainagricultural labourers, 207 marginal cultivators, 517marginal agricultural labourers and the rest engagedin non agricultural sectors.

Padinjarathara Gram Panchayath is an agrarianvillage coming under the revenue villages ofPadinjarathara and Kuppadithara. GP shares boundarywith Vellamunda and Panamaram GP in the North,Kottathara and Thariode GP in the east, VellamundaGP in the West and Kozhikodu district in the South. Atotal of 8930 workers are there in this gram Panchayath.Of this 1189 are main cultivators, 1346 are mainagricultural labourers, 315 marginal cultivators, 2211marginal agricultural labourers and the rest engagedin non agricultural sectors.

2 72 72 72 72 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

3Analysis of theSecondary Data

2 82 82 82 82 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

3.1 Review of LiteratureThe experience of Kerala during the past decade showshow and to what extent a traditional export-orientedagricultural sector in a small local economy can sufferdue to trade liberalisation. With a decline in exports,rise in imports and a consequent drop in prices,coupled with frequent droughts, stagnant productionand productivity, farm income declined drastically andincreased the indebtedness of farmers. A sadmanifestation of the severity of the situation was thewidespread suicides by farmers in the state (P D Jeromi2005)

Uniqueness of Kerala AgricultureKerala’s agriculture sector is unique in several ways.Some of its special features are (1) a highly fragmentedand small size of holdings, (2) homestead farming withmixed crops yielding high income, (3) a larger areaunder commercial crops, especially capital intensiveperennial tree crops, (4) export orientation of crops,such as spices, cashew, rubber, coffee, tea, etc, (5)credit2 and hired labour-intensive cultivation, and (6)higher indebtedness of farmers. Some of these featuresare now found to be the handicaps of the sector in theopen trade environment that has emerged after theformation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).[Joseph and Joseph 2005]

Impacts of Trade LiberalizationsUnlike other states in the country, trade liberalisationadversely affected the agricultural sector in Keralabecause more than 80 per cent of the agriculturalcommodities/products produced in the state aredependent on domestic and/or international marketsituation [GoK 2003]. Export intensity of production ofsome of the crops like pepper, cardamom, cashew,etc, is high. As Kerala’s economy was relatively closeduntil the mid-1990s, cultivation of commercial cropssuch as coconut, rubber, tea, coffee, spices, etc, wasfairly profitable even without much improvement inproductivity and value addition because of a protectedinternal market and prospects for exports. However,with the removal of quantitative restrictions (QRs) onimports and lowering of tariff levels, farmers cultivatingcommercial crops have been affected by higher imports

Spices of Wayanad

2 92 92 92 92 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

and stiff competition for exports in the internationalmarket.

In the recent period, there was a significant rise inimports of commodities like pepper, cardamom, tea,etc, which seems to have affected domestic prices ofthese crops in the state and, in turn, the financialposition of the cultivators. The imports further increasedfollowing the free trade agreement (FTA), whichproduces and exports many of the commodities whichare produced and exported from the state. In theliberalized trade environment, small and marginalfarmers, in particular, are not able to compete withother commodity producing countries due to continuedlower yields and high cost of cultivation as norestructuring programme has been undertaken toimprove export competitiveness in the new tradeenvironment. During the last few years, the problemworsened due to a deficiency in rainfall, a sharp declinein prices, lower production and the consequentincrease in debt burden of farmers. As a result, closeto 2,000 farmers committed suicide in the state [GoK2006a]. Though around four years have been passedby now, after the aggravation of the problem, there isno abatement of the situation as measures taken sofar have not been effective.

Agricultural Suicides & ReasonsThe study conducted by KSSF shows that 30.7% ofthe farmer’s suicides was mainly due to economicreasons. According to the study conducted by JeromiP D, Agricultural crisis was the reason for suicide incase of 38.9 per cent farmers who committed suicide.What it shows is that the agricultural crisis undoubtedlyis the major reason, but it is not the sole reason fortaking this drastic step. Perhaps, loss from farmingcould be a trigger point for already depressed personsdue to other sociological and psychological reasons.Mohanakumar and Sharma (2006) reported thataccumulation of debt beyond the repayment capacityduring a few years was the immediate provocation forresorting to the extreme step of suicide. As indicatedearlier, the general suicide rate in Wayanad was higherthan the state average and the HDI was one of thelowest.

In general, farmers’ suicide was more in Wayanadwhich is concentrating more on cultivation of export-oriented commercial crops. Most farmers whocommitted suicide had landholdings below one acreand average loan liability was Rs 72,000. Besides this,many farmers had private borrowings from friends andrelatives. Their inability to repay these loans (liquidity)is considered as the proximate reason (trigger point)for committing suicide. A study conducted by Shreyasshow that nearly 58 per cent of the families of thedeceased farmers did not receive any assistance fromgovernment. Reasons for the lack of effectiveness ofthe schemes could be (i) lack of critical minimum effortin redressing the problem, (ii) money spent for ad hocschemes and subsidies went down the drain, (iii)schemes of banks only postponed and increased thedebt burden, (iv) some of the measures like watersheddevelopment programme may need years to fructify,and (v) some of the relief measures were announcedvery late and implemented very slowly (hence peopleare calling the packages as “paper package”). In short,the measures could not address the issue of debtburden of the farmers in its totality.

Loan waiver schemes fail to address the agrariancrisis of poor farmersThe debt waiver schemes have left behind inequities.Despite quick decisions on relief and waiver schemes,there has been considerable delay in releasingassistance to the cooperative societies and banks fora variety of reasons. The small and poor farmers whotook loan from private money lenders and microfinancing programmes were not considered for any reliefschemes and thus the extreme poor never benefittedfrom any of such schemes. Under the Vidarbhapackage implemented in Kasaragod, Wayanad andPalakkad districts, the State government releasedRs.112.15 Crore to cooperative societies and banks,including its share of Rs.68.65 Crore. Official recordsshow that 63,391 farm loans totaling Rs.81.93Crorewere rescheduled under the Vidarbha package.

However, the implementation of the package wasuneven because many farmers refused to rescheduletheir loans at the original rate of interest. Loans totaling

3 03 03 03 03 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Rs. 32.36 Crore that were not rescheduled becameineligible for debt waiver or relief, sources said. TheState government has now demanded that these loansalso be considered for relief under the package. Underthe Special Package for Wayanad District, thegovernment took over the entire commitment of loanwaiver worth Rs.14.11 Crore related to cooperativeloans to the extent of Rs.25,000 each taken up to June30, 2006 by farmers with up to one acre of farm land. Asum of Rs.7 Crore was allocated as production costrelief (5 per cent on all loans of Rs.25,000 paid withoutdefaulting during the period 2006-2009).

Green Revolution and AgriculturalCrisisThe Indian government’s decision to embrace the‘Green Revolution’ was an emergency response to aperceived crisis in food production caused byagricultural sector failures. Beginning in the early1970’s research on the Green Revolution began touncover significant ecological problems related to thetechnological ‘package’ of inputs required to maximizethe yield of the new varieties. These include the higherrequirement for energy inputs to manufacture fertilizerand power tube wells, increasing poorer farmers’vulnerability to increased oil prices. Another problemhas developed with the use of pesticides, promotedby the Indian government as part of the technologicalpackage to compensate for the HYV’s lack of in-bredresistance to native insects, weeds, and fungus. Overtime, however, pesticide use has lead to resistance inthe target species, necessitating larger, and morecostly, applications of these chemicals, reducingfarmers’ profits and increasing damage to wildlife, thewater, and the soil. More importantly, they present asubstantial risk to the health of farmers who were (andare) often illiterate, provided little or no training in theiruse, and unable to afford adequate safety equipment,resulting in hundreds of deaths in and thousands ofdisabilities in India In the Indian state’s haste toimplement the Green Revolution, placed these invisibleproblems were in the background, resulting in thesevery serious consequences. These problems, however,are common to all forms of ‘industrial’ agriculture gotexacerbated by the India low levels of environmental

regulation.

Realization of the need for OrganicFarmingHundreds of farmers who had learnt the bitter lessonsof ‘chemical farming’ and mono cropping practicedhitherto in the name of ‘scientific agriculture’ are makinga come back to organic, multiple-crop farming. Thefarmers of Kerala as well as Wayanad are nowconvinced that the only way to overcome the crisis isto return to the traditional sustainable ways of cultivationwithout harming the ecosystem. The total dependenceof farmers for agriculture inputs started affecting theireconomies leading to desperation among the farmingcommunities and ultimately to agrarian crisis. As analternative to make farming sustainable, low inputagriculture thus gained momentum. Thus the organicfarming system, a system with the broad principle oflive and let live came up which was recognized globally.Organic agriculture production is not limited to cropproduction alone but encompass animal husbandry,dairy, fisheries, poultry, piggery, forestry, herbal plantcultivation, bee keeping etc…

Definition of Organic FarmingA wide quoted definition on Organic Farming as definedby Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint body ofFAO/WHO is “a holistic food production managementsystem. It emphasizes the use of managementpractices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs,taking into account that region conditions requireadapted systems. This is accomplished by using,where possible, agronomic, biological and mechanicalmethods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, tofulfill any specific function within the system”.

The Kerala State Organic FarmingPolicyThe state government of Kerala has also seized of theimportance of Organic Farming and realized the healthhazards and un-sustainability of chemical farming asit clearly states its Biodiversity Action Plan that theState has to have organic farming policy to protect itrich biodiversity and thus sustain various livelihoodsdependent on the precious resource. Objectives of the

3 13 13 13 13 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

policy are 1) Make farming sustainable, remunerativeand respectable, 2) Enhance natural soil fertility andproductivity, 3) Ensure soil and water productivity, 4)Ensure agricultural bio-security and food nutritionalsecurity, 5) Create and ensure domestic market fororganic products controlled by the farmers, 6) Preventthe use of agrochemicals and other hazardous materialand ensure chemical free water, soil and food, 7)Ensure seed and food sovereignty, 8) Promotebiodiversity based ecological farming, 9) Ensure qualitycontrol in organic inputs and agricultural produces, 10)Enable human health promotion by providing safeagricultural products and commodities. The missionis to convert Kerala into an organic state focusing onpotential crops and areas in a phased and compactmanner with the aim of converting a minimum 20% ofthe cultivable land into entirely organic every year andthus achieving the target in five years (Organic FarmingPolicy of Kerala State).

Organic Farming and RuralDevelopmentAnother well researched out by product of organic

farming is rural development. Researches carried outin Hungary regarding linking organic farming andterritorial development found that Organic farming issupposed to contribute to rural development more thanother forms of farming, in particular due to the closeties between producers and consumers. The concept,building on the theory of neoendogenous development(Ray 1998), provides benefits for organic farmers aswell as for the region. For the organic sector theconcept provides a possibility to reconnect productionto a given territory and to focus on regional value chainsas counterstrategy to the “conventionalization trap”(Kratochvil & Leitner 2005) which is progressing withthe increasing demand for organic products byconsumers and the globalisation of trade relations. Forrural development the concept provides the possibilityto sharpen the notion of sustainability by providing aconcrete example (Schermer, 2006).

Sustainable AgricultureSustainable Agriculture can be defined as an integratedfarming system (with crops, trees, livestock etc.) whichis based on locally adapted agro-diverse cropping

Jackfruits collected for sale in organic shops

3 23 23 23 23 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

patterns and use of local resources (natural resourcesand natural processes), based on local knowledge,skills and innovations. The capacity of a farming systemto adapt to changing climate and weather conditionsis based on its natural resource endowment andassociated economic, social, cultural and conditions.The viability of these elements also constitutes thebasis for sustainable agriculture, understood asagricultural production that: ensures adequacy of foodproduction; does not harm the resource base; iseconomically viable; and enhances quality of life. Manyclimate and weather risk management strategies fitsquarely into sustainable agriculture practices and can,therefore, be promoted with several of the programsand policies targeting environmentally responsibleproduction.

Strategies of Sustainable Farminga. Changes cropping patterns and cropping systems

to suit the local resource and weather conditions.Multiple/mixed cropping, intercropping systems withlegume components, Crop rotation, strip croppingetc.

b. Ecological farming practices which can maximizethe local resource use. Many of these practicesare based on indigenous knowledge and focus onbuilding soil biological productivity. Non PesticidalManagement, Organic Soil Management,Community Seed Banks, System of RiceIntensification, soil moisture management etc havealready proven to be useful.

c. Locally adopted crop varieties especially in floodprone areas, drought prone areas, making suitableselections adopting Participatory Plant Breedingand Participatory Varietal Selection.

d. Developing suitable farming systems integratingagriculture, horticulture and livestock.

Questions raised by Opponents ofOrganic FarmingFood security: A question that is often posed withregard to sustainable agriculture or organic farming iswhether it will be able to feed the growing population.It can be said that sustainable agriculture does notimply lowered yields, as experience of successful

farmer’s bears out on the ground. This is reinforced byan FAO report (2007) which says that “conversion ofglobal agriculture to organic management, withoutconverting wild lands to agriculture and without usingN-fertilizers would result in a global agricultural supplyof 2640 to 4380 Kcal/person/day”. Sustainableintensification in developing countries through organicpractices would increase production by 56 per cent. Ameta-analysis of 133 scientific papers concluded thatorganic agriculture was particularly competitive underlower yield environments, a feature that is common indeveloping countries. Organic yields on average arecomparable to conventional yields although yields dodecline initially when converting from high-inputsystems and almost double when converting from low-input systems.

Improvement in rural livelihoods: While macro-levelfood production and availability levels are likely toincrease through sustainable agriculture, at theindividual and community level too, there are bound tobe improvements. As FAO notes again, access to foodwill increase by livelihood improvement both for farmersand agricultural workers through organic farming.Organic agriculture improves food access by increasingproductivity, diversity and conservation of naturalresources, by raising incomes, improving employmentand by reducing risks. It has been recorded that shiftto sustainable agriculture practices can reduce theoutward migration from rural areas.

Reduction in GHG emissions: Changes in farmingmodels and practices towards sustainable agricultureoffer a significant opportunity at reducing GHGemissions. Organic farms use on an average 33 to 56per cent less energy per hectare, as per FAO (2007).Organic farming reduces its fossil fuel dependence inmany ways. For instance, for soil productivitymanagement, internal inputs and practices are usedrather than chemical fertilizers – for instance, creatingthe micro-climate required for increased soil (beneficial)microbial activity. This is done by returning bio-massto the soil. Legume production, crop rotation, mixedcropping etc., are other ways of achieving this. Pestmanagement also does not depend on chemical

3 33 33 33 33 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

pesticides but a variety of local resources andpractices.

Creation of resilient systems leading to betteradaptation: Extreme and unpredictable weatherconditions are part of the reality of climate change evenas temperature rise and changes in rainfall, changesin pest and disease incidence etc., will also be thestark reality for farmers. What the situation thenrequires are resilient and adaptive farming systemswith the least amount of loss to the productiveresources, production and the farmer. To addressextreme weather conditions, organic farms will bebetter suited. The better drainage and Water HoldingCapacity (WHC) of organic soils reduces the risk ofdrought and soil erosion, for instance. Organic farmingpractices are in a good position to maintain productivityin the event of drought, irregular rainfall events and risingtemperatures, notes a recent technical paper fromInternational Trade Center (WTO). This paper notesthat soils under organic management retainsignificantly more rainwater thanks to the “spongeproperties” of organic matter.

Future of Organic FarmingThe environmental problems facing the agriculturalindustry cannot be solved by pesticide free zones inperiphery areas or by improved spraying equipment. Ifenvironmental degradation is to be avoided pollutionmust be stopped. In the industrial world the transitionto organic farming can solve the problem of surplusesand most of agriculture’s environmental problems. Inthe developing countries new research indicates theorganic farming methods can help peasant farmersproduce considerably more food. Organic agriculturehas matured sufficiently to be taken seriously by worldleaders as an agricultural type capable of solvingagriculture’s environmental problems without the riskof compromising food supply. The organic ideacomprises two key concepts: living soil and biodiversity.

The basis of Organic Farming: Livingsoil & Healthy PlantsDescribing soil as “living” is probably foreign to mostpeople. However, top soil swarms with living organisms

from the common earthworm to bacteria andmicroscopic fungi. Top soil is an ecosystem much likea forest. It is the earth’s ecosystem that literallyspeaking forms the basis of organic agriculture. If theecosystem is left intact with broad biodiversity it hasthe possibility of carrying out the mission designed forit by nature, namely, to supply plant life with necessarynourishment. It is well documented, for instance, thatplants cultivated on compost fertilized soil are lessexposed to fungal infections than plants cultivated onartificially fertilized land. Diversity also plays a role inhelping to maintain plants in a healthy condition. Ifdue regard is taken of the soil’s ecosystem andbiodiversity it is possible to cultivate healthy plants -or to put it another way, plants that do not require“protection” from the chemical industry.

3.2. Sustainable Agricultureinitiatives in KeralaA series of parallel efforts are in place in Wayanad forthe Sustainable Agriculture Development and FARM

Traditional food practices

3 43 43 43 43 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

project is expecting more convergence with theseprogrammes. The major players are the AgricultureDepartment, SHM, NABARD etc… (Details of theseinterventions are presented in the chapter 7.1). CoffeeBoard also has taken some focused and well directeddevelopment of organic agriculture in the country. TheMinistry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. Of Indialaunched the National Programme on OrganicProduction (NPOP) under the Foreign Trade &Development Act (FTDA). The aims of the NPOPinclude the following: a) To provide the means ofevaluation of certification programmes for organicagriculture and products as per approved criteria, b)To accredit certification programmes, c) To facilitatecertification of organic products in conformity to theNational Standards for organic production and d) Toencourage the development of organic farming andorganic processing

The District Tourism Promotion Council and KeralaTourism have a vision on Responsible Tourism and haveadopted Agri-Tourism as an emerging area in the districtof Wayanad. Agri-Tourism has a great scope inWayanad due to certain reasons such as ; aninexpensive gateway for tourists, curiosity about farmingsector and lifestyle, strong demand for wholesomefamily oriented recreational activities, healthconsciousness of the urban population and findingsolace with nature friendly means, desire for peaceand tranquility, interest in natural environment,disillusionment with overcrowded places, nostalgia forthe roots, rural recreation and educational value of agri-tourism. Hence it is expected that the Agri-Tourism, isexpected to emerge as a trend setter in Wayanad.

Spice Board of India has taken a major initiative inpromoting the production and export of organic spicesin a big way. Spices Board India has prepared adocument on production of organic spices. It featuresthe organic concepts, principles, basic standards,production guidelines, documentation, inspection andcertification. Research programmes on organiccultivation of important spices have commenced.Besides organizing demonstrations to educate andmotivate prospective organic spice growers, the Board

is simultaneously involved in training programmes toexisting spice growers on organic principles andpractices. The Board encourages non-governmentalorganisations and farmers’ groups to promote and adoptorganic farming techniques.

Media personnel’s are aware of the need for sustainableagriculture development in Wayanad and they are nowactively participating in the likeminded efforts. All themainstream Medias are projecting the need for Organicfarming and this has led to policy level discussions.Community Radio Mattoli has also linked with theFARM Project and is offering documentaries on theSustainable Agriculture propagated through the FARMProject. The District Mental Health Programme underthe aegis of National Rural Health Mission hasallocated funds for free psychiatric care including drugswith technical support from Institute of Mental Healthand Neurosciences (IMHANS) Kozhikode.

Interpretations1. Agrarian crisis in Wayanad was a result of multiple

reasons ranging from stagnant production, declineof farm income, droughts, increase in exports dueto liberalization, drop in prices etc…

2. Wayanad had widespread homestead farmingintegrating trees, food crops, cash crops, livestock,poultry and fisheries which maintained high level ofproductivity, stability, sustainability.

3. The impact of trade liberalization had adverse effecton the farm economy of Wayanad as the producesof the Wayanad couldn’t compete with the importsat a time when they were going through lower yieldsand increasing cost of cultivation.

4. As per the study of KSSF reasons behind thesuicide was several. Economic reasons mountedto 30.72% and another study conducted by P DJeromi states that agricultural crisis alonecontributed to the death of 38.9%.

5. It can be noted that the root causes for theagricultural crisis started governments decision toGrow More Food through the Green Revolutionpromoting High Yielding Varieties (HYV) andChemical farming

6. The agricultural crisis that prevailed in this decade

3 53 53 53 53 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

has made the farmers of Wayanad to understandthe need to take up the Sustainable Farming.Farmers of Wayanad are now very much aware ofthe difference between the conventional chemicalfarming and the traditional organic farmer as theformer is high input cost involved high risk farmingproducing inorganic products which will ensuremedium price harming the ecology and wellbeingof man, where as the later is low input cost involvedlow risk farming producing organic produces whichwill ensure premium prices and will not do anythingharm to the ecology

7. There are proven researches that show the greatrelation between organic farming and ruraldevelopment. Organic Farming is found on theprinciple of live and let live and the basic pillars areliving soil and health plants.

8. Kerala State Organic Farming Policy is a welcomemovement from the Kerala Government as it aimsto convert the entire farmers into organic in a periodof five years.

Farm tourism – Learning the heart beats of agriculture of Wayanad

3 63 63 63 63 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

3 73 73 73 73 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

ParticipatoryAction Research onSustainableAgriculture4

3 83 83 83 83 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

4.1. BackdropIntensive chemical agriculture that has been followedafter green revolution success is causing heavypollution to food, drinking water, air, the life expectancyhas improved, but the quality of life has substantiallydeteriorated. The rural economy is in ruins because ofover-dependence of outside inputs in agriculture suchas seed, fertilizers, pesticides, growth-promotingchemicals etc. It is even said that the chemicalagriculture has destroyed our ability to think about theright way to go forward. Fortunately, alternatives tochemical agriculture are available in Organic farmingmaking use of Nutrition Gardening and Biodynamicfarming. Though a small percentage of farmers havetaken up organic farming, consumer demand fororganically produced food and fiber products providenew market opportunities for farmers and farm-business.

FARM Project is on the march towards regenerationof the agriculture sector of Wayanad through up scalingSustainable Agricultural Practices. SFC Network ispromoting organic farming as a major tool in theregeneration measures and has created three kinds ofmodels. Promotion of the farmer’s rights was alsoadopted by the network as yet another tool forpromotion of Sustainable Agriculture.

1. Nutrition Gardens,2. Group Farms3. System of Rice Intensification.4. Promotion of the Farmers Rights

The first model creation is to ensure food safety andsecurity of the households. Second one is the creationof Group Farming Models where the joint labours ofthe farmers have resulted in emergence of model farmspracticing organic farming. Third model is the creationof the paddy fields which practices the System of RiceIntensification is to promote an alternative method ofpaddy cultivation focusing on organic farming ensuringhigh yields and low input costs. All the beneficiaries ofthe Income Generation Progamme started the NutritionGardening as it was a mandate criterion in selectionof the beneficiaries.

4.2. Homestead Nutrition Gardens – Atool for Sustainable AgricultureNutrition Gardening is fast becoming important in theagriculture sector of Kerala, especially in Wayanadlargely through the efforts of small groups of farmers.It has come out of the exploitative agriculture that hasbeen followed by all these years, resulting into damagingimpacts on environment, human and animal health. Itis now well known that the increased use of chemicalpesticides (rather abuse) and fertilizers have createda chain of problems. Farmers make use of organicpractices for accumulation of soil nutrients, nematodecontrol, nitrogen fixation etc… Green manure nowreceives special attention from farmers. Microbesfacilitate decomposition of these green manures breaksdown and humus buildup Crop rotation, the sequentialplanting of the crops is honed to a fine level of NutritionGardening. A fundamental concept of crop rotation isthe effect of different crops on the land. “Humus-depleting” and “humus-restoring” crops; “soil-exhausting” and “soil-restoring” crops; and “organicmatter exhausting” and “organic matter restoring” cropsshould be planted in alternate seasons. Companionplanting, a specialized form of crop rotation commonlyused in nutrition gardening, entails the plannedassociation of two or more plant species in closeproximity so that some cultural benefit (pest control,higher yield) is derived. In addition to beneficialassociations, companion planting increasesbiodiversity on the farm which leads to a more stableagro ecosystem.

The district of Wayanad is characterized by homesteadfarming at the subsistence level and smallholderplantations. Paddy, the staple food of the region, iscultivated on 11,331 hectares. Paddy-based croppingsystems involve paddy, vegetables and banana. Theuplands adjoining the wetlands are characterized byhomestead farming with tubers, coffee and pepper.Coffee-based cropping systems involving coffee, pepperand ginger, along with many trees, are the mostprevalent land use patterns. The traditional agro-forestrysystems composed mainly of home gardens, the nativetree composition of farmlands was largely left intact;only the under-storey plants were replaced by crops.

