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Growing vegetables……reaping dignity
| Growing vegetables……reaping dignity |
| With 60% of India's population involved in agriculture, and most of those living below the poverty line, food security and livelihoods are key issues for farmers in that country. CCA has been working with the Gujarat Women's SEWA Co-operative Federation for over 15 years to help farmers ̶ most of them women ̶ join together in worker co-operatives. By being a co-operative member, farmers improve their access to markets, reduce their dependence on middlemen, and significantly increase their income. At the same time, members learn how to run a democratic co-operative and gain self-confidence through managing their own businesses. Many of the women farmers' stories describe incredible adversity overcome through profound hope, courage, strength, and the help of the SEWA Co-operative Federation. We are pleased to bring you one such story from Maniben, a Gujarat farmer, as told to one of the SEWA Co-operative Federation staff. |
| My name is Maniben and I am 55 years old. I am an illiterate. I live with my husband and four children in Vasna village, in Gujarat.
Basically, my husband and I are farmers and we grow vegetables on our farm. We practice a traditional form of agriculture and cultivate non-organic produce to earn our livelihoods. After cultivation, we sell the produce at the wholesale vegetable market in Ahmedabad. Initially, we were forced to sell all our produce to the market traders who gave us advances up to 1,000 rupees (about $30) and thus exploited us. All of the 24 women farmers of our saving group did not get good prices for our produce. Being the leader of this bachat mandal (saving group), I decided to get rid of the exploitation.
Meanwhile, I came in contact with the Gujarat State Women's SEWA Co-operative Federation in the year 2000.
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Vegetable farmer Maniben
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| At the market, SEWA Federation helps farmers to sell their produce directly to the customers at Shop No. 40 without intervention from the middlemen. Our group decided to become members of the SEWA Federation. For the last ten years, we have been selling all our produce to Shop No. 40, which is federation's intervention. SEWA not only establishes linkages between producers and sellers, but also facilitates good prices for our products. |
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