Erode District

Today's rural poor operate in highly risky and uncertain environments. Grappling with multiple stresses like eroding natural resources, poor assets and increasing climate variability, they are constantly adjusting their lives and livelihoods--changing a crop grown, digging another well, or migrating to a nearby town.

Stop use of fresh groundwater in city parks: Delhi Government

This paper documents one of the unique microcredit projects of UNICEF in three blocks of Erode district in Tamil Nadu. MYRADA, an NGO, has supported the formation of federations that use the fund from UNICEF not as a grant but as a revolving fund for constructing toilets in the houses of the federation members. 

Kalaivani, a single mother of three, took to farming after the loss of her husband almost two decades ago. Since then, she has grown all the crops on her farm without using chemical or synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. Over the last few years, she has focused her time and energy in growing organic cotton. 

Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for plant growth – that is common knowledge for farmers. Cow dung contains nitrogen – that is also common knowledge for farmers. Then why is it that many farmers look for costly solutions rather than use the abundant cow dung they have in their farms as manure? Luckily, one farmer did think of this.

Breaking away from routine is not an easy task. The case with farmers is no different. Our village of interest, Bejaletti in Erode district, is dominated by Sholigas tribals, where farmers mainly engage in agricultural activity for almost 6-7 months of the year.

Author: Seetha Gopalakrishnan

MYRADA and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Erode district, Tamil Nadu