3 93 93 93 93 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Homesteads are hallmark of staggered settlementpattern in tribal hamlets and are the most valuableheritage that influences the unique living standards,cultural identity and other socio-economic features.Within the homesteads, the farmers have their hut,grow a variety of crops with dominance of perennials(corresponding to the valleys, slopes and hill tops),raise a combination of animals, birds and fish and runtheir agribusiness enterprises (mostly managed bywomen), all in marginal to small holdings.

Why do we need Nutrition Gardening?Due to over cultivation and the use of syntheticfertilizers, the nutrition in the soil has gone downtremendously. This has resulted in weak and sick plantshaving poor nutrition value. It results in diseased plants/crops that constantly require pesticides and antibioticsto survive. End result is these harmful pesticides andchemicals are consumed by the man kind and we getsthe pay back as Cancer, Hypertension, Osteoporosis,Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity and a plethora ofchronic ailments. All these are the results of thesynthetic pesticides and chemicals that we intake ona daily basis. The problem can be corrected by inducingthe soil conditions by changing over to NutritionGardening with out use of synthetic fertilizers andpesticides. How can we replenish the nutritioncontents? It is simple and the most cost effectivetechnology of using the organic nutrients. It is a kindof Aromatherapy in which the deficiencies of thedepleted soil is corrected which in turn will result ingood nutrient rich products capable of warding of pestattacks and disease ensuring high productivity.

Steps in Nutrition Gardening1. Seeds and planting materials are collected from

organic sources.2. Bio-inputs are applied instead of chemical fertilizers

and pesticides from seed treatment onwards.3. The farmer’s are trained in preparation of bio-inputs

and its systematic application systems in variouscrops.

4. Indigenous farming practitioners adopted in landpreparation for the pest repellent measures.

5. Conservation of soil moisture is ensured through

matching in vegetable cultivation.6. Pulses, bitter guards, pumpkins, colocasia, leafy

vegetables are cultivated in the house premises andin the homestead gardens as intercrops.

7. Tapioca, Colocasia, Diaspora, Yam is also cultivatedorganically.

Motivations for the NutritionGardeningWithin the food industry, defining the benefits of organicfood is largely left to word of mouth, media coverage,and the promotional efforts of organic advocates. Majorfood and beverage corporations such as Reliance, Moreetc… have rapidly moved to acquire significant stakein both fresh and processed organic products. Still,the specific sales points of “organics” go largelyunmentioned on product packaging and in mainstreammedia advertising. Claims of improved food quality areregularly used in conventional food marketing, with “lowfat”, “low sodium”, “whole grain”, “high fiber”, “vitaminenriched”, “no trans-fat” and other commonly advertisedbenefits. By contrast, “certified organic” is generallyleft to stand on its own as self-explanatory, assistedonly by general terms like “natural”. Consumer surveyshave consistently identified food quality as the mainreason for purchasing organic food. Higher nutritionvalue, no toxic residues from pesticides, and bettertaste are often cited, as is the positive impact of organicproduction on the environment.

Home gardens constitute a dominant and promisingland use system, maintaining high levels of productivity,stability, sustainability and equitability. Home gardensplay an important role in the food security of the regionas they supply varied products throughout the seasons.Tubers, vegetables, fruits and spices from homegardens make up a significant part of the nutritionalrequirements of the household. Crop diversity inhomesteads results in a range of output from a givenarea, increasing self-sufficiency and reducing theeconomic risks associated with adverse climatic,biological and market impacts on particular crops. Indensely populated or heavily degraded areas withoutsufficient staple crop fields, as in Wayanad, homegardens also provide large portions of staple foods.

4 04 04 04 04 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Another important function of home gardens is thegeneration of a cash income. Most of the income froma home garden is from marketable surplus derived fromperennials such as fruit trees. Income from a homegarden could account for more than 50% of the totalincome of a household.

The biodiversity of a home garden is the result ofgenerations of conscious selection by farmers, andbears the imprint of their choices. Moreover, thesecomponents are, in most cases, the last refuge forspecies that are useful but not commercially viable forcultivation. Home gardens also meet a significantportion of the household’s energy requirements. Mostcooking fuel requirements are met through twigs andother forms of litter collected from the home garden.Oils extracted from varied sources, like coconut andsesame, used to serve as the source of lighting fuel intraditional homesteads before the advent of electricity.The green leaves and cow dung from home gardensused to be a major source of chemical energy in thehousehold, and the fodder from home gardens fed tothe cows would serve as the major mechanical energysource used in farming.

The exchange of home garden products and plantingmaterial is common in many traditional societies. Someplant species in home gardens are necessary forreligious ceremonies; not being commercially viable,they are not cultivated. Most traditional medicinal plantsare encountered in home gardens. Home gardens alsofulfill ecological functions, particularly in landscapeswhere large, monotonous and mono-functionalagricultural fields dominate. The multi-layeredvegetation structure of home gardens, which resemblenatural forests, offers a habitat to a diverse communityof wild plants and animals. This structure appears tocontribute substantially to the sustainability of homegarden systems.

Home gardens save agricultural lands from thedegradation resulting from intensive agriculture, andmaintain or increase site productivity through nutrientrecycling and soil protection. Farmers derive a varietyof services and products from home gardens; they

increase the value of output per unit of land throughspatial or inter-temporal intercropping of trees and otherspecies. Home gardens also help farmers by supplyingraw materials (such as leaf compost) for agriculture.And they spread the need for labour inputs more evenlyseasonally, thus reducing the effects of sharp peaksand troughs characteristic of tropical agriculture.Farmers are able to utilize family labour as a part-timeactivity without requiring a change in occupation forthe landholder.

Some of the points projected by the Farmers and Organicfood advocates for the promotion of the Organic NutritionGardening.

Organic food proponents express concern over thepotential negative effects of various chemicalcultivation methods and genetic modificationtechniques used in modern conventional agriculture.One of the major differences in the production oforganically produced food from traditional techniquesis its reliance on so-called natural methods of providingsoil nutrients. While both methods rely on nitrates toprovide nitrogen to the soil, organic agriculture gets themajority of its nitrates from manure and compostingsources. These sources of nitrogen have a slowertransfer of nitrogen to the soil spreading out therelease of nitrogen over the growing season andhelping to reduce the leeching of nitrates into watersources where they can cause health problems.Organic animal manure, typically that of cattle, ismanure from animals that eat mainly hay and otherorganic, primarily non-grain materials. This is seen as away to reduce the amount of E. Coli bacteria present,and the feces of organically-raised cattle have only 1%of the E. Coli present in non-organic manureOrganic proponents cite evidence that some chemicalsused in conventional farming, including pesticides andherbicides, mimic hormones - usually estrogen - wheninside a personSome organic advocates claim that organic food ismore nutritious. Increased soil quality, greater attentionto quality, and selection of crop varieties for nutritionand taste instead of size, appearance, and shippingcharacteristics are claimed to be reasons for highernutrient density of organic foods.Many claim that organic food tastes better. This isprimarily referred to regarding fresh food. organic foodsmight also have more flavor because organic farmersoften breed with taste instead of marketability as theprimary factorEvery food purchase supports the system that deliversit, and if large-scale chemical production methods aredamaging to the environment, then purchasing thesefoods supports this damage. A main goal of organicfarming is minimizing impact to the environment.Proponents of organic farming say that “conventional”

4 14 14 14 14 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

4.2. Action Research on NutritionGardening

The two main objectives of this Participatory ActionResearch were the promotion and validation of NutritionGardening and System of Rice Intensification as toolsfor agricultural regeneration. Two hundred tribal farmerswere selected for the Participatory Action Research.In the Participatory Action Research the stake holdersespecially the farmers were channeled for theexperimentation in the systematic manner. Outcomesof the research findings of the FARM project weredelivered at first to make them understand the need ofthe Nutrition Gardening. Then they were given trainingson the practice in the NG and provided exposure visitsto the farmers practicing the same. Farmer’spsychology is simple that they believe in the modelsrather than the routine awareness programmes andlectures. Seeing is believing for farmers and theseexposures framed the mindset to experiment their plotswith NG. Initial grants were given for the procurement

farming is unsustainable, because it relies on artificialinputs (synthetic fertilizers and other chemicals,machinery, etc.) that ultimately require energy in theform of fossil fuels, and because the land is degradedthrough soil erosion, salinization, and other processesthat eventually render the soil infertile. Many claim thatwithout cheap fossil fuels and government subsidies,conventional agriculture would not be possible, and thatdespite technological advancements, there willeventually be an agricultural crisis as a result ofdepleted soil. The cultivation of monocultures, manyacres planted with the same crop year after year,increases susceptibility to pests and diseases anddepletes the soil, while eliminating most native floraand fauna.In contrast, organic farming often utilizes intercropping,mixed cropping, strip cropping, crop rotation, fallowperiods, and integrated pest management to promotebiodiversity and preserve the health of the soil whileminimizing the risk of diseases. The main goal oforganic farming is sustainability, so organic farms seekto minimize dependence on outside resources and beself-sufficient.

Modern agricultural practices often result in largeamounts of nitrogen runoff from the heavy use offertilizer, which pollutes watersheds. In addition toposing a threat to human health and disrupting aquaticecosystems, this sometimes results in algal bloomswhich deplete the water of oxygen resulting in fish kills.Pesticide runoff also causes many problems

of seeds. Further the capacitated communityfacilitators walked with them in every point of theresearch and assisted with knowledge, morale, andhandholding support. Two types of plots were used,one being the trial plot in which the organic inputs wereapplied and the second was control plot where thechemical inputs were applied. This enabled us toassess the variance in the farming process from eachstage.

For the Facilitating Agricultural Regeneration Measures(FARM) ten tribal clusters were identified for theNutrition Gardening. They were Sugandhagiri andEddiyamvayal colony from Pozhuthana GramPanchayath, Palakkara colony from Panamaram GramPanchayath, Ellakolly colony from PoothadiPanchayath, Ponkuzhy and Koloor colony fromNoolpuzha Panchayath, Mundakolli and Kayalkunnucolony from Nenmeni Panchayath, Arikkalam andCheerapoyil Panchayath from Padinjarathara GP. Thehighest number of nutrition farm developed was in the

Table 2:

Distribution of Nutrition Gardeningbased on of tribal hamlets (n =200)

Category Frequency %Sugandhagiri 22 11Eddiyam vayal 20 10Palakkara 15 7.5Ellakolly 25 12.5Ponkuzhy 18 9Koloor 16 8Mundakolli 24 12Kayalkunnu 19 9.5Arikkalam 22 11Cheerapoyil 19 9.5

Table 3:

Distribution of the beneficiaries ofthe Nutrition Garden on the basis ofCultivation (n =200)

Category Frequency %Homestead Farm 190 95SRI 10 5

4 24 24 24 24 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

For this Participatory Action Research the universe ofthe study was Sugandhagiri, Koloor and Cheerapoyilcolonies. A total of sixty nutrition units belonged to thereference area of the PAR. Tribal folk from theSugandhagiri region had the most fertile land whichwas given by the government of Kerala as a part oftheir resettlement plan. Most of them had some sortof cultivation in their plots. Koloor and Arikkalam alsowere agrarian villages and the tribal folk had priorexperience in the agriculture. A large proportion of thetribal folk from the tribal clusters of Noolpuzha,Pozhuthana, and Padinjarathara depends onecosystem services from forests and agricultural landsfor their survival. They inhabit marginal, lessagriculturally productive land where harvests are morevulnerable to deterioration of soil and water quality.Though the nature and mode of extractive dependencehave changed over time, people’s dependence onforests continues.

Criteria of the unit selection in theResearchMost tribal farmers in Wayanad are small, marginal,and tend to grow multiple sets of crop on their farmlandsmostly granted by the government giving title deeds.Farmers maintain a spectacular variety of plants intheir home gardens to meet their varied needs. A typicalhome garden represents an operational farm unit thatintegrates trees with field crops, livestock, poultry and/or fish, with the basic objective of ensuring sustainedavailability of multiple products such as food,vegetables, fruits, fodder, fuel, timber, medicines and/or ornamentals, besides generating employment andcash income.

Those who had atleast five cents of land participatedin the promotion of Nutrition Gardening and cultivatedbasic items required for the household food security intheir premises. For the Participatory Action Researchsixty units were visited and careful examination of thirtyunits is been carried out to analyse the results andoutcomes of the Homestead Nutrition GardeningProgramme.

Criteria behind selection of the thirty famers were mainly

Mundakolli Colony and the least number was developedin the Palakkara Colony (Table 2).

The two major programmes implemented for thePromotion of Nutrition Gardening were the HomesteadFarming and System of Rice Intensification. 200 unitswere implemented in the entire project spread over 10tribal clusters. Tribal farmers who implementedhomestead farming units making use of organicnutrition inputs was 190. 10 tribal farmers experimentedthe System of Rice Intensification in their plots (Table).

Paniya, Kurichiya, Kurumar, Oorali and Naika tribalwere the reference population selected for the NutritionGardening Progamme. Paniya tribe formed the majorityas they were traditional agrarian labours. 84beneficiaries of he Nutrition Gardening were Paniya,32 were from Kurichiya, 7 from Kurumar, 30 from Ooraliand 47 from Naika. The other tribes were not activelypresent in the reference area and they showed leastinterest in the promotion of the Nutrition Gardening.The tribes selected on the basis of random samplingfor the Participatory Action Research consisted of thefollowing. Twenty four farmers were selected fromPaniya tribe, sixteen from Kurichiya, four from Kurumarand sixteen from Naika.

Table 4:

Distribution of the Nutrition Gardensallotted to tribes (n =200)

Category Frequency %Paniya 84 42Kurichiya 32 16Kurumar 7 3.5Oorali 30 15Naika 47 23.5

Table 5:

Distribution of the Nutrition Gardencovered under the PAR (n = 60)

Category Frequency %Sugandhagiri 22 37Koloor 16 26Arikkalam 22 37

4 34 34 34 34 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

those who had more than one acre of land cultivatingmultiple crops and interested in developing trial andcontrol plots of 25 cents each for a single crop. Theywere persuaded to create one trial plot and anothercontrol plot to validate the effectiveness of the Nutritioninputs. In the trial plot the farmers practiced Nutritiongardening and in the control plots they carried out theconventional chemical farming. The FARM teamoriented the selected beneficiaries in the first phaseitself about the relevance of the research being carriedout. Hence all the families took part in the researchactively. Research team provided concurrent monitoringin the farm and the FARM project team offeredcontinuous accompaniment.

The cost benefit study projected hereafter is the outputof the close examination and field visits the PAR teammade to the sites in the one year of the research.Farmers were trained to keep the note of the activitieswith support of the Community Facilitators as none of

them had literacy. Community Facilitators visited on aweekly basis and recorded the events happening inthe Nutrition garden. Species of cultivation varied indifferent plots and the table hereafter referred as theCost Benefit Analysis was tabulated by calculating therecords kept by the farmers as well as in-depth fieldstudy conducted by the researcher. Five each farmersdeveloped both trial and control plots on tapioca,banana, cow pea and Elephant yam. Ten farmersdeveloped both trial and control plot on Ginger. Thefollowing is the depiction of the results of the PARcarried out.

Cost Benefit Analysis gives us the clear picture of thesuccess of the Nutrition Gardening carried out in theselected tribal clusters of Wayanad. Tapioca showeda cost benefit of 4.35 in the Nutrition Gardening asagainst the 3.88 in conventional farming. In all thecases the farmers got increased yield in NutritionGardening which earned them produces worth 2 quintal

Cost Effectiveness and the comparison of the Nutrition Gardening (NG) andChemical Farming (CF) in 25 centsTable 6: Cost Benefit Analysis of the Nutrition Gardening and Chemical farming based on the study in he PRA (n 5Tapioca farmers + 5 banana farmers + 5 cow pea farmers + 5 ginger farmers + 10 yam farmers = 30 )

N F C F NG CF NG CF NG CF NG CFCrop Tapioca Banana Cow pea Ginger Elephant YamSeed Cost 200 200 800 800 300 300 10000 10000 6000 6000Labour 4000 4000 15,000 15,000 1800 1800 6500 7000 1000 1000Fertilizers Cost 400 500 400 2500 400 1100 1930 2330 250 600Pesticides Cost 0 200 100 400 100 500 100 400 0 0Input Cost 4,600 4,900 16,300 18,700 2,400 3,300 18,530 19,730 7250 7650Productivity/kg 2000 1900 1950 1900 400 380 2300 2100 1875 1250Price /Kg Rs 12 Rs 10 Rs 25 Rs 22 Rs 16 Rs 15 Rs 17 Rs 17 Rs 16 Rs 16Income 20,000 19,000 48,750 41,800 6,400 5,700 39,100 35,700 30,000 20000Net Benefit 15,400 14,100 32,450 23,100 4,000 2,400 20,570 15970 22350 12,750CBA 4.35 3.88 2.99 2.24 2.67 1.73 2.11 1.80 4.13 2.61Additional 1,000 9,350 1,600 4,600 10,000Savings in N FNote: This table was prepared after consultations with the thirty tribal farmers who practiced Nutrition Gardening in thetrial plot and chemical farming in the control plots

4 44 44 44 44 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

sourcing Rs 20,000 against the chemical farming havingproduction worth 1.9 quintal sourcing Rs 19,000. Hencethere is an additional income of Rs 1,000 in NutritionGardening. Banana showed a cost benefit of 2.29 inthe Nutrition Gardening as against the 2.24 inconventional farming. In all the cases the farmers gotincreased yield in Nutrition Gardening which earnedthem produces worth 1.95 quintal sourcing Rs 48,750against the chemical farming having production worth1.9 quintal sourcing Rs 41,800. Hence there is anadditional income of Rs 9,350 in Nutrition Gardeningas the organic plantain got average price of Rs 25 perkilogram.

Cow pea cultivation showed a cost benefit of 2.67 inthe Nutrition Gardening as against the1.73 inconventional farming. In all the cases the farmers gotincreased yield in Nutrition Gardening which earnedthem produces worth .4 quintal sourcing Rs 6,400against the conventional farming having productionworth .38 quintal sourcing Rs 5,700. Hence there isan additional income of Rs 1,600 in Nutrition Gardening.Demand of the organic cow pea was high in the marketswhere as the production was short against the demand.Ginger fields showed a cost benefit of 2.11 in theNutrition Gardening as against the 1.80 in conventionalfarming. In all the cases the farmers got increasedyield in Nutrition Gardening whichearned them produces worth 2.3quintal sourcing Rs 39,100 againstthe chemical farming havingproduction worth 2.1 quintalsourcing Rs 35,700. Hence thereis an additional income of Rs 4,600in Nutrition Gardening.

Elephant yam production showeda cost benefit of 4.13 in theNutrition Gardening as against the2.61 in conventional farming. In allthe cases the farmers gotincreased yield in NutritionGardening which earned themproduces worth 1.87 quintalsourcing Rs 30,000 against the

chemical farming having production worth 1.25 quintalsourcing Rs 20,000. Hence there is an additionalincome of Rs 10,000 in Nutrition Gardening. Whileanalyzing the table it can be said that the productivityin the Nutrition Gardening is considerably high anddiffers in the crops. In Elephant yam and Ginger theproduction was the highest as against the conventionalform. It was also noticed that the production cost alsowas very much less as against the chemical farmingsince the input cost in the form of fertilizers, pesticidesand in some cases even the labour also fall shortagainst the other. Considering all these aspects it canbe coined very well that the productivity in the NutritionGardening is higher due to lower pest attacks,diseases as well as the nutrients provides good growth.Prices also were fair for the products in the NutritionGardening as there was demand in the marketingoutlets of SFC Network. Input cost also decreasedconsiderably in the Nutrition Gardening.

Results of the Nutrition inducedHomestead Farming

1. Food consumed from the Nutrition Home Gardenimproves the Nutrition status and ensures the foodsecurity of the family.

2. It can partially be a income generation activity for

Inauguration of Organic Produces Selling Shop

4 54 54 54 54 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

the tribals with small holdings3. There are potential environmental benefits from

Homestead farming4. Nutrition induced Homestead farming is one

strategy for addressing malnutrition andmicronutrient deficiencies among tribal.

5. Even where women play a primary role inhomestead farming's, it can be important to involvethe entire family in projects to promote homesteadfarming, especially in tribal cultures where womenhave little contact with outsiders and may hesitateto become involved in projects without the approvalof their husbands

6. Another potential impact of homestead farming island conservation.

7. Quite apart from providing cash income andsubsistence products to the growers, homesteadfarming have a tremendous potential for ruralemployment generation among tribal

8. Most homestead farming's support a variety ofanimals - cows, buffaloes, bullocks, goats, sheep,and birds such as chicken and ducks.

9. Low capital requirements and labor costs - suitablefor resource poor and small-holder farmingsituation.

10. Nutrition homestead gardening results in betterutilization of resources, greater efficiency of labor,even distribution of labor inputs and more efficientmanagement

11. Increased self sufficiency and reduced risk toincome from climatic, biological or market impactson particular crops/products

12. Higher income with increased stability, greaterequity and improved standards of living

13. Better use of underutilized land, labor or capital,besides creating capital stocks to meetintermittent costs or unforeseen contingencies

14. Enhanced food/Nutrition security and ability tomeet the food, fuel, fodder, and timber requirementsof the society.

15. Increased fulfillment of social and cultural needsthrough sharing or exchange of produces andrecreational opportunities

16. Cost benefit analysis of the Chemical Farming andNutrition Gardening shows that there are atleast

one third increases in the production and two thirddecreases in the input cost such as seed andlabour.

17. Production from Homestead Nutrition Gardeningsourced out higher value in the SFC Networkorganic markets as the demands for the organicproduction were high from the public.

4.4. Case Study Analysis of NutritionFarms

Case 1

Krishnankutty aged fifty is a tribal farmer fromPozhuthana Gram Panchayath in Wayanad Districtand he is in the farming sector for the last 27 years.He was using chemical fertilizers and pesticides inhis farm from the beginning of agriculture. He witnessedwide pest attacks and low productivity for the last fiveyears and was really worried about continuing theagriculture. He failed to repay a bank loan which wastaken for promoting plantain cultivation in his farm. Hesuffered a great loss due to pest attacks in the bananacultivation and was in great turmoil in 2009. By thistime he happened to be a recipient of the organicfarmers training programme facilitated by Jeevana underthe FARM project. He was also given an opportunityto visit model organic farm under the patronage of SaveFarmers Campaign and it inspired him to turn intoorganic farming.

He was selected for the Promotion of NutritionGardening on experimental basis and he was willingto turn his one acre plot into an integrated organicfarm making use of the organic bio-inputs. He initiatedthe process in the last months of 2009 and in one yeartime he could develop a model integrated farm. Heattended the organic bio input preparation classorganized by the community facilitator of the FARMproject and replicated the application in his one acreplot. He went for an integrated farm inside the coffeeplantation which was specially designed for thispurpose. He cultivated Ginger, Turmeric, Elephant Yam,French Beans, Bitter Gourd, Cluster Beans, Lady'sFinger, Green Amaranths, Pumpkin, Ash Gourd, BottleGourd, Ridged Luffa etc… He prepared the bio-inputs

4 64 64 64 64 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

such as Amrithapani, Fish Tonic, Tonal Tonic, OrganicNPK solution etc… and planted Marigold inside theplot as a biological fencing to the farmland. Herecollected the effects of the organic inputs he hasapplied; Amrithapani has helped in the remarkablegrowth of plants, Fish Tonic has dual effect of herbalfertilizer and pesticide etc… He has recorded theremarkable differences that have been visible in thefarm for the last one year. They are;

Earlier there were presence of pests and insects inthe farm and now there is complete absence ofsuch intruders and hence the attacks are negligible.Thick growth of plants is another important matterto be noticed in the farm. The greenery is alwaysenchanting.He could start the harvest with in two month ofplanting and there is steady supply of vegetablesand legumes from the plot.

Krishnan in his integrated farm

Green organic vegetables harvested

Attack of pests and insects atthe time of flowering hascompromised the productivityearlier in farm and such asituation is absent in theNutrition Gardening method.Demand from the locality itselfis high and the supply fallsshort to demand.

He has the determination that hewill produce vegetables, spicesand tubers worth Rs 10,000 in thecoming season as he is verymuch confident about therejuvenation created byAmrithapani and the pest controlby aromatic flower Mari Gold. Thefollowing photographicalrepresentations of the Nutritionfarm of Krishnan will give morevalidations for Organic NutritionGardening

He has already initiated steps tolaunch organic farming in paddycultivation and banana cultivationin large scale. Krishnan wasselected as a model famer in theyear 2010 by the AgriculturalOffice and was awarded Rs 5000.He gets visitors from nearbyPanchayaths as his nutrition farmhas acclaimed wide news coveragein the nearing Panchayaths. He

4 74 74 74 74 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

adds that now there is an aroma of agriculture in thefarm and it has a magical touch of keeping rejuvenatedwhile at work.

Case 2Santosh a young farmer from Padinjarathara GramPanchayath had a model homestead farming in his

house premise. He practiced conventional farming foryears and shifted over to organic farming in the year2008. But the production reduced against the chemicalfarming and he was about to get back to conventionalfarming. At this time he attended the training on NutritionGardening provided by FARM project and decided toexperiment the same in his field. He cultivated Ginger,Colocasia, Tapioca and Rice. He experimented croprotation prior to the nutrition farm experimentation andthis turned to be successful. In order to validate theimpacts of him Nutrition Gardening he developed twoplots. In one plot he cultivated ginger by providingOrganic nutrition and another plot by Chemical farming.He provided chemical fertilizers such as 18:18,Complex and NPK to the chemical farming plot andprovided organic nutrients such as Amrithapani, Fishtonic, Bone powder, Organic NPK, Organic Pestrepellents etc… to the organic plot. The result was

conducive for the organic farm. While the chemicalplot suffered several diseases from time to time, hehad to invest a lot of money for the control and has toabandon some portion of the yields. Disease such asyellowing and decaying affected the chemical farmingplot.

In the organic plot there were lowpest attacks and the sapling hadthick growth. He cultivated gingerin five cent of land of which bothplots were of 2.5 cents. It wasnoticed that the production washigher in the organic plot and theinput cost for the organic plot wasconsiderably less than thechemical plot. He got 92.07 kg oforganic ginger from the trial plotand from the chemical plot he gotonly 67.06 kg of ginger. In thehomestead farming he alsoexperimented the cultivation ofvegetables such as leafyvegetables, Ladies Finger, Tubers,Cow pea etc… He had proved thatthe pest attacks and diseases in

the Nutrition Gardening was very low and the inputcost in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, labour andseeds were also very low in the organic farmingprocess. He had decided to convert his entire farminginto Nutrition induced organic farming and has emergedas a model farmer in the entire PadinjaratharaPanchayath. He is getting visitors on a daily basisand he has emerged as trainer on the inputpreparations.

Case 3

Santhosh Kudukkattu, a Kurichiya farmer from MuttilGram Panchayath was practicing Conventional Organicfarming till he attended the Organic Input preparationtraining offered by the FARM project. He was practicingorganic farming for three years but never adopted anyadditional nutrition other than cow dung. Beingattracted to the Nutrition Gardening he decided toconvert his one and a half acre of land into nutrition

Santhosh showing the growth of the Ginger cultivationpracticing Nutrition Gardening

4 84 84 84 84 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

induced organic farming. His land was a fertile landnearing river bed having sufficient irrigation facility. Hewas cultivating tubers, Elephant Yam, tapioca, cowpea, ginger etc… through conventional farming method.He converted the entire plot into organic farming. Hecultivated the same products but applied the first stepof Nutrition Gardening the crop rotation. He raised onecontrol plot and another trial plot of Elephant Yam in

twenty five cents of land to validate the effectivenessof the Nutrition Gardening as suggested by the FARMproject.

He cultivated around 750 units of Elephant Yam in fiftycents of land. He spent around Rs 6000 for the seeds.He plotted 25 cents into conventional organic and theremaining 25 cents as trial plot for Nutrition Gardening.

In the Nutrition Gardening he spentaround Rs 1600 as labour andpreparation of organic inputs.Where as in the conventional plothe applied cow dung only and theinput cost was very low. As therewere low pest attacks in both theplots he didn't have to apply anykind of pesticides. In six monthstime both the plots were ready forharvesting. He got around 1900kilogram of produce from theNutrition induced farming modelwhere as in the conventional plotthe productivity was only two thirdof the production in the NutritionGardening.

He could also produce 100kilogram of cow pea from hisnutrition induced homesteadfarming which was sold at a priceof Rs 2,000. He got around 150 kgof Colocasia which fetched a priceof Rs 3600, 300 Kilogram ofTapioca fetched Rs 3000, 600kilogram of Ginger fetching aroundRs 8000. This was a record earningfor him and he is planning to takeland for lease and to increase hiscultivation in Nutrition inducedorganic farming in the nextseason.

Elephant Yam weighing 2.5 Kg raised through onventional farming

Santhosh with Elephant Yam weighing 7.5 kg raised throughOrganic Farming using Amrithapani & Fish Tonic

4 94 94 94 94 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

4.5. Action Research on System ofRice IntensificationWayanad once had nearly 40,000 hectares of paddycultivation. Today, rice is cultivated only in 17,000hectares. The remaining area is occupied by banana(12,000 hectares) and areca nut and other non-farmactivities. The conversion of paddy fields to bananafields has resulted in many ecological and socialproblems. Women used to get substantial labouropportunities in rice (27 person-days per acre perseason). Due to the conversion to banana, it could beestimated that women lost nearly 150,000 labor-daysper season. Farmers gave up rice cultivation becauseof its low profitability due to high labour costs as wellas low level of productivity. While the profit from oneacre of rice per season is Rs. 5000 to 7000, bananafrom the same area will give a profit of Rs. 50,000.When the banana price hits its peak, like Rs.30 perkg, the profit multiplies to 1, 00,000. But these hugeprofits are earned by destroying the natural ecosystem,at the cost of depleting ground water and loss of localbiodiversity due to the intensive application of toxicpesticides like carbofuran (forate), thimate etc.

Technological intervention, innovations and supportservices are prerequisite to bring back our ricecultivation. This should focus on increasing productivity,reducing labour costs, and developing eco friendly pestand disease management practices. The System ofRice Intensification as mentioned above has proved tobe a technical intervention with the potential to revivethe rice cultivation in Wayanad. We have experimentedSRI in ten plots in the three Gram Panchayaths

selected for the PAR. Three plots were developed bythe Paniya tribal family, three by Kurichiya, two byKurumar and two plots by Naika. System of RiceIntensification was selected by few farmers only asthey need models to get convinced. However tenindustrious farmers took the risk and developed modelplots for System of Rice Intensification.

System of Rice Intensification as toolfor Sustainable AgricultureRegeneration

The System of Rice Intensification, method wasdeveloped in Madagascar Island by the farmers andNGOs under the leadership French Jesuit Father Henride Laulanie in Madagascar. However the full testing ofthe system did not occur until some years later. Theconcept of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) focuseson managing the soil, water, plants and nutrients in abalanced relationship, enabling maximum growth ofrice plants. The SRI method can increase the

Table 7:Distribution of the units of System ofRice Intensification in the PAR(n = 10)

Category Frequency %Paniya 3 30Kurichiya 3 30Kurumar 2 20Naika 2 20

5 05 05 05 05 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Table 8:

Comparison of SRI against Conventional Practices (acre)Conventional Method SRI Method

Seed Input 25 kg/acre 2 kg/acreTransplanting of seedlings after 25-35 days after 8 – 12 daysNumber of hills/ m2 about 30 – 40 hills about 16 hills

(with a spacing of 25 cm between the hills)Number of seedlings/hill 4 or more twoFertilization application of chemical application of organic fertilization,

fertilizers, pesticides, non chemical weed managementherbicides and insecticides

Water Management Continuous irrigation moist conditions, no submergenceProductivity 2t/acre 3t/acre

production of paddy per hectare by using only 5% theusual seeds, 50% of usual water, 50% of manuring,and 80% of labour. It is currently being adopted in 25countries in the world including India, Cambodia,Vietnam, Sri Lanka and China

Assembly of the practices that culminated in SRI beganin the 1960s based on Fr. de Laulanie's observation of'positive-deviant' farmer practices, starting with plantingsingle seedlings instead of multiple seedlings in aclump, and not keeping irrigated paddy fields floodedduring the rice plants' vegetativegrowth stage. Planting with widerspacing in a square pattern, ratherthan randomly or in rows, followed,as did controlling weed growth byuse of a soil-aerating push-weeder(rotating hoe). In 1983, thebeneficial effect of transplantingvery young seedlings, less than 15days old, was discoveredserendipitously. Subsequently,when fertilizer prices increased,compost made from anydecomposed biomass turned outto give even better results thanchemical fertilizer. SRI conceptsand practices continue to evolveas they are being adapted to rain-

fed (un-irrigated) conditions and with transplanting beingsuperseded by direct-seeding sometimes.

SRI MethodologyThe SRI method transplants double plants in hills at adistance of 25x25 or 30 x 30 cm. The uniqueness ofthis method is that the transplanting is being donebetween 7th and 9th day after sprouting of the seeds.The current practice is to transplant after 4 to 8 weeks,and often 5 to 10 plants in one clump (hill). This causestrauma to the young plant as its roots take 12 to 14

FARM Volunteers demonstrating the cultivation of SRI

5 15 15 15 15 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

days to reestablish themselves after transplanting. Inthe conventional way of dense planting (50 to 60 clumpsin a square meter), roots of the plant cannot grow widelyand deeply, resulting in lower nutrient uptake fromdifferent zones.

Steps in practicing SRI1. Preparing the Nursery2. Selection of the seeds3. Growing seedlings in a miniature plot4. Field Preparations5. Taking seedlings from Nursery6. Transplanting the seedlings7. Water controlling8. Weeding9. Pest and Disease Control Measures10. Management after flowering11. Harvest

Income and Expenditure AnalysisYield has increased up to 55 % to 70% in the SRIplots. Tiller production showed up to 256 % increasein different varieties. The profit with SRI methodsincreased from 50 % to 75% in different plots comparedto the conventional plots. The total income per acrefrom SRI plots varies from Rs.30, 000 to 36,000, while

that in conventional plot varies from Rs. 20,000 to Rs.25,000 per acre. On the other hand, total expenseswith SRI show decreases (5 to 13%) compared toconventional methods. But the weeding cost is higheras additional weeding is required in SRI. This could bereduced in the coming years with effective watermanagement as well as adopting small weedingmachines. This analysis shows that SRI can be verywell propagated in the district, and rice farming couldalso be rejuvenated. Thirty farmers participated in theexperiments and conducted a total of trials usingvarious seeds. The major varieties cultivated throughthis experiment were Uma, Kanchana, Adukkan, Sabariand IR 8. The following table gives the differencesbetween the conventional and the SRI.

Results of the SRI done by the TribalFarmers1. Productivity per acre in crops increased from 20

quintals to 30 quintals in the Nutrition Gardening.2. Input cost decreased from 14,450 to 11,150 per

acre.3. Needs 50% more man days for transplanting and

weeding.4. It offers an alternative to resource poor, which puts

in their family labour.

Table 9:Cost Benefit Analysis of SRI (Productivity in one Acre)

Particulars Conventional SRIInput Cost

Ploughing 4000 4000 Seed 900 240Transplanting 3750 1800Weeding 1500 2000Fertilizers 1500 300Harvesting & Thrashing 2800 2800Total 14450 11,140

Yield and IncomeYield 20 q 30 qGross Income @ Rs 1200 per q 24,000 36,000Net Income 9,550 24,860

5 25 25 25 25 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

5. Large root volume, Profuse and strong tillers , nonlodging, big panicle

6. More and well filled spikelet's and higher grainweight

7. Resists insects because it allows rice to grownaturally

8. 30 tillers per plant are fairly easy to achieve and50 tillers pen plant are quite attainable.

9. SRI requires only about half as much water asnormally applied in irrigated rice.

10. Higher yields - Both grain and straw11. Reduced duration (by 10 days)12. More resistance to pest and diseases has been

found in SRI method.13. Less water requirement, Less chaffy grain14. Grain weight increased without change in grain

size, Higher head rice recovery, Cold tolerance,Higher weed management costs

15. Soil health improves through biological activity,Less expenditure giving more yields

16. Less vulnerable to heavy rainfall and strong wind.17. Through the deeper root systems, SRI plants were

found to be better prepared to survive short periods

of water stress associated with water shortages.

4.6. Case Studies of the SRI Farmers

Case 1Kattunayka Colony of Noolpuzha becomes self sufficient inrice productionVelukkan from Kattunayka Colony was a small scalerice farmer belonging to the Noolpuzha GramPanchayath. He was practicing conventional ricefarming from mid nineties. Rice cultivation was a partof their lifestyle as well as their livelihood. Theyconsidered rice cultivation as a divine activity and therice farming was an inherited high valued ritual for theKattunayka tribes. They practiced rice cultivation notwith an intention of making huge profit but for the foodsecurity of the colony. But in the early years of thisdecade things had undergone drastic changes. Inputcost increased significantly and cost of productionbecame unbearable for them. Chemical Fertilizers,weed management etc… became too costly and theentire colony lost the interest in farming. Graduallythey moved on to other sectors leaving the paddy fielduncultivated.

View of tillers in SRI plot when water was provided ——— SRI field ready for harvest

5 35 35 35 35 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

In 2009, Community Facilitator from Shreyas, the NGOworking in the Panchayath identified the KattunaykaColony of Keloor and provided capacitation to retrievethe paddy cultivation experimenting System of RiceIntensification. A ten member team under the leadershipof Velukkan joined this endeavor and prepared the fieldfor cultivation of rice. Together they arranged two anda half acre of land and planted the traditional varietynamed Adukkan. They raised the seedlings in theconventional nurseries and cultivated the traditionalvariety through SRI. They providedorganic nutrients and fertilizerssuch as Amrithapani, Fish Tonicetc… in those fields. They noticedit that they could manage most ofthe pest through the watermanagement. It required moreintensive weed management in theSystem of Rice Intensificationmethod as the fields were not keptflooded. The group members andtheir family members worked hardin the paddy fields.

Case 2Arikkalam colony emerges as amodel SRI plot in entire Wayanad

Chandu the Karanavar (Head) ofArikkalam Colony inPadinjarathara Panchayath hasemerged as a model farmer inWayanad regarding the System ofRice Intensification. They belongto Kurichiya clang of the tribes andtheir family is the biggest jointfamily among the tribals ofWayanad with a total membershipof seventy. They practicedtraditional agriculture from timesince they started inhabitation inArikkalam hamlet. Being a jointfamily, they practiced agriculturefor their requirement and they usedto sell the surplus production in themarket. They had around five acres

of land and they practiced mixed cropping. They hadpaddy fields around one hectare and they practicedconventional farming till 2009.

Being one of the traditional farming families in Wayanadthis family was selected for the experimentation ofSystem of Rice Intensification. Project Manager andCommunity Facilitator visited the hamlet and providedelaborate training on SRI. The tribal family becameinterested to shift to SRI and they prepared one acre

System of Rice Intensification Nursery

Team behind the SRI experimentation in Arikkalam Colony

5 45 45 45 45 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

of land. In order to maintain the required moisture leveluniformly they carefully leveled and raked the land.Drainage also was corrected as per the specifications.They sowed the seeds into nursery beds as in theconventional rice cultivation. They prepared the nurserybed close to the main field to reduce the time and costin replanting. At the 15th day of sowing theytransplanted the seedlings with two leafs as againstthe conventional method where they kept in the nurseryfor 25 days. The seedling was transplanted singly withtheir roots intact, while the seed sac was still attached.They planted it at a distance of 25 centimeter each.They applied the organic inputs such as Amritapani,Fish tonic, Jeevamridham, Neem Pesticide, OrganicNPK, Coconut Tonic etc…

They kept the roots moist but not submerged. Waterapplication was intermittent leaving plant roots withsufficiency of water not surfeit of water. Thisencouraged more extensive, health root systems whichsupported water and nutrient uptake and avoideddegeneration of roots. They cleared the weedsmanually in intervals of 12 days. The rice was readyfor harvest in 125 days time. They had kept farm bookregarding the expenses incurred in the cultivation andthe comprehensive analysis of the data on yields andinputs indicates that shifting to SRI raised profitabilityand income from production. The production from the

1 acre of land was 1200 kilogram as against the 850kilogram they produced through the conventionalfarming method. Profitably being a key factor inattracting the farmers towards the new experimentshas resulted in decision from the almost all farmers inthe Arikkalam Colony to shift to the SRI method fromthe next cultivation onwards. Through out theexperimentation more than hundred tribal and generalfarmers has visited the Arikkalam colony to know moreabout the SRI method and the tribal head himself hasemerged as a local trainer for the farmers. Now thename itself signifies the tradition of the hamlet asArikkalam in Malayalam means treasure of rice.

Case 3Sasi's scientific vigor makes fellow farmers to practice SRI

Sasi belonging to Sugandhagiri Colony of PozhuthanaGram Panchayath was a tribal farmer with two acre ofland of which 20 cent was paddy fields. He belongedto Paniya tribe and is an ardent lover of agriculture. Hepracticed conventional farming till 2009. In 2010 heattended a capacitation programme provided by FARMproject on System of Rice Intensification and decidedto shift into the same. He divided his land into twoportions and cultivated paddy in conventional methodin 10 cents and practiced System of RiceIntensification in the other 10 cent of land. He usedJaya variety of rice for cultivation in the two fields. He

SRI in the 45th day of planting SRI in the 60th day of planting

5 55 55 55 55 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

practiced all the practices under the SRI method Withregard to pest incidence; it was relatively less in hisSRI Field. The spacing between plants provided enoughspace for monitoring, which helped in the managementof leaf folders. Pseudomonas, an effective bio controlagent, was used while seed treatment, nursery, and inthe field also. Because of this, fungal and bacterialdiseases were controlled. Application of Pseudomonaswas practically easier to adopt, as SRI required lessseeds, less nursery area and enough spacing betweenplants for the spraying. .

SRI Fields gave yields of 115 Kg from 10 cent, whichis almost double than the conventional system.Aluminum tray, which was used for rubber latex setting,was used to carry seedlings from the nursery to themain field. As rubber is grown in most of Kerala, theuse of Aluminum trays is found ideal for transportingseedlings. Reduction in the required seeds to the tuneof 1/10th of the quantity. Similarly, 1/10th of the areaearlier required for nursery is only required. Planting ofyoung seedlings in wider spacing did reduce thedrudgery involved in uplifting the seedlings, transportingand planting.

Weeding was done manually and this helped in turningup of the soil and reduced the time taken for weeding.There was reduction in pest and disease incidence inSRI Field. With SRI, the yield wasdoubled in the same piece of hisland by reducing the inputs used.The decision to shift to SRIcultivation created lot of uproaramong other paddy farmers of hisarea. After the planting, every onetermed it as a foolish decision todo this suicidal act of plantingyoung seedlings so early.Constant support and supervisionfrom the staff of FARM Projecthelped him to overcome thecriticisms faced in the beginning.After 1-2 months, the samepeople who had criticized startedclosely observing the growth of

paddy in his field. On an average there were 40 tillerswith more grains per panicle. According to Sasi thebenefits of SRI can said as simple technology, lesswater requirement, good aeration, lesser cost in inputsand remarkable production.

4.7. Promotion of Farmers RightsSave Farmer's Network has networked with severalcampaigns to protect the farmer's rights. The networkwas an active participant of the Anti GM Campaigncarried out in Kerala. A series of awareness campaignsand protest marches were organized in the district.Further the partner's organized similar campaigns intheir operational areas attracted the attention of thevarious government agencies. SFC network was anactive facilitator of the Kisan Swaraj Yathra (FarmersFreedom Travel) a nation wide protest march organizedto bring attention of the government and the generalpublic towards the right of the farmers.

4.8. Interpretations of the NutritionGardening experimentation in TribalClustersSome of the results of the Nutrition Gardeningexperimentation as a part of the Participatory ActionResearch can be put in general as

1. Soil texture and quality is improved and life is

Organic tubers and vegetable selling units

5 65 65 65 65 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

brought back to the soil. Continuous enhancementof soil fertility is carried out in Nutrition HomesteadGardening.

2. Farmers are educated to utilize neighborhoodresources effectively and it was found that this wasfound to be an agribusiness venture run by women.

3. Water usage is minimized to more than 20% whencompared to normal consumption.

4. Per capita yield increased by 20 to 30 per centwithin a short span of time. Diversified farming helpsthe farmer receive continuous farm income aroundthe year.

5. The indebtedness of farming community isdrastically reduced, as the natural farming helpsthe farmer to get relieved from the clutches ofchemical fertilizers and pesticides.

6. In this mixed farming, the farmer's families are ableto consume diversified food and thus malnutritionproblem is also addressed thus resulting in farmersembracing the Nutrition Gardening. Pesticideresidue free food products are produced throughthis method. Food quality and productivity showsthat the crops are best than the crops producedthrough chemical farming.

7. Nutrition Gardening increases the earning of thefarmer against the chemical farming in which aconsiderable portion is spending on chemicalpesticides and fertilizers.

8. Nutrition Gardening has a lot of potential and mostof the practices remain un unexplored.

9. Experimentation of the Nutrition Gardening andConventional Chemical farming shows a greatdifference in the cost benefits. In Nutrition inducedTapioca cultivation the benefit against the cost is4.35 as against the cost benefit of 3.88 in thechemical farming. In Nutrition induced Bananacultivation the benefit against the cost is 2.99 asagainst the cost benefit of 2.24 in the chemicalfarming. In Nutrition induced Cow pea cultivation

the benefit against the cost is 2.67 as against thecost benefit of 1.73 in the chemical farming. InNutrition induced Ginger cultivation the benefitagainst the cost is 2.11 as against the cost benefitof 1.80 in the chemical farming. In Nutrition inducedyam cultivation the benefit against the cost is 4.13as against the cost benefit of 2.61 in the chemicalfarming. Hence it is clear that the Organic Nutritionprogramme is a grand success in the cost benefitterms.

10. In SRI the input cost is very low as compared tothe conventional farming. Seed cost is reduced to90%. Productivity in the SRI is one fold higher thanthe conventional farming.

11. Net Income from SRI method in an acre is Rs24,860 as against the Rs 9,550 in the conventionalchemical farming.

12. SRI method has more resistance to the climaticconditions such as wind, cold, rain etc...

13. Low pest attacks in the SRI method resulting inlow dependence of bio-pesticides. This wasachieved only because of the health saplings.

14. As the labour cost, seed rate and input cost areconsiderably reduced by techniques like SRImethod of cultivation, the farmers are relieved fromhigher cultivation cost.

15. Tribal farmers became very much interested in theSRI method and this has resulted in the severalreplications.

16. PRIs also is now aware of the increase inproduction of the SRI and this has resulted in PRIoffering promotional grants to Women Self HelpGroups for cultivating paddy in land as well aspaddy fields.

17. Farmers are now aware about their rights andhence they are actively engaged in dialogues withthe government for ensuring their right to live.

5 75 75 75 75 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

5ParticipatoryRural Appraisal

5 85 85 85 85 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

5.1. Appraisal of Farmers GroupsParticipatory Rural Appraisal's of the Farmers' Groupformed under the Save Farmers Campaign Networkwas conducted to analyze the trends and situationsbefore the implementation of the project and theimpacts and outcomes towards achieving sustainableagricultural measures after the implementation of theproject. A total of six PRAs were carried out in the sixreference areas. Participatory Rural Appraisals focusedon the collection of process and outcome of the FARMintervention and validated that, how far the concept ofSustainable Agriculture has been taken up by therecipient community. Three PRAs were conductedamong the general community and another three inthe tribal clusters. Six NGOs responding to thereference areas supported the PRAs.

Profile of the Participants and PRAMethodologyThey are mainly depending on agriculture for theirlivelihood together. All of them are having small ormarginal landholdings and practiced leased farmingfor cultivating perennial crop cultivation. Half of theparticipants of the PRA were the beneficiaries of theNutrition Gardening programme and the rest weremembers of the Organic Farmers Group formed underthe patronship of SFC. The tools used to analyze the

Owning up of the Sustainable Agriculture initiativeswere Historical Timeline, Income and ExpenditurePattern, Seasonal Calendar and Daily RoutineAnalysis.

Tools used for the assessmentHistorical timeline attempted to map the changes inthe agricultural practices in the two decades andvalidated how far it has affected or contributed to theagricultural crisis. Further the exercise also made anattempt to document on the present scenario aboutSustainable Agricultural practices being taken up bythe farmers. Economic situation analysis was offeredto analyze the differences the farming community hadin the due course and how this has contributed to theagrarian crisis. Seasonal calendar attempted to grabinformation from the farmers regarding the changes in

Table 10 :

Relative quantity of Participation in the PAR study activities in the FARMProject

Sl No Types of PRA – PAR Place Participation by GenderNo of No of TotalMales Females

1 PRA of the Organic Farmers Group Padinjarathara 13 3 162 PRA of the Organic Women Meenangadi 0 17 17

Farmers Group3 PRA of the Farmers group Muttil 12 6 184 PRA of the Nutrition Pozhuthana 14 0 14

Gardening Farmers5 PRA of the Nutrition Group Farmers Noolpuzha 12 6 186 PRA of the Organic Farmers Vellamunda 11 2 13

Total Participants 62 (64.5%) 34 (35.4%) 96 (100%)

Historical TimeLine

Seasonalcalendar

Daily routineanalysis

Economic situationanalysis

Organic Farming

5 95 95 95 95 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

the agriculture and the ways to adapt to the climatechange. Daily routine analysis was to study a genderdivision of work among the farming community.

Changes in the agriculture practices(Historical Timeline)Team applied tools for mapping the changes byHistorical Time Line and the respondents tried theirbest to gather information related to the changes inagriculture practices over a period of time. The processof participatory learning exercise at the field reveledthe changes happened over a period of time with relatedto the farming practices. The team assessed thechanges occurred during 1990-2000 and 2000-2010. Itrevealed that over a period of 20 years there areconsiderable changes had been taken place in thefarming practices in the particular area and followingare the major finding:

1. During the period 1990-2000 paddy cultivation ispredominant in the areas whereas it has reduceddrastically during the period 2000-2010. Similarlyfood crops are replaced by cash crops whichthreatened the food safety and security of the poor.

2. There was a good system of homestead farmingthat included rearing of livestock and using biomaterials for cultivation during the 1990-2000periods whereas it has changed and very fewfarmers having livestock practicing organiccultivation. It is because of the high cost for rearinglivestock comparing with previous years. It causedto exorbitant use of chemical fertilizers whichadversely affected the human as well as the soil.It also increased the cost of productionconsiderably which ultimately lead farming as anon profitable venture for the small and marginalfarmers.

Women in mapping of Seasonal Calendar

6 06 06 06 06 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

3. It is also noticed that in the year 1990-2000 farmerswere able to collect and preserve seeds for thenext season whereas 2000-2010 period farmersare fully depending on market for seed availability.The seeds from the market do not ensure qualitythat caused farming practices failure together withnon availability of the seeds in time.

4. The farmers observed that pest attacks speciallyto vegetables are less or even nothing and thenumber of host pest repellents are more during

the period 1990-2000 but in the period 2000-2010it is high and farmers are using different chemicalsfor controlling the pest attack which deterioratedthe quality of vegetables and the volume of poisonsare high in the products which is causing healthproblems.

5. During the period 1990-2000 the number of tribalpeople involved in the farming was more comparingto the present day. It is mainly related to paddycultivation and the tribal people were more skilled

1990 - 2000

Majority of the area was under paddy cultivationAnimal husbandry was practiced as subsidiaryincome sourceFood crops were largely cultivatedFavorable climatic conditionsLess pest attacks and diseasesBio fertilizers were widely usedSeeds were preserved and used for next cultivationQuantity of bio repellents were moreDepending on manual labor for farming rather thanmachinesExisted a farming culturePresence of tribal people in farming practices werehighCollective farming and sharing of manual labor wasexistedIndigenous knowledge and skills of farmersSoil fertility was highMore interest in farming practices

2001 - 2010

Agriculture is not profitableShifting cultivation from food crops to cash cropsChanges in climate with related to rain patternLack of good quality seeds (more resistingseeds)Mechanization in farming practicesLack of interest of youth in farming practicesHigh usage of chemical fertilizersConversion of paddy fields into areca and plantainIncreased cost of animal husbandry practicesDepending on daily labor for livelihoodLow productivityIncreased pest attacks and diseasesConversion of wet land into dry landAgrarian Crisis and SuicidesMigration of tribal farmers to other statesMighty interventions from voluntary organizationsProgrammes through SFC to promote sustainableagricultureSlow progress regarding the organic farmingFarmers are now convinced about the relevanceof Organic FarmingNutrition Gardening has resulted in the attitudinalchangeMore and more replications are happeningregarding the Organic farming.Increasing need of organic food from theconsumersFair prices are being ensured through the organicmarkets set up by the FARM Project.

Table11 :

Historical timeline of the agriculture

6 16 16 16 16 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

than others in paddy cultivation practices. Similarlycollective farming and exchange of manual laborersbetween farmers prevailed during the period 1990-2000. But presently it is difficult to find laborers intime for farming activities.

6. A different kind of farming culture existed in theearlier period where all the family members arepart of it but presently the younger generation hasless interest in farming practices and they feelfarming is not a viable or profitable enterprise forthem.

7. The participants observed that a reverse applicationis in the limelight where the farmers are after thetraditional sustainable agricultural practices whichexisted here from the time since their forefathersand views that it is a slow and gradual process. Itwill take another five to seven years of time to getback to the original position.

8. Participants pointed that not only farmers but alsothe consumers are now aware of the menace ofthe chemical farming and hence the demand fororganic food is growing.

9. Farmers are getting fair prices for the organicproducts through the organic markets constitutedunder the SFC project.

Income and Expenditure PatternThe team also assessed the income and expenditurepattern of the faming community. It revealed that thereare four main sources of income for the members and

45% of the total income comes from their agricultureand 25% income comes from labour and 5% incomefrom animal husbandry activities followed by 25%income comes in the form of loans either from formalfinancial institutions or from the SHG and a negligibleportion from the money lenders.

Regarding the expenditure pattern group members haveidentified six major heads of expenditure occurring onannual basis. The group members calculated theexpenditure pattern and revealed that there are 25% ofthe expenditure goes to meeting the food expenditureand 25% expenditure goes to agriculture and 17% goesto repaying the existing loans and 15% goes for theeducation of children and 10% for medical care and8% for festivals. The income and expenditure patternof the particular group is a cross section of the ruralpeople in general and observed the following facts:

1. The learning process revealed that income fromagriculture is primary source of the rural poor fortheir livelihood. It is evident that men and womenare working long hours for ensuring their livelihoodand keeping their living standards.

2. It is noticed that 50% of the income comes fromagriculture and animal husbandry and they arespending 25% for agriculture and 25% for meetingfood requirements. Whereas in the earlier periodsthey had to spend only 10% for the food and 15%for the agriculture. Agriculture input cost has

INCOME SOURCES EXPENDITURE PATTERN

Chart 1: Income Sources of Farmers Chart 2: Expenditure of the Farmers

6 26 26 26 26 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

increased and hence the cost of cultivationincreased and the production of cash cropsincreased where as the food crops decreasedletting the marginal and small farmers to dependon the markets for meeting their food requirements.This considerable change in income expenditureaffected the family budget.

3. Integrated farming practices are less familiar withthe farmers. The number of livestock is less dueto high cost for maintaining livestock whichincreased spending for chemical agriculture inputs.

4. It is also understood that the farmers are in theclutches of loans and 25% of the calculated incomecomes in the form of loans. These loans are takenfor different purposes for meeting the needs of thefamily instead of investing directly for the farmingpractices. Hence the loan, loan repayment chainis like a spiral and set aside considerable portionof their saving for repaying the loans.

5. People are spending 10% amount for the medicalneeds. Presently they are aware of the medicalinsurance schemes launched by the governmentfor the welfare of the vulnerable families in the state.Besides the safe and secure food production at

the family level which reduce the dependency tomarket and reduce health problems.

6. Farmers noticed that the possible way to overcometheir familial financial crisis is to decrease thefamily budget by producing more food crops andreducing the input cost by shifting to sustainableagricultural practices. Self sufficiency of the farmersis the first step in overcoming the financial crisis.

Seasonal calendar on vegetablecultivationDiscussions were facilitated to prepare seasonalcalendar on organic vegetable cultivation through. Itwas noted that from the conventional chemical farmingagricultural calendar, the nutrition gardening requiresdrastic changes to adapt to the climate changes andsimilar factors. The process of discussions andseasonal calendar prepared by the Nutrition Farmersreveals that farming is a continuous activity needs moreattention to bring out better results and returns. It alsounderstood that the farmers have skills and indigenousknowledge on farming systems and practices. Theywere also educated to organic preparations for betterfarming practices and the SHG is practicing the same

Table 12:

Seasonal Calendar followed in the Organic Farming of VegetablesMonth ActivityJanuary Land preparationFebruary Land preparation and collection of seedsMarch Germination of seeds, cultivation, preparation of bio manureApril Planting the seedlings, weeding, fixing of supporting stumps, applying bio manureMay Applying bio pesticides, applying bio manure, harvesting of beans, tomato,

ladies finger etcJune Harvesting of yam, colocasia, beans, cheeraJuly Applying of bio pesticides and bio manure for plantain, tapioca, weeding and mulchingAugust Applying of bio pesticides and bio manure for plantain, harvesting of banana,

collection of seedlings, preparation of landSeptember Harvesting of plantain and planting of seedlingsOctober Preparation of land and planting of seedlingsNovember Applying of bio pesticides and bio manure for plantain, fixing of supporting stumps,December Harvesting of beans, Applying of bio pesticides and bio manure for plantain

6 36 36 36 36 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Table 13:

Daily routine of farmersTime Women Men5.00 Wake up05.00 - 05.15 Morning ablutions05.15 - 05.20 Prayer05.20 - 05.45 Milking the cow Wake up Morning ablutions05.45 - 07.00 Preparation of food Selling the milk at milk society07.00 - 07.30 Animal husbandry activities Going for agricultural works07.30 - 08.00 Breakfast, preparations for going to work

Agricultural Works08.00 - 08.30 Bringing breakfast to farm, Coolie works Breakfast08.30 - 12.30 Work in the farm/Coolie labour Working in the farm12.30 - 01.30 Lunch and rest Lunch and rest01.30 - 03.00 Work in the farm/ Coolie works Work in the farm03.00 - 03.30 Return to home and Animal Husbandry Work in the farm03.30 - 04.00 Milking the cow and fetching fodder Work in the farm04.00 - 05.00 Fetching firewood, household activities Irrigation and similar activities05.00 - 05.30 Cleaning of house and surroundings Work in the farm05.30 - 06.00 Tea, bathing and cleaning Returning to house06.00 - 07.30 Preparation of food Going for the town and market07.30 - 08.00 Prayer Return to house and rest08.00 - 10.00 Supper, entertainments Supper10.00 Sleep Sleep

Documentation of Participatory Rural Appraisal in Charts

6 46 46 46 46 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

on vegetable cultivation. The discussions on vegetablecultivation noticed the following points:

1. Continuous efforts are made by the farmers forgetting better results and returns from the farmingpractices.

2. Skills and knowledge were improved for organicpreparation and applications

3. Pest attacks are increased and number ofrepellents are reduced

4. Farmers strictly follow organic farming even thenthe production is low or stable comparing withapplying chemical fertilizers

5. Non availability of seeds and quality seeds in timeis major concern of the farmers

6. Germination rate is less with the seeds purchasedfrom the market

7. They could not market the organic vegetables withan added price

8. Shortage of cow dung and manure due to lesslivestock

9. Climate change and changes in rain patternaffecting the vegetable production

10. Increasing price for leased lands is makingproblems to continuous cultivation

Hence it is concluded that the farmers have very muchadapted to the traditional farming practice but withremarkable change in the cultivation practices to adaptto the climate changes occurred.

Daily routine of womenThe team also looked into the daily routine of men andwomen in the group. It is understood from the focusgroup discussions that the major chunk of the time isspend on the agricultural practices. In order tounderstand the laborious daily routine of the farmers adaily routine mapping was applied to analyze theworking pattern of men and women in the OrganicFarming. It revealed that women are working long hoursas agriculture labor, practicing farmer as well as thecaring mother. All these roles made her restlessworking hours on daily basis for winning bread for thefamily. It reveals that 34% of time being spent forfarming and 21% time being spent for works at home

and 29% time for sleeping and the remaining 16% timeis using for entertainment and personal hygiene etc. Itclearly states the long working hours of women forsustaining the family. Men have to work around ten totwelve hours in the agricultural sector as against theeight hours required in the chemical farming. Eventhough chemical farming is time reducing, theparticipants of the PRA are interested to work more tolive long. This gives us the impression on theiracceptance of the Sustainable Agricultural Measuresof the FARM project. The daily routine chart preparedhereafter is as per the new lifestyle in the OrganicFarming.

5.2. Interpretations of theParticipatory Rural AppraisalIt can be said that the farmers of Wayanad are nowconvinced about the efficiency of the SustainableAgricultural Practices. Contribution of the FARM projecttowards the farmers taking up and promoting thetraditional practices can be said to be an importantachievement of the project.

1. Even though the effort and time required in theorganic farming is high, farmers are slowly shiftingto the traditional farming methods. This is onlybecause they are now aware that the agrariancrisis that hit the district in this decade is onlybecause of the modern farming and the impact ofthe crisis can be recovered only if they get retrievedto the organic farming methods.

2. Not only farmers, the consumers of food also arenow very much aware about the need to consumeorganic food as the recent lifestyle diseasemenace has made the general people at itsheights.

3. Sustainable Farming has thus emerged as the hopefor the Wayanad district.

4. It can be said that Wayanad in the period between1990 and 2000 is predominant with paddy cultivationand this drastically reduced in he period 2000-2010.

5. Homestead farming also was prevalent in the lastdecade and this was a major source of the foodcrops of the farmers and this has reduceddrastically resulting in the farmers dependent on

6 56 56 56 56 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

the market. This is a result of the over greed of thefarmers as they dropped the cultivation of foodcrops and shifted to cash crops.

6. Promotion of indigenous seed was practiced in thepast where as the farmers have shifted to HighYielding Varieties thus results in the high inputcost and dependence on the chemical farming.

7. The income from the farming practices varies yearby year depending on different factors such asseasonal availability of rainfall and favorableclimate, quality planting materials, market price,crop diseases etc.

8. Migration of tribals to other states in search of joband those trafficking deaths also has links to theagrarian failure as the agrarian failure only madethem migrate.

9. Pest attacks and diseases in this decade are highas compared to past and this is only because ofthe shift to High Yielding Varieties which has lowresistance to such attacks.

10. Younger generation has avoided farming as aprofession and this has resulted in lands remainingun-cultivated as there is no one to go on with theprofession. In this context the awarenessgeneration of the children in the schools andcolleges will result in a positive attitude building.

11. People are now very much aware of the need ofreversal of chemical farms to organic farms to liveand let live. Consumers also are very much awareof the need of the organic foods.

12. Marketing ensured under the FARM project hasresulted in the farmers getting premium prices. Butit has found that the demand is high whereas thesupply falls short.

13. Input cost in the farming as well as the cost offood also has increased drastically resulting in theover expenditure of farmers family budget. Highinput cost in the farming is because of the chemical

farming and the high food cost is because of thedropping of the cultivation of food crops letting themto depend on the market for each and everything.This can be reversed only by switching over toorganic farming and homestead farming givingmore importance for food crops.

14. Loans are taken mainly for agrarian purpose asthere is easy availability of loan for those with landtitle deeds. Always the farmer fails to repay theloan in time and this is only because of the overexpenditures and the low returns from the farms.

15. Seasonality of the farming has gone drasticchanges and in order to cope up with this issuethe farmers have to adapt to the climate changeby changing the old agricultural calendar with thenew practical agricultural calendar.

16. High Yielding Seeds are found to have a lot ofissues; high pest attacks, low health of saplings,long germinating time, low germinating rate etc…and this makes the farmers go after chemicalswhere as the traditional indigenous varieties doesn'thave any such problems.

17. Rain fall pattern also has changed drastically dueto climate change and often farm failure is due tohe unexpected rain. Rain at the time of harvestingis a disaster to the farmers and there is no possiblealternative to this issue.

18. Women are found to work more in the farm havingmultiple responsibilities of looking after home aswell as supporting the husband in the farm land.

19. Farmers views that the support price structureshould be made available for the organic productsalso.

20. Even though organic farming is time consuming,farmers are ready to depend on organic farmingas they are interested to live longer.

6 66 66 66 66 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

6 76 76 76 76 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

6Analysis ofProgrammes inOther Sectors

6 86 86 86 86 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

6.1. Cost Benefit Analysis of IncomeGeneration Program

The inhumanity of agrarian crisis created great havocon the survival of the families in Wayanad andbecoming aware of the pervasiveness FARM projectthrough the good will programme of income generationmade an attempt to fight the economic crisis. Whatcauses the distress in the agricultural crisis affectedfamilies? It is nothing but poverty. One of the novelinitiatives of the project, the Income generationprogramme was as step to address poverty and therebyreduce the vulnerability or the susceptibility of the familytowards suicides. Giving charity to a person in needreduces her or his pain of poverty in the short run, buttrains the same person to be more dependants uponthat charity. FARM project has taken pain to identifythe causes of the poverty in the distress families andtried to counteract those powerful negative forces. Theprogramme has taken sincere effort to devise IGPs tocreate genuine wealth through a sustainable manner.IGPs of FARM project has tried to provide an alternativemeans to make the living of the beneficiaries in adignified way. It has created opportunities by providingresources with an objective of making fewerdependants, more self-reliant and able to care for thefamily.

Save Farmers Campaign defines "Income GenerationProgrammes" as small scale projects that create anincome source to the crisis hit/distress agrarian familieswhilst promoting; a) the principal right to self-determination and b) the objectives of integration,repatriation and reintegration. In simple words it iscreation of income. How ever the IGPs have attemptedto make positive effects in terms of empowerment, selfreliance and community development. FARMprogramme has explored the possibilities of reducingthe boundary between food security and incomesecurity of households. The reverberations of theagrarian crisis have been felt at all levels of communityand thousands have been reported to be crossing overto neighboring states in search of wage labor andthousands of children have dropped out from schoolas their parents cant afford the expenses. In most of

the families, women bore the brunt of the crisis andhence most of the beneficiaries selected for the IGPsupport were women.

Process & Abstract of studyData for the analysis of the cost benefit was collectedthrough using a pretested interview scheduleincorporating special tool. While analyzing the IGPs,it can be noted that around 95% of the beneficiarieshails from agricultural families of which 50% only haveskills in farming. Nearly 95% of the samples selectedfrom the universe villages consist of females and thispicture is same when we take the entire district also.It was noticed that all of the beneficiaries lived inmakeshift houses which needs immediate repairs. Itcan be noticed that 95% of the beneficiaries opted foranimal husbandry as their plan was to use animalhusbandry as a direct/alternate income along with thefarming. A total of 40 beneficiaries were interviewed toanalyze the cost benefits. Of which ten interviews werefailed IGPs.

Practices followed up in the IGPProgramme

Assessment & PlanningAppropriate timing and through assessment wascarried out to determine the appropriate action planA thorough socio-economic assessment and profileof each family was taken.Analyzed the existing skills and raw materials/inputs available with the family.Proper market analysis/business plan wasprepared.

ImplementationSkill development training was provided on therespective tradesCash grant was provided to the beneficiaries inofficial functionsSupport on selection and procurement of the unitsalso was providedDay bay day accounting formats were provided tothe beneficiariesLinkages with SHGs for micro credit savings werepromoted

6 96 96 96 96 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Linkages with Local banks for savings was promotedLinkages with Life Insurance Corporation was alsoobtained for insuring the IGPs

Monitoring and EvaluationA robust monitoring and evaluation system was putin place.Field visits were carried out atleast twice a month.Support/Advices for the marketing of the productswere providedLobbying and advocacy for ensuring the best pricesalso was given. IGP as a minor component to the primary occupation.

The living conditions of the beneficiaries were poor andit is believed that this has a direct relation to theeducation, health and attitude of children. The meanage of the respondents was between 35 and 45(Table1). It can be interpreted that most of thembecame widows/widower at a mean age stated above.Further it was noticed that there is a tendency foryounger women to engage in animal husbandry andallied activities.

Basic criteria used for theselection of the beneficiaries

Year of suicide of the breadwinner of the family(Since January 2005)Volume of indebtednessArea of landholdings possessedSurviving members with chronic diseasesDependency StatusFamily SituationsSkills and employment opportunitiesMonthly income of the family

Forty samples of IGPs were selected as units in theParticipatory Action Research for the Cost BenefitAnalysis. Cost benefit analysis has analyzed the datain two methods. Successful IGPs are analyzed tovalidate the cost benefit at first. Hence the number ofsamples for this analysis is 30 and the respective failedIGPs are 10. The purpose of the Cost Benefit analysisis to assess the financial viability of the IGPs from theview point of the donor and implementer. It was plannedto find and quantify the positive effects of the IGP aswell as the failures. In this context the CBA is toevaluate whether the cost incurred has provided theexpected returns.

General Profile of the UnitsAnalysis of the data reveals that there are three typesof beneficiaries for the Income Generation Programmeviz; those who considers IGP as primary source ofincome, those who considers IGP and agriculture asequal sources of income and finally those who perceives

Table 14:

Distribution of the beneficiariesbased on age (n = 40)

Category Frequency %Below 25 5 12.525 to 35 12 3035 to 45 20 5045above 3 7.5

Table 15:Distribution of the beneficiariesbased on type of IGP selected (n = 40)

Category Frequency %Cow rearing 18 60Goat rearing 6 20Petty Shops 3 10Other 3 10

It was noticed that most of the beneficiaries opted forcow rearing as it is a most trusted source of incomehaving easy market. Further it was noticed that thosewho are genuinely interested in having monthly incomeand ready to hard work will be interested to have theanimal husbandry income generation programmesespecially the cow rearing. 60% of the respondents ofthis study are earning from the cow rearing followedby goat rearing 20%, Petty Shops 10% and otherinnovative ideas constitutes 10%. (Table 2) Beneficiarieswho doesn't have enough raw materials for animalhusbandry and having additional skills have opted for

7 07 07 07 07 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

other IGPs such as Tailoring, Mess House etc… Goatrearing has been identified as an additional incomegeneration to the family and the main source of incomewill be other sectors. In case of petty shops, messhouse, tailoring shops etc… the beneficiary selectedthe same as it is direct source of income and theylacked skills/health for pursuing agriculture relatedIGPs.

Input cost for the maintenance of the IGP on a monthlybasis is as follows. Cow rearing needs an average inputcost of Rs 1415 per month to purchase cattle feeds. Inalmost all the IGPs the beneficiaries have abundantraw materials available at their homesteads. But goatrearing requires very less expenses per month as it isthe most cost effective IGP. Goat's food menu mainlyconsists of the raw grass and hence handy food isless required. For petty shops the average input costper month is Rs 3000. In case of other IGPs it variesaccording to the IGP selected. In hotels/mess housethe input cost is high while in Tailoring shops it is verylow. In some instances there requires additional inputsas in the case of the medical attention for cows,repairing of machineries in other IGPs.

Analysis of the data reveals earnings per month alsoare different according to IGPs selected. Cow rearingprovides a steady income for not less than ten months.It was noted that in the two to three months time wherethere is no much production the beneficiaries sold thecow dung and met the family expenses. Hence it canbe said that the cow rearing IGP provide income roundthe year. On an average a beneficiary earns aroundRs. 5125 with cow rearing units. In almost all the casesanalyzed the beneficiary had two units of cow. Thiswas achieved through investing the savings of the firstyear for purchasing the second unit of cow. But for thegoat rearing IGP there will be no monthly income asthe milk from goat in all cases are sufficient for thehousehold use only. In some exceptional cases onlythe beneficiary earned around Rs 500 to Rs 1000 byselling the milk and that to for few months time. It wasfurther noticed that the beneficiaries with goat rearingunits could sell atleast two lamps/billys in a year

Table 16:

Details of the beneficiariescontribution on type of IGP selected(n = 30)

Category FrequencyCow rearing 5000Goat rearing NilPetty Shops 2500Other 4000 - 10000

Table 17:Details of the input cost required forIGPs (n = 30)

Category FrequencyCow rearing 1415Goat rearing 350Petty Shops 3000Other 5000

Cost benefit Analysis of theSuccessful IGPsAs a first step in the cost benefit analysis 30successful IGPs are analyzed. It was noted that in thefirst phase of the IGP distribution the grant amountwas 10,000 and in the subsequent year it was 9000.In almost all the cases the beneficiary contributed tothe IGP as cash itself. For cow rearing the averagebeneficiary contribution was Rs 5000. But for the Goatrearing there required no beneficiary contribution asthe grant was sufficient to initiate the IGP. For the pettyshops the contribution was Rs 2500 and for the otherinnovative IGPs it ranged between 4000 and 10000.

Table 18:

Distribution of the income on monthlybasis form IGPs (n = 30)

Category Average AmountCow rearing 5125Goat rearing NilPetty Shops 6000Other Varies

7 17 17 17 17 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

earning around Rs 3000 per unit. But these never fallin the monthly income criteria. In petty shops alsothere is a stable income of Rs 6,000 per month andthis income is available in all the months. In other IGPsthe income varies according to the IGP selected. Incase of mess house the monthly earning has evenreached Rs 13,000 where as for the tailoring units theminimum earning per month is Rs 3,000. Cow rearingis found to be the most suitable IGP for the beneficiariesas it gives a stable income and the cost of maintenancealso is less. Further the marketing of milk is an easytask in Wayanad as there is atleast one collectioncentre in a town.

In the cow units itself we can note the industriousnessof the beneficiary by analyzing the number of cowskept as against the cow purchased through the grant.In almost all cases there are atleast two cows and acalf in two and a half year time. This is ensuring astable income for the family. Another factor forbeneficiaries taking up the cow rearing is that they willget organic manure for their homestead farming whichwill ensure their household food security. Further it isidentified as suitable venture for women as it providesboth income as well as employment on the homestead.

Monthly expenditure of the families was also analyzedas a part of the CBA. It was noticed that the maincomponents of the expenses are provisions for food,medicines and education. For an average family of fourit requires a minimum amount of Rs 2000 (56.7%) tomeet their basic requirements. Almost all therespondents articulated it that they have cut short theirfamily budget as per the training given on the familybudgeting and this has helped them to have savingsfor the future. 26.6% of the beneficiaries requires around3000 and 3.3% requires around 4000 to meet theirfamily expenses. In case of the families havingexpenses above 2000 it was noticed that the largeshare of the expenses is meant for the medicines. It

Table 20:

Cross tabling of Income and Expenditure (n=30)

Loss: Family expenses are higher than the income from IGPEqual: Family expenses equals to the income from IGPSavings: Family expenses are lower than the income and hence savings is initiated

Table 19:Distribution of the beneficiariesbased on monthly expenses (n = 30)

Category Frequency %Below 1000 4 13.4> 2000 17 56.7> 3000 8 26.6> 4000 1 3.3Above 4000 Nil 0

7 27 27 27 27 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

was noticed that atleast one member of the family inthese category has some sort of illness which requiredmedical attention on a regular basis.

Analysis of the expenses of the family and its crosstabling with the income earned from the IGP gives usthe inference about the percentage of the expensesmet through IGP. When we compare the expenditureof the family with the income earned we get theinference that most of our IGPs can be categorized asdirect income providers. The following table gives usthe cross tabulation of the Income and Expenditure.

It can be noted that 90% of the beneficiaries haveincome sufficiently and they labels the IGP as theprimary income generation source. Only 10% of thebeneficiaries mostly the goat rearing IGP owners onlyconsider the unit as an additional income source andthey fetches their daily bread by working in other areas.13% of the beneficiaries earn the amount required fortheir monthly expenses and 76.7% of the beneficiariesare successful in having savings for the future. It canbe noted that regardless of the savings all the 30beneficiaries studied in this CBA has joined in eitherSHG micro credit savings, RD Deposit in Postal Savingsor have insured the family by joining the Life InsuranceCorporation policies. This can be considered as ameritorious achievement as in the case of the

beneficiaries who have undergone the bitter most inthe past due to lack of saving habits.

In general the IGPs have emerged as a tool for savingsto the beneficiaries and the continuous accompanimentof the FARM project team has ensured them to divertthis savings into banks, SHGs and LIC. This table givesus the inference on the savings initiated by thebeneficiary families and that too from a past wherethey don't even have hope for future. It can be notedthat 57% of the beneficiaries are saving more than Rs1500 in a month and this will surely help them to meettheir expenses in contingencies as well as to increasethe unit of IGPs in future. It can be noted that 16.7% ofthe beneficiaries doesn't have monthly income andsavings and mostly belonged the Goat rearing units.This again poses questions on the suitability of Goatrearing as monthly income generation programme.

Outcomes of the IGPIn simple the IGP Cost Evaluation can be projected intwo ways. One is what the outcome of the IGP is andthe other is what would have happened without IGPIntervention. As per the inferences of the respondentsthe outcome of the IGP are the following;

1. Stable income sources for the family was providedthrough the IGP

2. Could rebuild the torn away life into normalcy.3. Animal husbandry units especially the Cow rearing

turned to be a monthly income generating unit forthe crisis affected families.

4. Competition was not there in the Animal husbandryIGP as marketing of milks was an easy taskthrough the milk societies ensuring good prices.

5. Engagement in the productive sector alleviates/haserased their painful past

6. Monthly expenses of 76.7% of the families weremet through the IGP support.

7. Could provide good food for the family as againstpoverty they had at the distress time.

8. Could improve the life status considerably as theycould provide medical attention, education andhousing thereby improving the quality of life.

9. Could save atleast Rs 2000 per month which can

Table 21:

Distribution of beneficiaries based onSavings (n-30)

Table 8 Frequency Percent0 5 16.7500 5 16.71000 3 10.01500 3 10.02000 5 16.72500 3 10.03000 3 10.03500 2 6.75000 1 3.3Total 30 100.0

Savi

ng A

mou

nt

7 37 37 37 37 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

be used for contingencies in past10.Innovative IGPs such as pottery making, Mess

House, Petty Shops etc… also is found to be aviable income generating activity but having the riskof good completion.

11. Sustainability of the family is ensured as the IGPhas ensured economic security and self sufficiencyfor almost families.

12.Saving habit has come up in most families andaround 57% of them had started savings for futurein Banks, SHGs, Postal Deposits and LifeInsurance Corporation.

When we take the inference on the second questionof what would have happened with the intervention, theanswer given by most of them are simple. They wouldhave walked in the way of their family members whohave committed suicide. Hence it is very much evidentthat the Income Generation Progamme has resultedin building back better life. So it can be put into wordsthat the IGP programme has resulted in all thebeneficiaries to come back to normal life like a phoenixbird rising from ashes.

6.2 Case Study Analysis of IGP's

Case 1

Sajida weaving dreams from thecattle shed

Sajida was only 18 when she got married to Ahammedfrom Pozhuthana and she became a widow at thetender age of 20. Ahammad committed suicide due tofinancial crisis owing from the failure of the agriculturefor which he had taken debts from the local moneylenders. Sajida suffered from mental illness on theshock of the sudden departure of her husband andremained desperate for months. Her mother in law alsoshowed symptoms of mental breakdown. By this timethe befriender of this region came to know about thefamily and initiated the befriending process. It took sixmonths time for them to reintegrate her to the normallife. Befriender visited her house atleast once in a weekand provided the room for ventilation. She was isolatedin her family as they feared that she will be a burdenfor them. But Sajida recovered from the mental shockgradually and emerged as successful women throughthe befriending support and Income Generation Supportoffered later. She is now the breadwinner of the familyconsisting of Grand Father, Grand Mother and Son.

Jeevana, the Non Profit Organization working in thearea provided her grant support under the FARM projectto purchase a Cow. In 2008 she started the IncomeGeneration Programme with one cow and in 2010 shehas emerged as a small diary owner. She is rearingsix Cows, two Oxen and a Buffalo. In the initial stagesshe earned Rs 4500 from the IGP and saved Rs 2000

per month. She joined the localmilk society and then applied forsoft loans for purchasing cows andthen she could add more cows tothe diary farm in the five cent ofland. Further she received anassistance to purchase anothercow and buffalo through thegovernment scheme of debt reliefunder the Vidarbha Package.Sajida is now earning around Rs15,000 per month. She is planningto sell two cows and buy a hybridcow so that the expenses are lowerand the yield is high. She addedthat she will not sell Jicku, the cowfrom which she rebuild the family

Sajida in her cattle shed

7 47 47 47 47 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

in two years time. She was successful in finishing thepreliminary works of the house and is waiting anxiouslyto finish the plastering and flooring soon which wasleft not completed due the financial problems. Shedreams of finishing the works of the house and toprovide good schooling to her only son from the cattleshed where she began her second life.

Case 2Bond of Mary and her mother in lawreach new definitions in retrievingcrisis hit familyMary Mathai aged 39 and her mother in law remainsan exceptional case of bond in building up crisis hitfamily. Mary's family was an agrarian family inPadinjarathara G P mainly engaged in the cultivationof tubers and plantains. From 2005 onwards there werechallenges in the production and gradually the familyfell in prey to debts from co-operative bank. Owing torecovery issues and severe failure of the crops in 2007,Mathai committed suicide. Family consisting of Mary,mother in law and two children were taken aback. Maryalso showed suicidal tendency at this period. WayanadSocial Service Society identified this family at a crucialmoment and the community facilitator walked with themto reintegrate into normal life. Befriender from the FARMproject approached the family and provided psycho

social support. End result was anexceptional story of fighting backto normal life by a middle agedhouse wife and mother in law whois in her eighties. Chinnamma, themother in law of Mary provided herenormous support and sheregained her normalcy gradually.Even though Chinnamma wassuffering from various ailments,she showed the courage to giveemotional support to the entirefamily as encouraged by thebefriender.

Mary's family was provided anIncome Generation Support of Cowrearing in the year 2008. In order

to support the family Mary started to work as a coolielabour prior to the provision of IGP. But she soon fell illas she was not accustomed with that sort of hardlabour. This again created havoc in the family. At thistime the Community Facilitator recommended for theIGP support and the same was provided. She with theconstant support of the mother in law stitched their lifeback to normal. They could start the earnings with infour months time. Chinnamma also helps her daughterin law in the cow rearing with what all she can do inher age. They could sell an average of ten liter milk aday and could very well fetch the requirements of thefamily. Their elder son who is now studying in tenthstandard goes for selling the milk and now the cowrearing programme is a familial matter. They earnedaround Rs 6,300 per month. She has three cows readyfor milking and expects more income in the comingmonths.

She could settle some personal loans in between andis waiting for the writing off of farm loans by the bank.Mary is now bold enough to face the reality of life andis now very much accustomed to the new life. Marywhom once showed suicidal tendency has nowrecovered very well and has become a model fordistress women in the region. She is spending aroundeight hours for the cow rearing programme and this

Mary with the Cow IGP unit

7 57 57 57 57 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

engagement makes her forget all the past. She alsorealized the need for cultivation in their farm land afterthe organic farming trainings provided by the WSSS.She has now provided the land for leased farming for abanana cultivator and is exploring alternative sourcesother than IGP.

Mary also became convinced on the family budgetingand has emerged successful in saving for the future.She has joined in the LIC, RD progamme of PostalDepartment and micro credit savings in SHGs. Maryrecollects the support of her mother in law in rebuildingtheir life and says it aloud that without befriending andhandholding support of mother in law, she would havegone in the foot prints of her husband.

Case 3Ammini reincarnates her family byreturning to traditional occupation ofpottery making

Ammini Chenankollil of Muttil Panchayath belongs toKumbaran caste who is traditional pottery makers. Shealong with her husband Gopalan used to earn frompottery making and their younger son left the traditionaloccupation and became a leased farmer. He wassuccessful in the early years and took more land onlease in 2007. Ammini and family slowly left theirtraditional occupation as their son brought enoughmoney from the farm sector. But he miserably failedand debt engulfed him. He became nervous andbecame missing for few weeks. After a while theyidentified him, convinced to return back to family. Buthe committed suicide soon after he returned.

It was a blow for the family as the younger son wasthe bread winner of the family. Ammini and Gopalanbecame disheartened as they lost him forever. Amminialso became attracted to suicidal thoughts due to thegap made by his son. VOICE the partner NGO of theFARM project working in the Muttil Gram Panchayath

identified this family and provided befriendingservices to the entire family. The befrienderprovided effective ventilation to Ammini who waspossessed with suicidal thoughts. It was a periodwhere the family required diversion from thesethoughts by engaging in some productiveprogrammes. Realizing the need, communityfacilitator recommended them for the IncomeGeneration Support programme. Ammini andfamily opted for reestablishing Pottery Makingwere not familiar with other occupations.

Ammini and Gopalan with the support of the FARMproject returned to the traditional occupation bypurchasing necessary raw materials and rebuiltthe smoke choolas and other pottery makinginfrastructures. Gopalan and family are earningaround Rs 8,000 per month and they could savearound 2,500 from this after meeting the inputcosts and household requirements. They aremaking earthen pots for cookery items, gardeningpots, thandoori choolas and their products havehigh demand in the market. Both of them begintheir routine early in the morning and works tillsun set as per their cultural practices. In order to

Ammini and husband in pottery making

7 67 67 67 67 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

meet the demand they have now engaged one labourerin the pottery making unit. At times their elder daughterwho was married in nearby village also comes homeand joins the pottery making. They are now leading abusy life and never get time to think about the pastexperiences. Ammini and family whispered about thesix months in which they literally were on the verge ofsuicide. She added that, if you haven't come acrossour life we would have surely ended up. She believesthat the service of befrienders is exactly the blessingof angels whom really brought them back to life.

Case 4

Rebuilding the hope of the tribaltrafficking survivorsAmmini and Sasi of Chundappally colony in NoolpuzhaGram Panchayath were farm labours for the past threedecades. They used to engage in the paddy cultivationof the Noolpuzha Gram Panchayath till 2005. From2006 onwards there was a steep decline in the paddycultivation in the area and this resulted in the livelihoodcrisis of the tribals in the Chundappally colony. As analternative they fell in prey to the tribal traffickers whotook them to the Ginger cultivation farms in theKarnataka State. Extensive use of pesticides in thesefields made the labours sick and the health conditionof Sasi deteriorated very much and finally in order toescape from the pain he committed suicide.

The traffickers tried to dispose his body in Karnatakaitself but due to protest from other tribals labours tookinitiative to arrange conveyance for the deceased.Ammini also came back to the colony with the deadbody and became depressed with the sudden dismissalof her husband. She remained in her hut without foodfor a week and became pale and finally she was takento the nearest government hospital. Shreyas, thevoluntary organization working in the NoolpuzhaPanchayath came to know about this incident andstarted providing befriending support to Ammini. Shewas given the opportunity to ventilate and the continuousaccompaniment of the befriender resulted in briningher back to normal life.

At this time she was contacted again by the traffickersto return to work in the ginger fields by giving luringpromises. But she decided not to end up her life inginger fields and wanted to earn for the two children.Her family also was supportive and she wasrecommended for the IGP assistance. She wasprovided grants to purchase goats and she bought two.She could earn around Rs 1500 per month by sellingmilk and in two years time her IGP increased up to sixunits. She sold two Billy's and earned around 6,000from that. Her parents who are staying nearby alsohelp her in the Income Generation Programme. She

also joined the micro credit savingprogramme of the NGO and ishaving a deposit of 3500 in thescheme. For the primary incomegeneration, she goes for the worksof NREGA when ever she getsopportunity in nearing villages.

Case 5

Stitching back life: Anyoung farmersanecdoteKurian K M was a student whenhe lost his father in 2007. Hisfather was a famous farmer in theVellamunda Gram Panchayathbecause of his integrated farmingstyle coupled with food crops and

Ammini with her IGP unit

7 77 77 77 77 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

cash crops. His father was selected as model farmerin 2000 as his integrated farm model in two acre ofland became a success. He was successful till 2006and the steep fall of the prices of crops in 2007 ruinedhis entire wealth. In 2006 itself, he sent his daughterin marriage and this aggravated his doubts. He was ofthe expectation of getting fair prices from his productionin the years to come and to repay the loans taken forboth agriculture and marriage purpose. But he hadrecurring loss in 2006 and 2007 which made the debtdoubled. In a compromising situation he committedsuicide and left the burden to the shoulder of his elderson.

Kurian at the age of 26 was not prepared to take upthe responsibilities of the family. Kurian and his motherbecame depressed as they didn't have any idea onhow to repay the loans and to move forward. His motherbecame mentally depressed and at this time thecommunity facilitator of Malabar Social Service Societyidentified the family and brought under the befriending.Befriender could help his mother to ventilate her feelingsand in four months time she was brought back to normallife. Kurian who became confused of sudden departureof father also benefitted from the psycho social supportand took the decision to enter into agriculture to rebuildtheir life. He had the determination to overcome thefinancial crisis and to lead thefamily. He sold one acre of landand repaid the loans.

Realizing the problems, MASSSprovided him grant to initiate IGP.He bought a cow and started cowrearing. It was a beginning and henever had to look back. At presenthe has two cows and a calf. Heearns around Rs.5000 from theIGP and has initiated organicfarming in his remaining land. Heis a hard worker and is nowemerging as a full time farmer. Hehas taken land in lease as he hasonly one acre of land. He practicesintegrated farming in his land and

has ensured the household food security. Both Kurianand mother are actively engaged in the homesteadfaming and forget the past sorrows. Kurian alsocompleted his degree which he dropped earlier due tofamilial constraints.

Kurian's father practiced chemical farming but hepractices organic farming only. This has ensuredproductivity as well as disease resistance. He getsfair prices for his products. He has shown a model oflinking the IGP with agriculture and never sells the cowdung outside as he prepares organic inputs with thedung. He also has innovative ideas and experimentsthe same in his agricultural plots. He has started smallnursery in house premises after constructing apolythene glass house. His experiment in budding andgrafting has given him fame in selling the pepper vines.Both Kurian and mother have recovered well from theshock of the death of his father and now never get timeto think of the past days. Kurian now possess a dreamof becoming model farmer in the Panchayath whichonce his father was titled.

Case 6

Fighting against the fateBindhu Chalil aged 35, hailing from the MeenangadiGram Panchayath is an exceptional case of bravewomen who fought back life from the extreme situation

Bindhu grazing the cattle’s

7 87 87 87 87 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

of life. She belonged to a small agricultural family inChoodupara and fell in love with a marginal farmer nearby her house. It was an inter caste marriage and itresulted in the isolation of the both the families. Butthey stood up against all those problems and starteda new life. They had two sons who are now studying inupper primary schools. He continued his agricultureand was successful in earning for the family from thesmall hut made of mud. The happiness lasted only fiveyears.

Her husband met with a fatal accident in 2007 whenhe fell from a tree while cutting the branch. He was incoma for months and after three months he recoveredfrom coma but was being paralyzed. She invested allher savings in the hospital and after six months ofhospitalization he was discharged from the hospital.At home things became difficult as she found difficultin meeting the expenses of the medicine as well asthe household requirement. In a vulnerable momententire family thought of committing suicide and at thismoment the community facilitator from Women'sWelfare Association identified the family. She startedto provide befriending services at first and learning theextreme situation of survival she was recommendedfor the medical assistance. This helped the family alot and this was the turning point in their life wherethey learned that somebody is there for the family andit is foolishness to put an abrupt end to the life whichis the gift of the god.

The entire family was given befriending support andthe children's started back going to school. She wasfurther given assistance to initiate an IGP as she wasidentified as a crisis family. She opted for cow rearingand bought the same. She could get income from thefourth month onwards. At present she is earning aroundRs 7500 per month. Befriender introduced the familyto the pain and palliative care facility and they areoffering the entire medicines free of cost. At first shemade use of a temporary shelter for the cows. In oneyear time she could construct a basement in the nearbyland and thus got assistance for house constructionfrom the Panchayath and nearby parish. With thissupport and the earnings from the IGP she finished

the construction of the house with Asbestos roofing.The family moved to the new house and the mud housewhich they used earlier is now being used as cattleshed.

She has two cows and a calf now. She gets around 13liters of milk a day and both the children helps her inthis endeavor. For the last two years she has never leftthe house as she spends her entire time for the careof the husband and the income generation programme.He is still in bed but the condition has improved. Shecould buy a water bed for her husband as he wassuffering from bed sore. She has the hope that oneday her husband will recover entirely and this hope lether live. She dreams to provide enough education tothe children as both of them are good in studies. Shehas emerged as an Iron Lady in the village as shefought back from the extreme depth of pains andsorrows. She sighs about the day when both of themdecided to commit suicide as they thought there is nohope for life and acclaims it that with out the supportof the FARM project they would have been no more.

Case Study Analysis of failed IGPsIn order to analyze the reasons for the failure of theIGP's the researcher visited the failed units and carriedout a study of the failed projects. Ten failed cases arepresented here.

Case 1 - Thressiamma, from Vellamunda was selectedfor the Income Generation Programme after herhusband committed suicide due to agricultural debtsin 2007. Thressiamma was aged and she dependedon only son who was suffering from some healthcomplications making him unable to practice hardlabour. So he opted for a Three Wheeler Auto as anincome generation programme and raised 60,000 ashis contribution against the contribution of 10,000 fromthe project. He bought a second hand Auto Rickshawwhich seemed to be in good condition. He drove itsuccessfully for five months and earned around Rs 7500per month. Bu in the sixth month there was an enginetrouble to the Auto Rickshaw and he came to knowthat he was cheated by the intermediaries by sellingAuto Rickshaw of bad engine condition. He had to

7 97 97 97 97 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

spend around 25,000 for the works and he again fell inbig debt. In order to overcome the crisis he sold theIGP with no other options. Here the inexperience,ignorance and lack of clear cut business plan resultedin the failure.

Case 2 - Pushpa Sivan from the MeenangadiPanchayath was selected for the Income GenerationProgramme as her husband committed suicide due toagricultural debts. She opted for petty shop and wasgiven an assistance of Rs 10,000. In the initial monthsshe earned enough for the survival of the family. It wasthe season of agricultural labour and after that shecouldn't earn even fifty rupees a day. As she failed tomeet the household expenses, she had to shut downthe shop and migrate for agricultural labour.

Case 3 - Bindu Chukkalikuni from Noolpuzha GramPanchayath was selected for the IGP support as herhusband committed suicide due to the failure in theleased farming. She was given an assistance of Rs9000 and she bought two goats with the grant support.She reared the goats for four months. In the fourthmonth her daughter became infected with Pneumoniaand the condition deteriorated day by day. In order tomeet the medical expense she sold the goat. She couldsave her daughter but had to compromise with the IGPsupport.

Case 4 - Sunitha Prakash hails from PadinjaratharaGram Panchayath and was selected for the IncomeGeneration Programme as her husband committedsuicide in 2007. She got assistance to initiate goatrearing IGP. She bought two goats and constructed atemporary shelter for the goat with the assistance. Herson fell ill due to Chicken Pox and was hospitalized.She sold the two goats in the fourth month to meet themedical expenses.

Case 5 - Jameela P K, from poovathumkandi wasselected as a beneficiary of the IGP as she wasselected as distress farmer and was providedassistance of Rs 10,000 in 2008. She launched a goatrearing IGP and reared it for six months. Her mother inlaw fell ill and in order to meet the hospital expenses

she sold the entire unit. She invested all the money forthe health of mother in law and hence she could notgo on with the IGP.

Case 6 - Sarojini from Muttil GP was selected for theIGP programme as the father committed suicide in2007. Sarojini and members of the family had sicklecell disease and hence she selected Goat rearing asIGP due to her health constraints. But after three monthall the goats were infected with disease and becamedead. She got insurance amount of Rs 4,000 and shediverted that amount for the treatment of the family.

Analysis of the failed CasesFailure of the Income Generation Programme was notbecause of the failure in the marketing but due tounprecedented happenings in life. Having no other wayto survive they sold the IGP units and met thecontingencies. In few cases diseases resulted in thefailure of the IGP and it was noticed that the impact ofthe failure could have been avoided if the same wasinsured. Unfortunately in some cases the beneficiariesavoided the Insurance Programme and this increasedthe impact of the loss of the IGP. In some cases the inexperience, ignorance and the lack of clear cutbusiness plans resulted in the failure. Unforeseencompetition to the units has also resulted in windingup of the IGPs in some cases. It is evident from thecase study analysis of the failed cases that none hasstopped the IGP intentionally. Hence it can be saidthat those failure are behind the control of thebeneficiaries.

6.3. Interpretations of the CostBenefit Analysis1. Income Generation Programme for the victims of

the suicide has helped to address the inhumanityof the agrarian crisis by offering sustainable incometo beneficiaries at their home itself and hasreintegrated all the families to take up the OrganicFarming.

2. It was noted that most of the beneficiaries of theIGP support were women in the mean age of 35 to45. They found Animal Husbandry as the mosttrusted income generation method in the Wayanad.

8 08 08 08 08 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Cow rearing was found to be the most successfulas well as the most opted out IGP (60%). Cowrearing provided an income on a monthly basis andthose who lacked skills and resources for animalhusbandry went for other programmes. Womenopted cow rearing as the most opted one as theycould generate income at the homestead and couldlink with the Organic Farming as the got enoughraw materials for the organic input preparations.

3. IGPs have helped the women to becomeeconomically independent in a situation when otheropportunities are limited. All the beneficiariesindicated that the IGPs have helped them to tideover the difficulties they had experienced due theonset of the crisis.

4. 86% of the women responded that the life hasbecome sustained due the IGP support. All of thebeneficiaries studied were interested to take upanimal husbandry on a large scale in a moresystematic manner.

5. Beneficiary contribution for the cow rearing wasaround Rs 5,000 and in the case of the Goat rearingthere were no beneficiary contributions. Also thereturns from the cow rearing shows that the IGPsupport can be offered as loans thereby creating arevolving fund through loan repayment helping moreand more distress families.

6. Input cost of the Goat rearing was the lowest as itrequired handy food only and the cow rearingrequired around Rs 1415 apart from the raw grassand rice soup. Cow rearing offered around Rs 3,500(One Cow) per month in the first year and in thesecond year Rs 5,125 per month (Two Cow). Goatrearing cannot be considered as a monthly incomeoption as it doesn't provide income on monthlybasis. In case of mess houses the average incomewas Rs 10000 per month and other IGP provided aminimum of Rs 6000. But it was noticed that therewere daring competition in innovative IGPs fromsimilar firms.

7. In cow rearing IGP it was noticed that all thebeneficiaries increased the units to two and threein the second year and this shows theirindustriousness as well as the emotional buildups.

8. Befriending offered to the beneficiaries turned to be

a handholding support to them and this has helpedthem to move on. It can be also said that the housevisits offered in the befriending is a monitoringmechanism.

9. It is noted that the average monthly expenses ofthe IGP beneficiaries was below Rs 2000 (56.7%).In other cases the high monthly expense was dueto heath issues as they spend more money formedication.

10.57% of the beneficiaries of the IGP support couldsave an amount Rs 1500 and above on a monthlybasis after meeting their household requirements.

11.Failure in the IGPs was found due to unprecedentedhappening such as diseases, emergence of newcompetition and immediate need of money temptingthe beneficiary to sell of the units to meet theirrequirement.

12. It was noticed that goat rearing even though arelatively low cost -high return enterprise having nodifficulty in marketing was found to be a failure asan enterprise providing monthly returns. The

House visits and befriending

8 18 18 18 18 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

chances of selling goats for money to meetcontingency are found high and hence such IGPsare less recommended.

6.4. Analysis of the BefriendingProgramme

The man who, in a fit of melancholy, kills himself today,would have wished to live had he waited a week.

- Voltaire

The first thought that comes to the mind when we hearabout the agrarian crisis of Wayanad is the suicides.Poor returns to the cultivation and absence of non farmopportunities are indicative of the larger socio-economicmalaise of the Wayanad. This is accentuated by themultiple risks that farmers faces such as yield, price,input, technology and credit. The increased incidenceof farmer's suicide till 2009 was symptomatic of a largercrisis, which was widespread. Risk mitigationstrategies were limited only to the credit issues in theearlier stages and there was a requirement of psychosocial support for the farmers at this phase.

An act of extreme desperation committed by such a

large numbers of people over a prolonged period oftime can only be explained by a combination ofeconomic, social, psychological and other factors.Further in case of the farm distressed district ofWayanad, the Human Development Index (HDI) wasrelatively lower, as compared to the other districts. Forinstance, among the 14 districts, Wayanad ranked 13thin the HDI. The state has attributed these deathslargely on the crop failures. Often statements have beenmade suggesting that the victims needed cashassistance immediately and the state responded tothe crisis through financial packages ignoring thepsychological aspects of the distress farmers and thefamily members of victims of the suicide. Suicide beinga multifaceted and complex phenomenon, the risks isidentified either in the neurobiological and socio-economic conditions domain. The former arepredisposing in nature and are internal to the individualwhereas the latter are the precipitating ones and areexternal to the individual.

A total of 1981 agricultural suicides have occurred till2010 August. In 2007 August Kerala Social ServiceForum with support from Caritas India formed thenetwork of seven voluntary organizations of Wayanadto address the growing incidences of agrarian suicides.Befriending was adopted as the major tool of thenetwork programmes to relieve the sorrows and painsof the victim families and suicidal. The year wise dataof the suicide shows that 2007 with 229 suicides wasthe highest, followed by 220 in 2008. In 2009 it reduced

Table22 :

Data on the suicide from 2000onwards

Year No of Suicides2000 1482001 1812002 1882003 2102004 1772005 2112006 2132007 2292008 2202009 1662010 38Total 1981

Source: District crime Records

Table 23:Data on the interview among thebefriending clients (the suicideattempted) (n = 30)

Panchayath Frequency %Vellamunda 5 16.6Meenangady 5 16.6Muttil 5 16.6Noolpuzha 5 16.6Pozhuthana 5 16.6Padinjarathara 13 21.6

8 28 28 28 28 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

to 166 and as per the records available till October2010, there were 38 suicides in the district of Wayanad.

Analysis of the Befriending offeredBefriending service can be considered as the singlelargest tool that has provided wide acclaim to theproject in the entire Wayanad especially the referenceareas of the research. FARM Project befriending teamconsisted of four befriending staff at coordination officelevel and 21 community facilitators attached to the NonGovernmental Organization having good expertise inoffering befriending and hundreds of village levelvolunteers capable of identifying, referring and providingthe preliminary psycho social support to the suicidal.In almost all case, the befriending coordinator fromthe FARM project reached the home of the distressed/victim and provided befriending. This was widelyaccepted by the clients as they feel secure at the hometo open up. Befrienders never attempted to solve theproblems but helped them to solve the problem by theirown, by alleviating the depression which has thepotential of suicide. Depression is there in some pointof life of every human and those depressions whichlasts longer and are intense has the potential of beingsuicidal. Depressions pointed out by the clients andvolunteers are projected in the Annexure 3 - Part 3.

In the first stage of the Befriendingimpact assessment throughParticipatory Action Research, weidentified ten each clients from thesix reference Panchayaths andstudied their case history. Casestudies from the year 2007 till2010 were analyzed. Clientsbelonged to the lowest economicstrata and belonged to the familyof suicide victims. In the initialphases of the FARM projectspecial attention was made on theclients of the agrarian crisis andin the year 2009 and 2010 thebefriending services were providedto other people also who were inthe suicidal thoughts. Distress

families having different kinds of problems sought thehelp of the befrienders and it was noticed that by 2009those needed the service of the befriender, came insearch of them. Case study analysis provides theimpacts of the befriending to the victim families anddistress.

In-depth study of suicide attempted was carried out inthe second stage. Suicide attempted clients werevisited and had interaction with them. There were nostructured interviews and the interviewer elicited theinformation by casual discussion covering the differentaspects that made them attempt for suicide. Noteswere taken down and there was no hesitation from theinterviewees as they all were reintegrated into the lifein a good manner. Hence a total of thirty cases werecarefully analyzed and the following remarks are basedon the elaborate studies carried out among the clients.The following remarks are based on the unstructuredinterviews with the clients about the befriendingprocess. Five each clients were selected from eachgram Panchayaths stated as the universe in theParticipatory Action Research. The idea behind theselection of the suicide attempted clients was to gatherthe impact of the befriending programme and the variousstages the client had to undergo in the distressmoments.

Befriending at house of the client

8 38 38 38 38 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Table24 :

Details of befriending service provided in the PAR area from the beginning ofthe FARM project

Gram Suicide Attempted Prone Distress Total GrandPanchayath victims Total

M F M F M F M F M FPozhuthana 01 06 01 09 01 07 13 38 16 60 76Meenangadi 04 18 02 10 01 07 26 46 33 81 114Vellamunda 11 27 01 02 14 21 25 51 76Padinjarathara 14 34 01 05 14 18 28 58 86Noolpuzha 01 03 01 03 06 01 08 07 15Muttil 13 52 02 01 03 35 18 88 106Total 44 140 5 22 3 24 76 159 128 345 473

Earlier it was noticed that the people from the nearbyareas of the client looked at the befriender with asuspicion and now it can be said that these peoplesare warmly welcoming the befrienders as theythemselves became aware of the recovery made bythe clients. Most of those vulnerable clients wereprovided income generation programmes and they havenow emerged as true models of phoenix bird. It wasnoted that prior to the intervention of the befriendingsupport the distressed folk of Wayanad had nowhereto go for emotional and psychological support. Themajority of the distressed wanted someone to talk towho would give them time and space and to whomthey could express their deepest, most anguishedthoughts, some one who would be prepared to listen,in confidence with acceptance and compassion.Unfortunately the psychological support systems fromthe government failed to provide such a kind of supportand this aggravated the suicide scenario of Wayanad.But in the befriending programme it was noticed thatall the requirements were even met by the volunteerswho were not necessarily professionally qualified buthad the human attributes of care and compassion andare willing to listen constructively, non-judgmentally,and with acceptance.

Befrienders steered towards the client's pain. Whilethey listen to the clients stories, the prime concern isto listen to the client's talk about their sense of despair

and their suicidal feelings. Thus the clients wereencouraged to ventilate their anger and to talk abouttheir distress and frustration. In this way the befriendersoffered the emotional support to those for whom lifemay be getting too much to bear and who may be inthe danger of suicide. In the conventional form ofcounseling the care given to the individual clients isvery much lower and the hospice setting is not at allconducive for the distressed to open up. Now the serviceof befriending has emerged as immediate responsefor emotional crisis. An important aspect of the servicenoted is that those who use it are in control - thedecision to make contact is theirs, as is the freedomto end it.

Statistics on the befriending offeredin the universe of the researchFrom the very beginning of the project, befriendingservices were provided to the victims of suicide, distresspersons and vulnerable people. Unlike the counselingsession, befriending service cannot be stopped in fewsettings. Even in the form of house visits befriendingsupports can be provided and it was noted that thesessions were higher in the context of Wayanad. Thetable given under is from the reference area of the PAR.

A total of 473 people have benefitted from thebefriending services in the PAR area. The highestnumbers of clients were from the Meenangadi

8 48 48 48 48 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Panchayath where 114 were provided befriending. Thelowest number of clients was from NoolpuzhaPanchayath where only 15 clients were provided withthe service. It can be noted that, women tend to commitsuicide more than men as the suicide victims weremostly women (76%). Attempted cases also weremostly women and the prone families otherwise thosewith suicidal tendency were also women. Distressclients also were mostly women and in all the sectorsthe chances of women being in compromising situationof suicides was two third. A total of 128 males and 345females were provided the befriending service.

Perspectives of the Befrienders aboutthe serviceAlthough in every day life there may be all sorts ofthings, befrienders would like to help the people in need,but has to recognize the boundaries and operatingprocedures of the organization. It is therefore importantto understand the type of help one can provide.Primarily, befrienders have to provide a service to helppeople in crisis and those who may be suicidal. Thehelp they provide is, for the most part, offering support,befriending and providing a listening ear. Further theyhave to make sure that they don't do anything thatwould upset the service. Decisions are to be taken bythe clients and hence in any circumstance befrienderwill not provide advices. Similarly the befriender areforbidden to impose their convictions and hence not tobe pressed into giving opinions. Volunteers also nevertalks about themselves, letting the client wasting timeto disclose himself. It is also to bear in mind that wecannot end the service to the clients in an abruptmanner as it will erode the entire efforts taken in asingle moment of melancholy.

6.5 Case Study Analysis ofBefriendingNames of the clients in the case study and place havechanged to respect the confidentiality in the serviceprovided. One each case study from PAR referencearea is presented here.

Case Study 1

Name : Sivan

Age : 43 yearsFinancial status : low incomeType of case : Suicide attemptPanchayath : Meenangadi

Sivan is a hardworking farmer and has two acres ofland. He and his wife Radha have a son and a daughter.He had failures in the agriculture for twice and thismade heavy debts for the marginal farmer. He beganto get engaged in the timber work two years ago as hecould not meet the needs of the family with the limitedincome from his farm alone. He earned a good incomefrom his work and supported his family and theeducation of his children. But he couldn't repay theloan in time and this made the money lenders tomanhandle him. He got violent tremor on his neck andfell unconscious. He had continuous yawning and itsuffocated him unable to breathe and it lasted for twoweeks until he got treatment for it. But Sivan lost hissleep completely with that. He struggled for two moreweeks with lack of sleep and being unable to go forwork. He was depressed and restless that he attemptedto commit suicide consuming the pesticide he boughtfor banana cultivation. He was found on time and wasrescued. He was medicated for his mental disturbance.Meanwhile, Sivan began to get the violent attacks oftremors on his neck and the consequent black outs.Again the treatment continued. Neurological tests andscan reports revealed normalcy. He had been admittedin the famous hospitals and had a bit of improvementin his condition. He gets the tremor once he begin toconverse with people for some time. Hence he found ithard to go out alone or to socialize with people.

Sivan used to be a helper everywhere in hisneighbourhood if there were any celebrations or deaths,sharing their joys and sorrow. Presently he finds it hardto face emotional situations and confines to his home.The irresponsible behavior of his son is hurting himtoo. Besides, due to the medication he is acquiringweight and feels weak with wheezing though the intakeof food is less. Hence he was unable to work.Sivanventilated his feelings of anxiety, tension and fears abouthis health and the situation in the family. He expressedhis concern whether he would be cured totally to work

8 58 58 58 58 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

and support the family. He said, "If I don't improve myhealth and become a burden to the family by losing allthe assets on my treatment, I would again attemptsuicide and end my life…" The befriender listened tohis distress and concerns with great understandingand empathy. She extended the emotional support bybeing with him as he got an attack of tremor during thebefriending. He was referred to District Mental HealthProgramme (DMHP) as he expressed his concern onfinancial constrain to buy the costly medicines for him.

He was persuaded to attend the organic farming trainingsessions and he became convinced about the organicfarming. He adopted organic cultivation in a portion ofthe land which was left uncultivated due to heavy loss.He could produce the food crops for householdrequirements and became convinced about the successof the organic farming. Now he is cultivating the entireland practicing sustainable agriculture measures aspromoted by the FARM Project. The befriender foundgreater improvement in Sivan during the follow upsession and he continues the medication from DMHP.Sivan and family were deeply grateful for the improvedhealth condition of Sivan and the reduced financialburden through the timely intervention of befriendingand referral.

Case Study 2

Name : RoniAge : 40 yearsFinancial status : Middle incomeType of case : Distress casePanchayath : Pozhuthana

Roni was the youngest son of his parents' 9 children.His father was an alcoholic and used to torture hiswife very badly. All the brothers of Roni also turned tobe alcoholics. He was an exception until his marriage10 years ago. He cared for his elderly parents and heexpected a supporting hand when he married Simi butshattering his dreams, as Roni had to sell his farmland to meet the consumerist attitudes of the wife.She also was suicide prone like her mother. She wasshort tempered and had constant conflicts with themother in law. Meanwhile his agricultural land had

infection of wasp disease and this ruined his entirewealth. Due to the over expenditure of his wife he wasbankrupt already. He gradually got into the habit ofdrinking alcohol and the disharmony at home provokedhim to be dependent on it.

Once Simi attempted suicide (setting fire on herself)at a slight provocation, in front of Roni. He managed tosave her and spent a lot of money on her treatment(both physical and Psychiatric) and sold his propertyfor it. She survived the ordeal. His parents had expiredby then. Roni mobilized some finance through landbrokerage and bought some land again and constructeda good house. Simi began to work as an anganwadihelper. Roni reduced the regularity of his drinking buthe becomes devilish when he is drunk (he consumesexcessively as he loses control on himself once hetastes the liquor) and gets into fights with every one,especially with those whom he has some grudge. Heabuses them verbally and ends in physical fight.

Simi whose medication was discontinued with out thedoctor's advice (due to fatigue and the huge expenseof medicine) gets tensed, fearful, insecure and wildwhen Roni comes home drunk. She uses abusivelanguage and irritates him in response to his attackson her. The befriender was contacted for befriendingintervention by the FARM Project volunteer when Roniwas drinking continuously for four days(until thebefriender's visit) and picked up fights as he got moreand more irritated with Simi's response and also dueto the hang over of the previous day. Simi became veryupset and showed suicide tendency.

The befriender listened with empathy and understandingto Roni and Simi individually as they ventilated theirfeelings of anger, hurt, frustration and regrets as theyexpressed their concerns about each other's behaviorpattern. Roni was enabled to reflect on the impact ofalcohol on him who is at high risk of addiction due tohis family background and its consequences on hisfamily. Roni expressed his desire to drop his habit.Simi was enabled to reflect on the impact of herreactions on such occasions. The befriender discussedwith Roni about the behavior pattern and suicidal

8 68 68 68 68 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

tendency of Simi and referred her to resume hertreatment with District Mental Health Programme.

Roni started to work again as an agricultural labour.He was also persuaded to attend the awarenessprogrammes on sustainable agricultural measures.Having found as an option to overcome the agrariancrisis, he decided to have a Homestead Nutrition Gardenand could develop the same in six months time. Hewas given grants to procure seeds and seedlings. Hecould produce the food crop to ensure the householdfood security and could have a check on the familybudget. He after working as an agricultural labour findstime with the family to work in the homestead garden.He has now emerged as a resource person inhomestead nutrition farming and is engaged inpromoting the same to his friends and neighbors.

Case: 03

Name : VijiAge : 37Type of client : Suicide victimPanchayath : Muttil

Viji's husband Thomas committed suicide on 15th May2008. The families of her husband were migrants fromKottayam District about 50 years back. Thomas' fatherwas a very good farmer and he bought 18 acres of landwhen came to Wayanad. The deceased had 3 brothersand 3 sisters. After some years they had sold someland and Thomas got only one acre land as his father'sproperty. At present the family is having only 43 centsof land as he had sold the rest of the land before thedeath.

The family consists of Viji and her two children. Theelder son is studying in 10th standard and the youngerson in 7th standard. Thomas was practicing gingercultivation in Coorg for so many years. He also hadthe habit consuming alcohol for many years. Thomashad taken loan from banks and money lenders and hewas not able to pay back the money fully. The familywas having more than 50000 Rupees during the timeof suicide took place. At present they are living out ofthe money they get by rearing a cow. The relatives of

Thomas do not care about the family. The family isliving in a pathetic condition now as Viji is not physicallyfit now. She is now suffering from Asthma and Arthritisso that she cannot do tough work. She also had spenta lot of money for her own treatment.

The relatives of Thomas used to blame her for theincident. They used to say that it was due to Viji'sfault that her husband committed suicide. Shebecomes very sad on hearing such comments fromthe relatives. She is really struggling hard to look afterthe family. Some of the neighbors were really helpfulto the family after the incident. The befriending servicewas really useful her to share her sorrows. She said"I was really longing for some one to listen to myproblems. I feel relaxed when I shared with you".

Case- 4

Name : ShanmughanAge : 56Type of client : Suicide victimPanchayath : Padinjarathara

56 years old Shanmughan is a middle class farmerhaving 1.5 acres of land. He was migrated fromKottayam 35 years back. He had one son and adaughter. His daughter got married and staying withher husband. Shanmughan was staying with his wife,son and family. He was an active volunteer of SNDPand a very good farmer. His son was doing milkbusiness and the family was leading a harmonious lifetill a tragedy struck over the family. In August 2008 hisson Madhu committed suicide due to some debtissues. He had the habit of taking lottery tickets inabundance. He too had developed the habit of drinkingafter the marriage. He had spent lot money for theseand it put him in indebtedness. SometimesShanmughan used to quarrel with the son and used toscold him for this. On 8th August 2008 Madhu foundmissing from the house for many days. Shanmughangave a man missing complaint at the Police Station.The family members, relatives and neighbors searchedhim for many days and after 5 days, the Police foundhis decayed dead body in a quarry near by Kalpetta.The post- mortem report revealed that he had taken

8 78 78 78 78 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

poison to commit suicide

Shanmughan was really sad after the death of the son.But he was really shocked when the neighbors startedto spread rumors about the cause of the suicide. Manyrumors were spread about the relationship betweenShanmughan and the wife of his son. Some peoplegossiped that he had illegal relationship with Madhus'swife and that made Madhu to commit suicide.Shanmughan was an active volunteer of SNDP anddue to the rumors he stopped going to SNDP Meetings.He was very much ashamed and sad about the rumorsspread around him. He stopped talking to othersincluding the family members. He did not wish to gooutside and tried to be always at home.

It was during this situation the befriender visited thisfamily. He was not ready to talk at the time of the firstvisit. But during the second and third visit he becameopen up. He had stopped going out of the house afterthe death of the son. During the first two visits thebefriender paid special attention to listen him as hewas not able to share his feelings in front of anyone.He shared that he was thinking of committing suicide.He said that he does not find any meaning in living anymore.

The befriending visits made him to ventilate the feelings.He was happy that some one could listen to hisfeelings. The befriending interventions strengthened himpsychologically and helped him to come out of thesuicidal thoughts. After the third visit he has startedto go outside and also has begun to attend the SNDPmeetings. Now he seems to be happy and expectsmore befriending visits.

He was given promotional grants to cultivate his farmland through organic farming and after attending theseries of sessions of sustainable agriculture he becameconvinced. He started back to cultivate the land whichwas left barren due to the crisis and family problems.He could emerge as an organic cultivator in six monthstime and could find comparative changes in theconventional method and sustainable agriculturemethod. It resulted in profit as well as the engagement

of the farmer into the field made him forget his painfulpast. He also is now an active campaigner for theorganic farming in the region.

Case - 5Name : LizaAge : 42Type of client : Suicide VictimPanchayath : Vellamunda

Liza's husband Abraham committed suicide on 29thOctober 2006. The Parents of Thomas was migratedfrom Kottayam District to Kannur District 35 yearsback. In 1990, they again migrated to Wayanad.Thomas has 5 siblings and all of them are staying inKannur District. He was a farmer having 2 acres ofland, but later he sold 1.5 acre to repay the bank loanwhich was taken for housing. Thomas was an alcoholicand he used to spend lot of money for this purpose.When drunken he used to become violent and scoldand beat Liza. Her mother-in-law is also staying withthem now. Liza said "I suffered a lot when he was alive,he used to beat me and stamp me and I was reallyfrightened of him. But he was very calm and lovingwhen not drunken." "He also had the habit of playingcards and spent a lot of money for it and it was themajor reason for indebtedness. He also had borrowedmoney from private money lenders at a higher interest.Indebtedness along with alcoholism contributed a lotto the suicide of Abraham. After the death of thehusband, the wife was struggling a lot to meet theirdaily expenses. Beside she is suffering respiratorydeceases. The elder daughter is studying in 12thstandard and the younger son is in 10th standard.Though they have 50 cents of land they do not get anyincome out of it. Liza is going for manual labor for dailywages and it is the only income source of the family. Ifshe could not go for work for one day, they had tostarve. She got Rs.10000/- from the District Collectorsfund for suicide victims. The Family was not includedin the State Government's compensation package.

Many of the neighbors are of the opinion that he shouldnot have committed suicide as it was possible for himto recover from the indebtedness. Some neighbors said

8 88 88 88 88 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

that the indebtedness was caused by the missmanagement of money that he had taken from the bankand money lenders. The community facilitator andthe befriending coordinator of SFC made befriendingvisits to the family several times and listened to hergrief. The family was selected as a beneficiary ofalternative livelihood support programme under SFCand they were provided Rs. 10000/- For starting anincome generation programme. The ventilation offeelings of the family members especially of the wifeof the deceased was possible through the befriendingvisits. They have started an income generationprogramme with the support from the FARM project.They bought a cow by making some contribution bytheir own along with the SFC support. She also initiateda nutrition home garden in the premises of the houseand is producing food crops. This has helped her toreduce the family budget to a considerable level.

Case - 6Name : SidharthanAge : 55Type of Client : Suicide PronePanchayath : Noolpuzha

Sidharthan was a farmer having 3 acres of land. He felldown from a tree while plucking the pepper 9 yearsback and his spinal code was broken. He was paralyzedand now he is bed ridden for the last 9 years. He hastwo children and wife. His wife is cardiac patient. Hiselder daughter is married and the only son is lookingafter him. The family had spent a lot of money for thetreatment of Sidharthan. They tried all types oftreatment including Ayurveda. He was bedridden indifferent hospitals for so many months. But all theattempts of the family were in vein. They had to spenda huge amount for his treatment and it also resulted inindebtedness. They also had taken loan over thesecurity of their land. He was also helped by thevolunteers of Pain and Palliative Care. Sidharthan wasvery much depressed about his condition and startedshowing no interest for treatment.

It was in this situation the volunteers of Pain andPalliative care informed us about his condition and we

could visit him. We made many visits, talked to himand listened to him patiently. Since he was bedriddenhe was feeling loneliness and boredom. He shared hisfeelings during the befriending visits. He had lost thehope of coming back to the normal life. Many times hehad asked the doctors and also to the volunteers aboutthe possibilities of mercy killing. He shared histendency to commit suicide during our visit. He said"If I were able to move from this bed, I would havekilled my self". "Why should I live, I am a burden formy family and no use for my family". He said thatbecause of his pathetic condition his son had to stophis education after graduation, though he was very goodin studies.

The befriending visits helped Sidharthan to share hisfeelings to the befriender. It also helped him to comeout of his suicide tendencies and encouraged him tothink positively. The family members also expressedtheir happiness about the visits.

Analysis of the Outcome of theBefriendingIn the national level still a sense of gloom persists inthe farming community regarding suicide, but in Keralathe rate is declining. In Wayanad, the predominantagriculture district of Kerala suicide rates have beenarrested. In 2007 the suicide rate was 45 per Lakh andnow it has fallen down to 25.02 per Lakh. This figure isbeen prepared by the District Mental Health Authority.The fall in the suicide rates can be cross read with theFARM project which is addressing the awry of thefarmers in the Wayanad. Befriending programme hasbeen successful in arresting the suicides among thefarmers. Befriending to the distressed farmers androutine house visits had made an impact. Now peoplewith any kind of mental agonies are approaching theBefrienders. Hence the major outcome of thebefriending is the decline in the suicide ratio whichwas the primary objective of the formation of the SaveFarmers Network Campaign.

6.6 Interpretations of the Analysis ofBefriending1. Befriending deems to be quoted as the most sought

8 98 98 98 98 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

out psycho social service by the suicide victimfamilies as well as the distress families and hashelped hundreds from the bridge of life to death.Befriending gave wide publicity for the FARM project.

2. The primary aim of the service is to give emotionalsupport to the clients when they are suicidal.Befriending alleviates misery, loneliness, despairand depression by listening to anyone who feelsthey have nowhere else to turn.

3. Rendered emotional support through befriendingservice to 473 suicide victim families, personsattempted suicide, persons with suicide tendencyand in distress due to family conflict, maritalproblems, health related issues, alcoholism & drugabuse, financial crisis and allied reasons, and topatients and family members of psychiatric illness

4. Created space for persons in distress to ventilatetheir feelings of anxieties, grief, guilt, fear, trauma,tension, anguish and mental stress and they gotrelieved

5. Identified 27 suicide attempted and prone personsincluding tribals and enabled them to overcomesuicidal thoughts and to regain self confidence, selfesteem and dignity and were empowered to facereality.

Table: 25Relative quantity of Participation in the PAR study activities in the FARMProject

Types of FGD – PAR Place Participation by GenderNo of No of TotalMales Females

FGD of farmers and stakeholders Padinjarathara 17 22 39FGD of farmers Soojipara 14 0 14FGD of PRI members, Government Meppadi 19 23 42Officials and other stakeholdersFocus Group Discussion of Suganthagiri 11 6 17Organic Farmers GroupFocus Group Discussion of Pozhuthana 11 16 27Farmers and volunteersFocus Group Discussion of Kalpetta 7 16 23Staff of the FARM ProjectTotal Participants 79 (48.8%) 83 (51.2%) 162 (100%)

6. From the remarks of the clients it is clear that theyare sure that the agricultural crisis is as a result ofthe chemical farming practices.

7. There is a remarkable increase in the number ofclients availing befriending service recognizing itsrelevance

8. Better recognition to SFC intervention among PRIs,Media, Govt agencies, Voluntary initiatives like Pain& Palliative Care Centres and Senior CitizensForum.

9. The suicide rate of Wayanad has fall down to 25.02per Lakh from 45 per Lakh. It can be noted that inthe year 2010 the suicide number is 38. Even thoughtwo month is reaming in 2010 the number is verymuch lower as against the highest number of 229suicides in 2007.

10.Befriending has helped the clients to getreintegrated to agriculture adopting sustainableagricultural practices such as Organic Farming andthis has ensured household food security.

6.7 Focus Group Discussions on theImpacts of the FARM ProjectThis report is a part of the primary data collection ofthe Participatory Action Research designed to collect

9 09 09 09 09 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

feedback from the stakeholders of the FacilitatingAgricultural Regeneration Measures in WayanadDistrict of Kerala. Focus Group Discussion was tocollect the responses on the beneficiaries on theSustainable Agriculture Measures taken up by theproject through the programmes in the economic,ecological, psycho social etc… The following tablegives a gist on the sector wise programmesimplemented and its relevance envisaged. Six FocusGroup discussions were carried out in the referencearea of the PAR to get first hand response from thestake holders. FGDs were one day programmes takinga minimum time of four hours and maximum time ofseven hours. Special tools for guiding the discussion.Details of the FGD carried out are project in thefollowing table.

The general view of the stakeholders about the FARMproject was very much promising. All of them agreedon the fact that they could improvise their ownleadership qualities and could make fame as a socialactivist engaged in the noble cause of protection of"Mother Nature". Facilitators of the project pointed outthe extreme difference in the attitude of the PRI whenthey were isolated in the first months of the projectand now being invited for almost all programmes in thePanchayath. A good and warmth relationship betweenthe Panchayath Raj Institutions is the achievement ofthe project. Further there were misleading perceptionsfrom the various platforms that this programme but theSFC network could tide over such issues throughsuccessful implementation of the project.

Discussions about the Social SectorProgrammesFARM project was not widely welcomed by thepoliticians in the initial stages and the acceptance nowwitnessing started from the orientation seminar on PRIto the community. This seminar resulted in theincreased participation (30% ) of the public in the GramSabha as well as the quality of the programmes plannedin the Gram Sabha meeting also improvisedconsiderably. In these awareness programmes theparticipation of PRI members were solicited and thishelped them to know more about the project and they

became active promoters of the project.

One of the important convergences FARM programmehad was the association with Mahatma Gandhi NationalRural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Awarenesssessions for improvising the coverage under thereference area was taken up by the project and thishas resulted in welfare of the people in the referencearea in various forms. Major focus of the programmesunder the NREGA is on the agrarian sector and thecapacitation programmes has resulted in authoritiesand beneficiaries to elect the most productiveopportunities under the scheme. Coverage of theprogramme was ensured by the facilitators bycommunicating the benefits of the scheme to theneediest and soliciting the job card to these categories.Other convergences in this regard were the linkageswith the excise department for awareness programmeson de-addiction, forest department for awarenessgeneration on rights of tribal on collection of forest minorproduces. The active participation of the people in theGram Sabha resulted in lobbying for organic promotionand eco restoration programmes through thedevelopment plans of the PRIs. Inferences given bythe participants are projected below.

Discussions on the FARM PracticesAccording to the inferences of the various stakeholders, Agricultural Regeneration, one of the integralconcepts of the FARM project is on the right track andthis can be noticed by increase in the number of modelorganic farms. Regeneration of the agriculture has beeninduced in the minds of the farmers and the process isa slow and time consuming one. Farmers are nowaware of the loss in the fertility of the soil due toinorganic farming and have taken steps to rejuvenatethe soil fertility through organic methods. In order toregenerate the cultivations farmers have beenincreasingly using the schemes of the spices board,coffee board etc…. Regeneration of agriculture throughthe organic farming has begun and the progress ishigh in the homestead farms. But thecommercialization of the organic farming is still a dreamand in order to attain sustainability in terms of theorganic farming, commercialization is a must. Sense

9 19 19 19 19 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

of group ownership in the form of Group Farming andFarmers Club has got wide acceptance among thefarmers.

Protection and promotion of the indigenous variety ofseeds was another elegant achievement of the FARMproject. Farmers are now aware of the differencebetween the indigenous varieties and hybrid varieties.They also became aware of the decrease in productivityof hybrid seeds when they are used again and again.Also farmers have tested it that the indigenous seedsensuring consistent production. Hence almost all whohad undergone the awareness session are nowcompletely shifted to the cultivation of the indigenousseed variety. Exchange of seeds between farmers isnow widely accepted as it improves the productivityand pest resistance. System of Rice Intensificationwas widely promoted among the farmers and nutritionfarming also got wide acceptance among them.Facilitators themselves have identified that there ismeasurable difference in the health indicators of thefarmers who are practicing organic nutrition farming. Itwas noticed that the resistance capacity of the farmersregarding health was higher as they suffered infectionslower than that they had in previous times.

A total of 1527 farmers were facilitated to practiceorganic farming. It is expected that almost 80% ofthese farmers can be channeled for the organiccertification in another two years time. Concept of seedbank among the voluntary organization also got highimportance and few of them established the same.Development of the model farms has resulted in morefarmers replicating the nutrition practices in theiragriculture fields. Nutrition farms have ensured the foodsecurity of the households. Even visitors from otherdistricts are attracted to these model farms. Organicfarming is now well rooted in the hearts of farmers. It iscost effective and the most applicable in the situationof agricultural regeneration. Even though there is a highdemand and price for the products, the market strategyis yet a matter of concern. Organic farming is somethingthat has to be accepted in the heart of the farmers andthere needs a vigorous behaviour changecommunication to achieve this. Internal Control System

is the best applicable monitoring system in the contextof organic farming.

Organic farming has to be seen in a movement contextrather than a project context which always gets stuckup by the end of the project. Marketing facility has tobe launched for the sustainability of organic farming.Fertility of the soil has been degraded and this can beregenerated only through the nutrition farming. Peoplewho have applied organic inputs without the scientificknowledge have resulted in defaming the process asthere was total failure. Strength of the organic inputsis high and if not applied in the correct manner, it willresult in the total drying up of the plants. It was noticedthat awareness generation and demonstration of theproduction of the inputs and application are needed tomake the farmers aware of the nutrition farmingprocess.

Discussions on the Economic SectorProgrammes on the Economic sector invited heateddiscussion in an all the FGDs as the visibility and outputhad provided fame for the project. Income generationprogramme has ensured the rehabilitation of the suicideaffected families. It can be perceived as an occupationaltherapy as it reduces the mental stress of the distresspersons. It has been noted that befriending with theincome generation supports results in the client toemerge as the breadwinner of the family and keepsthe mind an angel's workshop apart from the idle mindwhich is the devils workshop. Crisis families also haveto be given the support as the chance of the distressperson attempting suicide can be reduced to aconsiderable level. It can be noticed that theparticipation of the entire family members in the incomegeneration programme makes it the most successful.Cow rearing is seen as the most benefited ones. Itwas noted that there were failures in few cases due tounprecedented health issues resulting the beneficiaryto sell and seek medical help. Skill training, businessplan, marketing appraisal etc… has helped thebeneficiaries to select the viable trades. 40% of thebeneficiaries have doubled the income by increasingthe units by constant savings and controlling familyexpenditure.

9 29 29 29 29 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Discussions in the PsychologicalSector - BefriendingBefriending was referred as one of the pillars in theFARM project. Facilitators could intervene in thepsycho-social problems of a number of clients. A qualityof self control was achieved by the befrienders. Socialsensitivity of the community facilitators had improveda lot. It was noted that the effort of providing befriendingin the house premises of the client is hectic than thecounseling offered at the counseling centers.Befriending has advantage in building good rapport withthe client other than counseling. Listening capacity ofthe befrienders have improved consistently over theperiod of three years.

The basic and advanced trainings in befriending havesharpened the skills of the facilitators and thevolunteers. It was noticed that the communitybefriending is a time consuming process as thebefriender has to visit the client's houses and has tobe cautious about the external interventions. Anotherinference was that while at the client's premises theunderstanding of the psychological situation is betterthan the other form. At an average a facilitator couldprovide befriending and could achieve positive resultsto a minimum of 75 distressed and to a maximum of125 clients. Those who have sourced out the benefitsof the befriending referred more cases in the localityand this could improve the services in the community

Befriending has helped the client to improve their lifestatus. Now the clients are coming forward for theutilization of the service and this is a clear cut evidenceof the acceptance of the befriending service. Furtherthrough this tool facilitators could identify the realbeneficiaries for the income generation programmes.Political parties also have come forward to appreciatethe services of the befrienders. Some of the qualitativeoutcomes pointed out by the facilitators were as follows.Befriending has increased the social interaction of thedistressed persons. From an isolated mental stagethe client is reintegrated to a more socialized situationand this remains as the remarkable output. Selfconfidence of the clients increased consistently andthis has resulted in the women mostly emerging as

the breadwinner of the family. Family relationshipamong the distress families could be improvedconsiderably. In quantitative terms there is an arrest inthe suicide rate among the farmers in the district andthis is an output of the befriending service. It was asilent revolution and as per the records the suiciderate is normal as compared to other districts. It wasprojected by the facilitators that they could avoidsuicidal thoughts and tendencies of 33 persons in theyear 2010 itself in the PAR area.

Discussion on the programmes in thetribal sectorApart from the first phase, the second phase hadspecial programmes for the generation of the interestof the tribals. Promotional grants to purchase seedsand seedlings to the group farms have yielded positiveresults. It has contributed to the food security of thetribal hamlets. Preparations of organic manure haveenvisaged the traditional know how of the tribals whohad a glorious past as agriculturists. Injection of theconcept of organic farming has resulted in the attitudinalchanges among the tribals and there are instances ofabandoning of chemical agriculture.

Discussion on the activities for Ecological ProtectionEcological protection through agricultural regenerationwas the central part of the discussion among theorganic farmers. As a result of the awarenessprogrammes provided through FARM partnerorganizations there are commendable steps takenscale up the ecological protection. Awarenessprogrammes on protection and promotion of Indigenousvarieties of crops has been now widely accepted amongthe farmers. Another important achievement of theFARM Project had been the generation of the schoolchildren's interest in homestead farming in the schoolpremises. In few schools the project could facilitatethe formation of Eco clubs.

Discussions on Health SectorWorkshops on Food Safety, Food Security, ClimateChange and Organic Farming were remarked as acurtain raiser for building up the attitude of the farmerstowards sustainable agriculture. A feeling of necessity

9 39 39 39 39 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

of organic farming rather than compulsion is beenevoked among the farmers. Apart from providingawareness through theoretical sessions and leavingthe farmer into the farm, Save Farmers Campaign haswalked with the farmer and has facilitated the organicfarming practice. Organic Farming alone could notsurvive and this was overcome by the trainings onnutrition inputs. Trainings on preparation of Bio inputshave helped the facilitators to address almost allconcerns raised by the organic farmers. Almost all theparticipants of the workshop have conceived the ideaof promoting nutrition gardening as a part of theirhomestead farming to ensure house hold food security.Homestead farming of tubers, vegetables etc… whichonce was bunged by farmers has been regeneratedby the influence of the FARM Project. Model plots onthe nutrition farming promoted through the project haveattracted several in the locality to the plots and onreturning they have decided to replicate the same.

Awareness programmes on de-addiction has helpedsome clients to undergo treatment in de-addictioncenters. De-addicts took interest for the formation ofAlcoholic Anonymous groups also. Awarenessseminars on the harmful effects of the tobacco andallied products were also widely welcomed among theschool going children. Demands for similar awarenesssessions were higher after the pilot programmes.Awareness generated on the killer diseases also hashad an impact among the community and further therewas a linkage with the pain and palliative careprogramme in the District. Facilitators could referseveral persons to the Pain and Palliative Care unit asa follow up. Small grants in the form of medicalassistance to the tribal and other famers has alsoattributed well as the most needy and deserving peoplebenefitted from the cash assistance.

Discussions on Advocacy, Lobbyingworkshops, Facilitation Programmes,Media coverageProject launching programme, Workshops and theconvergence programmes with various state andcentral government agencies has given wide publicityto the project. It has resulted in fruitful linkages with

the NABARD, State Horticulture Mission, KeralaAgricultural University etc…Solicitation of theparticipation of Panchayath representatives in similarprogrammes has resulted in the acceptance of the PRIsin future course. More over the members of the PRIshas now turned into the spokes person of the FARMprogramme. Media coverage was another importantpillar to the success of the programme. FARMprogramme is now well-known to the majority of thefarmers in the Wayanad District. Day by day clippingof the new was there in the vernacular dailies.Launching programme ensured the state level visibilityof the project. Documentation of the news clippings inthe PCU office and the partner's office is the clear cutindicator for the achievement.

Discussions on the Challenges FacedFew numbers of programmes and higher demand fromthe community tend to be a challenge. In a Panchayaththe awareness programmes could be provided tohundred persons where as the actual interestedpersons was five times higher than that. For someprogrammes there was no follow up and this hasresulted in derailing the achievement. For example therewas no follow up for the awareness session on PRIand now the participation of the people in the gramSabha has decreased.

Concluding DiscussionIn order to analyze the overall impact of the FARMproject a simple tool of ranking was carried out at theend of the each FGDs. Participants of the PAR wasasked to rate the Facilitating Agricultural RegenerationProject on a Five Point Scale with 0 as the poorperformance and 5 as the best performance the meanaverage of the raking by the six FGD's is 4. It wasunanimously acknowledged the fact that FARMprogramme has been accepted by the farmingcommunity of Wayanad. Non political, Non Partisanand Non religious nature of the project was identifiedas the advantage that has resulted in the victory of theprogramme. Participants concluded that in the historyof Wayanad FARM programme is the only programmethat has got such a wide coverage and inclusive naturein the welfare of the agriculture community.

9 49 49 49 49 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

6.8 Interpretations of the Focus GroupDiscussion1. Beneficiaries both direct and indirect, of the FARM

project stated that the project has resulted in thepeople returning to traditional sustainableagricultural practices and has become GreenVolunteers.

2. A good and warmth relationship between thePanchayath Raj Institutions was developed andthis resulted in framing supporting programmes onOrganic farming from several GPs.

3. Awareness programmes on the PRI's increasedthe participation of the public in the Gram Sabhalevel decision making process. 30% increase inthe Gram Sabha participation was found in thePadinjarathara Gram Panchayath. The figure ismore or less same in other GPs also.

4. As an output of the lobbying with the Panchayaths,these Local Self Government Institutions havetaken up the matter of issues behind chemicalfarming and has initiated certain steps in theregeneration of the chemical farms through organicfarming.

5. Protection and Promotion of the Indigenous varietyof seed turned to be one of the elegantachievements of the Project. Exchange of theseeds is now widely accepted between farmersas this increases the disease resistance andproduction.

6. A total of 1527 farmers are now practicing organicfarming under the FARM Project and it is expectedthat they will become organic certified farmers inanother two years time.

7. Organic FARM Models developed in each GP areattracting several farmers and thus it results in thelarge scale replications.

8. Income generation programmes offered to thesuicide victims/distressed has not only resultedin the self sufficiency but also has resulted in thosefamilies taking up sustainable agricultural measuresby practicing Nutrition Farming.

9. Befriending deems to be quoted as the magnificentintervention of the FARM project as each facilitatorprovided support to 100 distressed on an average.Clear cut evidence is there with the facilitators inthe reference area of the PAR regarding the savingof 33 distressed from suicide.

10. Tribal sector programmes is another gloriousintervention of the FARM project in the secondphase as it has helped hundreds of tribal farmersto ensure food security and practice sustainablefarming. It has to be noted that the official recordsof the government provides vague figure on thetribal suicides in the agricultural crisis.

11. Ecological protection has gained importanceamong the recipient community and the notableachievements are the youth and children takingup the campaign in the schools.

12. Awareness programmes in the health sector hasresulted in people understanding the reasonsbehind the increasing rate of killer diseases aswell as lifestyle diseases and thus the concept ofOrganic Farming has got wide acceptance.

13. Awareness offered on the issues behind addictionhas helped around 50 farmers to go for de-addictionprogrammes and they have emerged as thevolunteers of the Alcohol Anonymous Groups andare now actively participating in the similarinitiatives.

14. Advocacy, Lobbying and Networking offered in theprogramme has resulted in the value addedservices to the farming community as all the partnerNGOs of the FARM project could source outconvergence projects from various Governmentorganizations.

15. FARM Project has created an impact among thevarious folks of Wayanad and the recipientstakeholder's rates the entire progamme as 4 in afive point scale.

9 59 59 59 59 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

7Analysis of theConvergenceProgrammes

9 69 69 69 69 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

7.1. Analysis of the ConsultationWorkshopsThe project has created networking with variousgovernment and non government agencies as a part ofthe advocacy and lobbying programmes to upscalethe activities in the field of Sustainable Agriculture. Asan outcome the consortium NGOs sourced out variousschemes and projects from these institutions addingvalue to the existing sustainable agricultureinterventions of the FARM project. Another uniqueintervention of the FARM project was transferring thetechnology of preparation and application of the bio-inputs.

State Horticulture Mission - Kerala(SHMK)One of the magnificent networking the FARM projectwas the linkage with the State Horticulture Mission ofKerala government. Horticulture Mission in as centralsponsored scheme envisaged for an end to enddevelopment of the horticulture sector coveringproduction, post harvesting management andmarketing. A two day workshop familiarizing theschemes and projects of the SHMK was jointlyconvened as a part of the FARM project. This workshopgave the NGO partners about the schemes of thegovernment in the horticulture sector such as creationof model nurseries for production and distribution ofplanting materials, creation of water resources,

promotion of organic farming, creation of green houses,post harvest management and training to farmers onthe scientific production of planting materials andvarious management issues regarding value addition.Apart from familiarization of the schemes a specialsession on the scientific preparation of the projects asper the SHM guidelines was also offered to theparticipants.

National Bank for Agriculture andRural Development (NABARD)Save Farmers Campaign Network initiated discussionwith the district level authorities of the NABARD asthis agency was an important player in the agriculturalregeneration scenario of the Wayanad District. As aresult six NGO partners of the network submittedproposals for creating Watershed Projects and sourcedfunds worth Fifty Lakhs each for watersheds. Projectinvolves conservation, regeneration and judiciousutilization of natural resources. It aims at the optimumbalance of the demand and use of natural resourcesso that they remain sustainable overtime.

Small Farmers Agri-BusinessConsortiumFarming is the single largest private sector activity inthe district of Wayanad as more than 70% of theinhabitants depends primarily in the agriculture. Aworkshop on familiarizing the schemes and projects

of the Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium whom worksto assist the agripreneurs to makeinvestments in setting upagribusiness projects throughequity participation. SFABCprovides financial support forbankable detailed project reports.Partners have submitted proposalswith the agency and the projectsare on the anvil.

Mahatma GandhiNational RuralEmployment GuaranteeAct (MGNREGA)

Workshop introducing the schemes of Horticulture Mission

9 79 79 79 79 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

MGNREGA deems to be quoted as yet anotherintervention from the government that has resulted inthe suicide rates as it has resulted in the employabilityof the distressed agricultural labours in Wayanad. Thisscheme aims at enhancing the livelihood security ofthe people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred daysof wage-employment in a financial year to a ruralhousehold whose adult members volunteer to dounskilled manual work. A two days workshop onMNREGA and Social Auditing was offered to thecommunity facilitators of the FARM project. Lobbyingdone by the farming community as well as theNetworks of NGOs working in Wayanad has resultedin channeling the scheme as an appropriate strategyto conserve the biodiversity of Wayanad by channelingthe poverty reduction programme for creation ofemployability in the agricultural sector. Further thesocial audit training has helped the communityfacilitators to help the people to chalk out relevantprojects in the Gram Sabha. A new perspective of theAct was introduced in the context of the whole issueof "Justice" - 'the right to live'. Hence the assurance ofemployment doesn't just stop with the job alone, ratherit is a challenge to recapture all that - the fertile soil,safe water, forest, the culture, the privileges like goodhealth, employment opportunities - has been made tolose on the process of wrong development decisionsand implementations.

Agricultural TechnologyManagement - ATMAATMA, a government run districtlevel society of Key stakeholdersinvolved in activities for sustainableagricultural development alsoaccepted the FARM project as oneof the superb project being run inthe district for the regeneration ofthe sustainable agriculture. Thedepartment has solicited ourparticipation in several policy levelconsultation workshops andawareness programmes. ATMAinvited the participation of theselected volunteers and farmers of

the SFC Network to participate in the exposure visitprogramme at the South India level. The exposurehelped the farmers and volunteers to study about thesustainable models of vegetables and fruits cultivationand the services extended to the farming communityby the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research.Farmers could get familiarized with the new varietiesof seeds, could familiarize propagation techniques ofrare, endangered, threatened herbal species andinternalized alternative appropriate health care system.SFC Network also actively participated in the ATMAfest organized for exhibiting the agricultural productsand providing inputs on the topics regarding animalhusbandry.

District Mental Health Programme -DMHPBeing an approach to decentralize the mental heathcare of the community using public healthinfrastructure, the District Mental Health Programmeis fast emerging as a very much desired service by thepublic. SFC network has established a good rapportwith this institution which has been launched veryrecently and is referring the clients who require medicalattention along with psycho social support.

7.2. Analysis of the TechnologyTransfer ProgrammesTraditional farmers made use of various kinds of organic

Ms. Revathy offering inputs on organic pesticides and fertilizers

9 89 89 89 89 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

inputs as a part of the cultivation and in the advent ofthe green revolution, all these knowledge repositorieswere ignored by the chemical farmers. In order torevitalize such information's, FARM project has takeninterest in offering workshops and demonstrationprogrammes on preparation of organic inputs to thefarmers. As the chemical agriculture has created agreat havoc to the ecology and human beings, moreand more farmers became interested in switching onto the organic farming by utilizing organic inputs. Butthe knowledge about the preparation of organic inputscan be said to be in a stage of extinction. FARMProgramme tried to reincarnate the knowledge bysoliciting the expertise of the resource persons fromvarious parts of the country and provided the trainingsessions to the farmers. SFC network has created agroup of master trainers and they are providing thefield level training by live demonstration. An attempt todocument this knowledge also has been undertakenby the project. Knowledge on Organic InputPreparation, Organic Pesticides, Bacterial Fertilizers,and Practices in organic farming, Indigenous MicroOrganism and Sustainable Agricultural Practices wereimparted as a part of the technology transferprogramme.

Some of the advantages of thetechnology transfer programmes

Soil fertility enhancementSeed selection and seed treatmentCost effective bio inputs preparationIntegrated plant protection techniquesWeed managementMinimizing the water requirementAnimal-Tree-Crop integration

Organic Inputs disseminated throughthe FARM Project and its impactsStarter Solution (Amrithapani): It's a microbial solutionwhich gradually enriches the soil fertility by convertingthe dead soil into living one. Starter solution is theorganic solution, which supports the soil to get backits biological properties at a faster rate. It serves as apest repellent and increases the microbial activity ofthe soil.

Jeevajalam: It is another organically prepared inputusing Cow dung, Cow urine, Jaggery, water and richfertile top soil from forest. Application of the Jeevajalamthrough irrigation ensures the microbial increase in thesoil resulting in the growth promotion of the plants.

Panchgavyam: It is an organic preparation havingwider application potential in the plants. It is preparedfrom inputs such as milk, curd, ghee, cow dung andurine of cow and is having a relation to the five elementssuch as earth, water, air, fire and sky. It enhances thesoil fertility and induces the taste, flavor, colour, weightand size of the products.

R K Solution: It is yet another plant growth promoter.It is prepared from Cow dung, Jaggery, Haritaki(Kadukka), Licorice (Eratti Madhuram) and water.

Farmers Cytosome (Coconut Tonic): It is a biosolution made of butter milk and coconut milk whichencourages the plant reproductive growth of the plants.It prevents early falling of the flowers and promotesflowering. It increases the size and quality of flowersas well as promotes uniform flowering.

Horn Solution: It's powerful organic manure made bypacking fresh cow dung inside horn and burying ininverted position. It develops both aerobic and anaerobicmicroorganisms. Horn manure improves the soil fertilityat a faster rate.

Effective Micro Nutrient Solution/Fruit Tonic: It isan effective microbial solution rich in anaerobicmicrobes that brings back the physio-chemical andbiological properties of the soil, within a shorter duration.When applied as foliar spray it increases the vegetativegrowth and yield of the crop. It helps the plant tostrengthen the immune system.

Composting & Vermi wash: It's the natural methodof decomposition of available organic matters in astipulated time period. When earth worms areintroduced to the partially decomposed matter thecompost is converted into high quality organic manure.This results in the richness of Carbon, Nitrogen and

9 99 99 99 99 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

other micronutrients. Vermin wash also can be collectedas it is a highly nutritious solution that carries theenzymes secreted by earth worms. It is the most costeffective way of preparing organic matter.

Fish Tonic: It is a proteinaceous solution that fastensthe vegetative growth of the plants and also acts as aneffective pest repellent. It is an effective way ofconverting waste fish into amino acids andproteinaceous.

Organic Pest Repellents preparationand ImpactsTobacco Natural Remedy (Pukayila Kashayam): It wasused as an effective organic pest repellent in ancienttimes and now its importance has increased severalfolds. It counters the yellowness of leaves and protectsthe plant from insects and other diseases.

Garlic Natural Remedy (Veluthulli Kashayam): Itis also an effective pest repellent made of Garlic,Ginger, Kerosene and Chilli powder. This naturalremedy controls the pest infection on the leaves anddiseases.

Neem Seed Extract (Veppinkuru Sathu): It is anorganic pest repellent made of the powder of the Needseed along with Cow urine and water. It controls around11 insects.

Neem Oil Emulsion: This emulsion is prepared with

Neem oil, Bar Soap and water. This contols the attackof Aphids, Squahs bugs and Tarnished plant bug inthe vegetables such as Cow pea, Bitter gourd etc...Chiretha Plant Mixture (Kiriyath Mishritham): TheChiretha Plant extract along with Bar Soap and Garlicis used for the pest control. This solution controls theinsects and moths that sucks the sapplings of theplants.

Herbal Tee: It is a pest repellant of biologicalformulation that can be sprayed in order to control thepest and insects. Select plants having milky latex,bitter taste, bad or strong smell and not eaten by thecattle. Based on those categories, select any fiveplants. The collected plants are crushed or chopped /mixed well and placed in a mud pot or plastic container.Adathoda, Neem, Lantana, Eruku, Leucas, Datura issome of the examples that can be effectively used inherbal pest repellant preparation. It controls almost alltypes of bugs, moths and insects.

Yellow Sticky Trap: It is a pest repellent used toattract the adult insects to the yellow colour therebykilling the adult results in reduction in the pestpopulation. Using small tins coated with yellow paintover which sticky castor oil is smeared. To the yellowcolour the adult insects are attracted. The attractedinsects get stick to the castor oil and dies.

Neem Seed Bag (Veppinkuru Sathu): Neem seedkernel are crushed coarsely and tied loosely into thegunny bags and placed on the field. So as the irrigationwater flows through these gunny bags the neem seed,extract is dissolved and spread to the entire field whichrepelles the insect from the field.

Trichogramma: The wasps of genus Trichogrammais commonly known as "stingless wasps.Trichogramma wasps are tiny Hymenopteran insects,which parasitize the eggs of many types of agriculturalpest insects. They are easy to rear and release infields suffering from pest outbreaks. Female waspsinject their own eggs into the egg of the pest, and herlarvae consume the embryo and other contents of theegg.

1 0 01 0 01 0 01 0 01 0 0

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

Poochi Viratti: The plant-based concoction called`Poochi viratti', is made by soaking equal quantities ofleaves of Vitex negundo (Karinochi), Calotropisgigantea (Erukku), Nerium (Arali), Aloe vera (Shathveri)and Pongamia pinnata (Pongam) in cow's urine forseven days in shade. The fermented liquid is dilutedten times in water and sprayed over the crop to repelsucking and chewing pests

Preparation of Micro Organism Fertilizers andImpacts Pseudomonas: It is is an non-pathogenicsaprophytes that colonize soil, water and plant surfaceenvironments. Pseudomonas fluorescens suppressplant diseases by production of number of secondarymetabolites including antibiotics, siderophores andhydrogen cyanide. This microbe has the unique abilityto enter the plant vascular system, reach the variousparts of the plant system and act as a systemic bio-control agent against various fungal and bacterialdiseases. Competitive exclusion of pathogens as the

result of rapid colonization of the rhizosphere bypseudomonas fluorescens may also be an importantfactor in disease control.

Trichoderma: It is an eco friendly biological fungicidecontaining spores and conidia of mycoparasitic fungiTrichoderma virid. Trichoderma when introduced alongwith seeds or at root zone protect the seedlings fromattack by soil borne pathogens that cause root / collar/ stem rots, wilts, damping offs, leaf blights spots etc.and promote healthy growth in early stages of crop.Vigorous growth of biological trichoderma viride fungicideovershadows the pathogenic fungi, who areoverpowered and prevented from infecting the plants.Michorisa: It is an effective microorganism thatsuppresses the harmful ones while promoting theneutral micro-organisms to act as beneficial onesthrough genetic manipulation. Photosynthetic bacteriahave the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen so thatplants can use the same. It promotes the growth andproliferation of fungi Vesicular arbacus (Michorisa)which lives symbiotically on crop roots. It is used inmaking compost (natural fertiliser). Complexsubstances in plant parts and animal wastes areconverted into organic acids, nucleic acids, hormones,enzymes vitamins etc.

Practices in Organic Farming andImpactsMulching (Puthayidal): Mulching is a practice ofcovering the topsoil surface by any fresh/dry organicmatter so as to reduce the direct evaporation by morethan 50%. There are four different methods of mulchingpractices are commonly practiced depending on theavailable neighbourhood resources. Dry mulching isdone by covering the field with dry organic matter. Forexample, Sugarcane thrush, Paddy straw, dried leavesetc… Green mulching is practiced by using the nearbygreen plants and spread like a blanket on the field.Live mulching is growing the leguminous plants alongwith the crop which enhances the nitrogen fixation too..Stone mulching is followed in the absence of all thethree methods. Pebbles/stones nearby are collectedand arranged to cover the land, around the plant. Soilfertility is maintained as the mulch adds organic value

A farmer showing the organic inputs

1 0 11 0 11 0 11 0 11 0 1

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

to the soil. Enhances the soil microbial population, asmulching material is the feeding material for them.Creates microclimate that favors the microbial growth

Integrated Cropping: Instead of cultivating single cropin the field, if we select multiple crops then we cancontrol very well the pest attack and spread ofdiseases. Moreover, mono cropping affects the farmerin many ways. Sudden outburst of diseases, pestattack and frequent market fluctuations are the curseof mono cropping. To avoid all the major issues offarming, poly culture or diversified planting with manyvarieties is very much appreciable and helps to improvethe overall farm economy. Because of the diversity ofstanding crops, farm eco balance is well maintained.

Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is the practice of growinga series of dissimilar types of crops in the same areain sequential seasons for various benefits such as toavoid the build up of pathogens and pests that oftenoccurs when one species is continuously cropped. Croprotation also seeks to balance the fertility demands ofvarious crops to avoid excessive depletion of soilnutrients. A traditional element of crop rotation is thereplenishment of nitrogen through the use of greenmanure in sequence with cereals and other crops. It isone component of poly-culture. Crop rotation can alsoimprove soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.

Animal Husbandry: It helps the farmers to avail theorganic fertilizer in immense quantity. It helps thecomposting of grasses which are not easily degradablethrough these animals and ensures the decrease ofthe nitrogen and carbon in these grasses.

Preparation of Indigenous MicroOrganisms and impactsIndigenous microorganism is a powerful input thatimproves soil condition and crop health. It is collectedfrom nearby forest or fields using a simple woodenlunch box with steamed rice. By utilizingmicroorganisms that survived and adapted to that localplace for numerous generations, we can have safe,cheap yet powerful microorganism input. When

complex organic materials such as plants, animals,excrements, and organic fertilizers enter the soil, IMObreak these down into simpler compounds or elementsthat can undergo ionic interactions. Even the diverseinorganic matters decomposed by IMO increase in theireffectiveness, and are converted to a form readilyabsorbable by plants.

Practices in Sustainable Agricultureand impactsMultiple Weed Sowing: It's a method to enhancing thesoil fertility through ensuring soil texture, microbialpopulation and necessary soil nutrients through outenabling the quick growth of the plant. This enrichesthe top soil with all macro and micronutrients as wellas the water holding capacity.

Selection of Quality seeds and Seed treatment:Simple salt solution method help to identify the qualitypaddy seeds, this method is commonly followed.Selection of good quality paddy seeds is mostimportant for getting the better quantity harvest. Bythis method farmers can easily eliminate the seedswith low seed content. Hence the farmers can get the100 per cent quality seeds for sowing.

Seed treatment: Seed treatment refers to treating ofseeds with plant growth promoting or anti fungal orantibacterial substances to impart vigour and to developpest and disease resistance of the seed. Seedtreatment with cow urine and Seed treatment withAmirthapani (Starter solution) are the two importantmethods of nourishing the seeds

Integrated Crop Management: The integrated plantprotection is aimed to bring back the natural ecologicalbalance and sustaining the prey-predator relationship.It helps to prevent the pests in a natural way thatinvolves no chemicals. Bio-Fencing: It is a method ofgrowing some plants as a fence around the main cropthat will prevent the entry of pests and insects as theyemit bitter smell. Plants having milky latex, bitter taste,and bitter smell generally keep the insects away. Forexample, Plants like Adathoda, Neem, Lantana, Eruku,Leucas, Datura have best pest repelling characters.

1 0 21 0 21 0 21 0 21 0 2

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

When these plants are grown around the field, theyact as a bio fence, controlling the entry of insects intothe field. Companion Planting: It is a method of growingsome special along with the main crop plant whichsecretes bitter secretions. These secretions supportthe main plant and save it from insects. Plants havingyellow colour flower such as Chrysanthemum havenatural insect repelling property. It maintains the naturalbalance between the predator and the prey.

Animal-tree-crop integration: To sustain the farmingactivities, an approach of animal tree crop integrationis very much essential. Connections and relationsbetween various elements of the farm, helps the farmerto receive diversified products and diversified income.Farm animals, fodder crops, green manure trees andcrops should be part of the farm system. The mixedfarming is known as Animal-tree-crop integration. Fruittrees, vegetables, fodder trees, herbal plants, farmanimals are grown all together so each will help theother in many ways.

Farm must have animals like goat, cow, poultry, rabbit,buffaloes, fish and other. Then each one's waste willbe the food at the next level. Farming becomeseconomically profitable even for the small and marginalfarmers. Integrated farming retains and enhances the

soil fertility and makes farmingeasier.

7.3. Analysis of theResearch OutputDisseminationOn the march to ensuresustainable agriculturaldevelopment in the region, SFCnetwork has facilitated threeresearch works and twodocumentaries. They were 1)"Agrarian crisis in Wayanad", 2)Wayanad Suicides - A psychosocial autopsy 3) Food Safety andHealth issues and its correlationwith farming practices usingchemicals, 4) Sorrows of

Wayanad - Documentary and 5) Fire in the belly -Documentary. In order to disseminate the findings ofthese researches, special meetings were facilitated ineach Gram Panchayaths soliciting the participation ofthe various stakeholders of the FARM project. GramPanchayaths have taken up these research findingsseriously and it is found that incorporating steps intheir plan funds. Farmers also are convinced aboutthe findings of the research and several farmersorganizations have taken up these findings seriously.SFC network has submitted the reports with the districtadministration and other governmental organizationssuch as Horticulture Mission, Agricultural Department,and Planning Board.

The research report of Agrarian crisis in Wayanad cameforth with factual information's behind the factors thatled to the crisis in farming sector. Some of the obviousfactors that turned agriculture into a negative economyprojected by the research are: (i) crop failure, (ii) risingcosts of cultivation, (iii) plummeting prices of farmcommodities, (iv) climatic change, (v) lack of creditavailability for small farmers (vi) absence of adequatesocial support infrastructure at the level of the villageand district (vii) absence of policies.

Research study on the suicides of Wayanad was an

Releasing the research reports

1 0 31 0 31 0 31 0 31 0 3

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

eye opener for the government asthe findings projected the death ofaround 1690 people. Some of therecurring reasons suggested bythe suicide victims areindebtedness, depression,addiction to alcohol, chronicailments, family conflicts, maritaldisharmony, economic crisis andstress prevailing within thefamilies. Indebtedness wasidentified by 27.73% of thesurveyed as the principal causativefactor for suicide. In contraventionto the conventional perceptionsthat there are no suicides amongthe indigenous/tribal communities,the study revealed high incidence of suicides amongthe tribal population particularly among Paniyas.

The Research on the Food Safety and Health Issuesprojects that, cropping pattern of Wayanad hasundergone a major change. The use of fertilizers hasbeen gone up leaps and bounds over the years withthe change in cropping pattern. There is prevalence ofchronic diseases like cancer, heart ailments, asthmaetc in the Panchayath and there is a coincidence inthe period from which such diseases started to spreadand the intensity of the agrochemical usage gone upby the introduction of crops such as banana andvegetables such as bitter guard.

7.4 Interpretations1. As an outcome of the networking with the State

Horticulture Mission seven network organizationsof the FARM project submitted proposals to theHorticulture Mission and sourced out One Lakh toTen lakhs from the government organization

2. Networking and association with the MGNREGAprogrammes has resulted in policy level changesin the act as agriculture activities and ecorestoration activities are included in the ruralemployment programme.

3. Association with ATMA helped the farmers to haveexposure visits to other states and learn from

organic farms. This association also helped therepresentatives of the SFC network to be selectedfor various decision making bodies of thegovernment.

4. Dissemination of knowledge on the preparation oforganic inputs has helped thousand of farmers toadopt the nutrition induced organic farming.Documentation of these Bio- fertilizers, Bio-pesticides etc… has helped in conservation of thetraditional farmer's knowledge regarding the ecofriendly farming.

5. As an outcome of the research works, SFC networkwas invited by SUBJECT COMMITTEE of theLEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, GOVERNMENT OFKERALA preparing ORGANIC FARMING POLICYto present our findings and suggestion towardsframing the policy.

6. Dissemination of these research outputs havefurther resulted in solicitation of the partnership ofthe SFC network in various governmentprogrammes aiming at the Sustainable AgricultureDevelopment of Wayanad District.

7. It can be said that on the road map to sustainableagricultural development of Wayanad, the researchfindings has had tremendous influence in framingpolicies and programmes of Government.

Field level research output dissemination meetings

1 0 41 0 41 0 41 0 41 0 4

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

1 0 51 0 51 0 51 0 51 0 5

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

8Recommendationsand Suggestions

1 0 61 0 61 0 61 0 61 0 6

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

The present study proposes some suggestions andrecommendations which are supposed to be taken

up by the various stakeholders as catalyzing agent inthe agricultural regeneration measures of Wayanad.The main suggestion is to the government to take upthe findings of the research towards drafting the policiesand packages for the Agricultural Sustainability andFarmers Rights Protection in Kerala especiallyWayanad.

1. Special Packages for Homestead NutritionGardens: Participatory Action Research conductedin the Six Panchayaths gives us the inference thatrevival of Homestead Gardens which were ahallmark of Wayanad is required. For thisgovernment should plan and implement specialprogrammes and packages. This can be consideredas a first step towards the Sustainable AgricultureDevelopment.

2. Bio-Dynamic Farming: It was found that Bio-Dynamic Farming also has a great potential to beexplored. In Wayanad only few are practicing thismethod and it is recommended having a FarmersParticipatory Action Research and InformationDissemination on the possibility of BiodynamicFarming.

3. It is proposed to initiate research on the traditionalorganic input preparations. It was learned throughthe study that the traditional farmers practiced alot of Organic Inputs made from the raw materialsavailable in the homesteads. This indigenousknowledge is supposed to become vanished withthe passage of the old farmers and hence in orderto regenerate those practices there requires adocumentation and scientific study on thePreparation and usefulness of the Organic Inputs.

4. Scientific research on the SRI is required: Systemof Rice Intensification alone has the potential toturn the Wayanad into the granary of Kerala and itis recommended that the government as well asthe other stakeholders should initiate a scientific

research. The Agriculture Department should takeeffective steps in regenerating the depleted paddyfields cultivated through inorganic farming throughpromoting organic System of Rice Intensification.

5. Anti GM Campaign: Even though IndianGovernment has said No to GM, there are chancesof reemergence of those multinationals promotingGM seeds. Hence the awareness has to bepromoted widely to make the people understandthe situation.

6. State Organic Policy has a wide scope and thiswelcome sign for the regeneration of the agriculturewhich is yet going through the crisis. The effectiveimplementation of the State Organic Policy is whatthe farmers are looking for. Future of the OrganicFarming in Kerala entirely depends on thegovernment's will power to implement the plansmade in the policy in an effective and time boundmanner.

7. As a policy level suggestion the research is puttingforth that Goat Rearing IGP should not beconsidered as sustainable one as the study hasfound several impediments in promoting the same.It doesn't provide any month income and hence theintegral concept of income generation for a povertyaffected is always compromised. Further thesustainability of the IGP is also very low as in severalcases the beneficiaries sold the units frequentlyand met their personal expenses. Hence theviability of the Goat Rearing IGP is not promising.

8. It can be noted that Animal Husbandry, especiallythe cow rearing is found to be the most successfulIGP in the geography of Wayanad as there areabundance of raw materials available as well asthe marketing mechanism is fool proof . There isno competition in the field as the demand for milkis higher than the supply. Hence it is recommendedthat Cow Rearing IGPs should only be focused ifthere are any more similar efforts.

1 0 71 0 71 0 71 0 71 0 7

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Arena, Joseph A: Confronting Agrarian Crisis; HistoricalFood Insecurity, the Indian State, and the Green Revolution.An article written when studying in University of Warwick.2005.

Ashby, J A: “What do we mean by Participatory Researchin Agriculture. New Frontiers in Participatory Researchand Gender Analysis”. Proceedings of the InternationalSeminar on Participatory Research and Gender Analysisfor Technology Development, Sept 9-14 , Columbia. 1996

Davis, Mike: Late Victorian Holocausts, EL Nino Faminesand the Making of the Third World. London: Verso. 2001.

FAO: The state of Food and Agriculture, 2007

Jeromi P D: Farmers’ Indebtedness and Suicides. Impactof Agricultural Trade Liberalization in Kerala, Economicand Political Weekly, August 2007.

John, J. and Nair, M.A: Socio-economic characteristics ofhomestead farming in south Kerala. J. Tropical Agriculture.37:107–109.1999

Jose D. and Shanmugaratnam N: Traditional homegardens of Kerala, a sustainable human ecosystem. Agroforestry System 24: 203–213. 1993

Joseph, Brigit and K J Joseph: “Commercial Agriculturein Kerala after WTO, South Asian Economic Journal, June6, 2005.

Kumar, B.M and Nair, P.K.R: The enigma of tropical homegardens. Agro forestry System. 61: 135–152. 2004

Kumar, K: Conducting focus group interviews indeveloping countries. A.I.D. Program Design andEvaluation Methodology Report No. 8. Washington, D.C.:U.S. Agency for International Development. 1987

Kratochvil, R – Leitner, H: The “Trap of Conventionalization”:Organic farming between Vision and Reality Paper forWorking Group 5 at the XXI congress of the ESRS,Keszthely, Hungary 22-27. 2005

Mohanakumar and Sharma: ‘Analysis of Farmer Suicidesin Kerala’, Economic and Political Weekly, April 22. 2006

Patnaik, Prabhat: “Agricultural Production and Prices underGlobalization”, The Retreat to Unfreedom. Tulika Books,New Delhi. 2003

Raghavan M: “Changing pattern of Input use and Cost ofCultivation”: Economic and Political Weekly, pp 123-129.June 28, 2009.

Ray, Ch: Culture, Intellectual Property and Territorial RuralDevelopment, Sociologca Ruralis, Vol.38 Nr.1.pp 3-20.1998.

Annexure 1 -Bibliography

Dr Santhosh Kumar AV, Assistant Professor, College ofForestry, Kerala Government & Dr Kaoru Ichikawa,Consultant, United Nations University of Advanced Studies:“The home gardens of Wayanad, Published by theSecretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. July2010.

Santhakumar V: Biodiversity in home gardens, towards aviable conservation strategy. In: International Workshop,Agro forestry and Natural Resource Management, 2002.Centre for Rural Development and Appropriate Technology,Cochin University of Science and Technology, inassociation with IRTC, Palakkad. 2002

Selener, D: Participatory Action Research and socialChange. New York, Cornell Participatory Action ResearchNetwork, Cornell University. 1997

Shreyas (2006): Agricultural Crisis and Debt Suicide inWayanad, Sultan Bathery, Wayanad, Kerala.

Uprety, Laya Prasad: “Participatory Action Research inCommunity Forestry: A case study of a Community ForestUsers Group from a hill village of Eastern Nepal, New EraKathmandu

Vora, Pramod: “Nutrition Gardening – As opposed toOrganic Farming”; SpaceAge Concepts India Ltd. AndheriWest, Mumbai. 2008.

Zuber, Skerritt O: Action Learning and Action Research:Paradigm, Praxis and Programs In: Sankara,S., Dick,Band Passfield, R. (Hrsg) Effective Change Managementthrough Action Research and Action Learning: Concepts,Perspectives, Processes and Applications. SouthernCross University Press, Lismore, Australia. 2002

(2006a): Draft Approach Paper for Kerala’s Eleventh Five-Year Plan, State Planning Board, Thiruvananthapuram.

(2006b): Kerala Human Development Report 2005, StatePlanning Board, Thiruvananthapuram.

1 0 81 0 81 0 81 0 81 0 8

FARMWayanad

Part

icip

ator

y A

ctio

n R

esea

rch

CBA - Cost Benefit AnalysisCBO - Community Based OrganizationDMHP - District Mental Health ProgrammeFARM - Facilitating Agricultural Regeneration MeasuresFGD - Focus Group DiscussionFTA - Free Trade AgreementGHG - Green House GasGoK - Government of KeralaGP - Gram PanchayathHYV - High Yielding VarietiesIGP - Income Generation ProgrammeKSSF - Kerala Social Service ForumLIC - Life Insurance CorporationNG - Nutrition GardeningMASSS - Malabar Social Service SocietyMGNREGA - Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee ActPAR - Participatory Action ResearchPRA - Participatory Rural AppraisalPRI - Panchayath Raj InstitutionsQR - Quantitative RestrictionsSA - Sustainable AgricultureSFABC - Small Farmers Agri-Business ConsortiumSFC - Save Farmer’s CampaignSHMK - State Horticulture Mission KeralaSRI - System of Rice IntensificationSTARS - Society for Total Advancement and Rehabilitation ServicesVOICE - Voluntary Organization for Innovative Collective ActionWHC - Water Holding CapacityWSSS - Wayanad Social Service SocietyWTO - World Trade OrganizationWWA - Women’s Welfare Association

Abbreviations

1 0 91 0 91 0 91 0 91 0 9

FARMWayanad

Save Farmers Cam

paign

Wayanad ResearchSeries IV:Participatory Action Research on FARMas an intervention to Agrarian Crisis andFarmers Suicide in WayanadOctober 2010

Published byFr. Romance AntonyDirector, Kerala Social Service Forum

Contributing TeamDr. V.R HaridasManager NRMCaritas Asia

SFC Network Partners &FARM Wayanad Project Team

Mr. E J JoseProgramme MangerKerala Social Service Forum

Fr. Dr. AntonytopaulExternal Consultant

Study done byMr. Jaimon C UthupConsultant - Research & Documentation Save Farmers Campaign Network Project Team

A Study Report Published by

FARM Programme Coordination Office:KSSF Regional OfficeKalpetta North,Wayanad, Kerala, India, PIN - 673122Tel: 04936206473Email: sfcwayanad@gmail.com

Kerala Social Service ForumAMOS Centre, Adichira, Thellakom PO,

Kottayam,Kerala, IndiaPin - 686016, Tel: +91-481-2594802,

Fax: + 91-481-2591795kssforum@yahoo.com

www.kssf.org