Girl Power Project

Mushroom Farming: Changing lives of rural women, girls

TEAM GIRL POWER

W

omen make up about half of the world’s population, and they account for two-thirds of the world’s adult illiterates. Women empowerment can be achieved through the development of entrepreneurship and incomegenerating activities. Suitable enterprises will be able to generate better jobs and help them become economically independent. In the present era, mushroom cultivation is a profitable enterprise as the productivity of mushroom is higher than any other crop. The crop, apart from solving the malnutrition problem, will also pave the way of self-employment opportunity for the rural female population.

One of the biggest advantages of mushroom farming is that it is a nutritional delicacy. Due to its productivity and profitability, its nutritional and medicinal value, mushroom cultivation is a profitable venture which can lead to integrated development of rural areas by increasing the income of women beneficiaries. Mushroom farming will play a pivotal role in economic empowerment, particularly for landless or small women farmers, by providing them skill-oriented training, which in turn would raise the quality of living of rural families.

Agriculture is the main pillar of the Indian economy. The nation has achieved food security but the struggle to achieve nutritional security is still on. In view of this, mushroom farming has been identified as a suitable and profitable venture. Mushroom crop is an ideal tool for converting agricultural waste into protein rich food items. The Girl Power Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the All India Institute of Local SelfGovernment (AIILSG) in Jharkhand, is playing a significant role as independent agents of change, implementing actions that bring transformative change into the lives of women and girls in 10 districts of Jharkhand. The major emphasis is on enhancing skills by providing training so that women can start their own entrepreneurial units using low-cost setup. Thus, an initiative was taken to train about 40 rural women beneficiaries in Madhupur Block of Deoghar District on cultivation of Mushroom and its value addition. The three days residential program was held from March 29 to 31 at Mega Skill Centre established by AIILSG.

The training session was presided over by Sangeeta Nayak, a certified mushroom trainer. She addressed the beneficiaries and stated that mushroom farming is an important subsidiary occupation for small and landless farmers as well as women entrepreneurs. It is an indoor crop that can be cultivated by utilizing vertical space. To overcome the changes in lifestyle and prevalence of unhealthy food habits, the consumption of mushrooms is a powerful tool as it has an abundance of health benefits. She further briefed about its nature, types, nutritional values, origin, and cultivation practices. Mushroom is highly perishable in nature and is low-

calorie also known as white vegetable. It is loaded with minerals, proteins, vitamins, and fibers. Mushrooms have no cholesterol, low starch content, and are low in calories. The antiinflammatory properties present in the crop are proven to improve the efficiency of the immune system and also contains therapeutic properties. It is highly recommended for people with diabetes, obesity and hyper-tension. Mushroom farming is a favourable activity in Jharkhand due to its limited availability and year-round demand. In Jharkhand, approximately 84 per cent of farmers are smalland marginal farmers and among them women workforce is available abundantly. The cultivation of oyster mushroom can help as an independent or additional source of income for women by utilising easily accessible resources. Oyster mushroom is one of the most popular edible and delicious mushrooms. It can be grown on almost all types of agricultural waste, which is available free of cost. ♦ It helps in generating direct and indirect employment ♦ It requires less human resource and can be cultivated in closed rooms ♦ The used compost can be reused as good manure in other field crops ♦ It provides rich diet to vegetarians ♦ It has capacity of being exported to foreign countries ♦ Potential for utilisation of mushroom in preparation of value added products like mushroom powder, papad, and pickles

CULTIvATIOn PrACTICES fOr PrODUCTIOn Of oySter MuShrooM

The trainer conducted a practical session where she discussed extensively about the practice of mushroom cultivation. firstly, the synthetic compost was prepared by soaking the straws of 2 to 3 inches in clean and cold water for 12 hours. then, the substrate was soaked in a solution of formalin and Bavistinmixed in the water. This helps to suppress the growth and multiplication of molds in the

33 women beneficiaries during the mushroom cultivation training organised in Madhurpur block

Mushroom cultivation in Deoghar district, Jharkhand

substratum. After this, the straws were kept at a dark place placed in a slanting manner to drain off excess water from the heap. The strawswere placed in four layers in polythene bags that are 45 cm in length and 30 cm in diameter perforated with holes. The straws are filled up to 2/3rd of the bags and then the mouth is tied. The bags are then placed on the shelves in the growing room in a humid place. Total of 51 bags are prepared by the beneficiaries which will be ready to harvest after a month from which approximately 200250 kilograms of mushroom will be produced, ready for the market. further, she also talked about the complete method of harvesting of mushroom to the beneficiaries. She added that while harvesting, the cap should be twisted gently with forefingers. She explained the importance of hygiene to be maintained in the shed. The room should be kept clean, away from insects and particularly from rats, which can damage the crop and later can cause infection. The best season to grow oyster mushrooms is from March-April to September-October.

outcoMe

After the training, the beneficiaries will be able to produce mushrooms and related value added products like powder, pickle, and other edible items for selling and self consumption purposes. In the next step, the project team will support women entrepreneurs for establishing mushroom based micro enterprises by the women beneficiaries in Deoghar District and help in marketing of their produce through various means. Thus, the Girl Power Project aims to create mushroom based enterprises in the state, which will not only solve the malnutrition problem but also provide self-employment opportunities among the beneficiaries to promote women entrepreneurship.

AIILSG DIAry AIILSG conducts social mobilisation drive in Dharampuri

Social mobilisation is a powerful tool to inculcate and address inequities through community engagement and grassroot level action. It is a name given to an overall process of change, which happens to a substantial part of the population moving from traditional to modern life

Taiyab Hussain Ansari | Project Coordinator, AIILSG

IILSG – MPUDC - Bhopal Outreach Campaign Project team tried to build consensus in the community about the importance of sewerage connections, especially among households, according to project demand and objectives. As per Kamlesh Bhatnagar, Technical Officer, MPUDC, in terms of sewerage connections, MPUDC is working in 28 ULBs out of 377; and 80 per cent of work is done in Dharampuri ULB. Household sewerage connections have been completed within a couple of months. The AIILSG - IEC & social mobilisation team has delivered ample IEC campaigns within appropriate strength, and with good holistic approaches.

Field executives of outreach campaign project have conducted social mobilisation intervention and dissemination through various IEC activities. They did this through demonstrating, producing and selling the concept of sewerage connection, its importance, characteristics, benefits and sustainability. This is achieved through social marketing, IEC tools, and kits, to fabricate awareness, sensitive behaviour/moral change, social transformation, and transition from myth to scientific temperament and capacity building.

The Outreach Campaign Project of AIILSG Bhopal has achieved the target of “Social Mobilization and Population Education” in Dharampuri, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, in limited time through missionary prospect.

The project helped in sensitising people about the importance of sewerage connection for a healthy life through various IEC and social mobilisation activities. Some of the important measures taken by the IEC team, AIILSG Bhopal. ♦ Social indoctrination. ♦ Continuous visit (IPC). ♦ Meeting with stakeholders, civil society, and users. ♦ Ensured women participation through women meetings. ♦ Cluster approach. ♦ Inclusion of marginalised. ♦ Assimilation with community. ♦ Listen to their problem & action research. ♦ Promotional IEC activities. ♦ Preventive measures. ♦ Mohalla Nukkad meeting and

Natak. (Folk Media)

Area of intervention:

♦ Community mobilisation is a capacity building process of individuals, groups, family, organisation, peer groups, workers, and institutions. ♦ Institutional inclusion of different government, and nongovernmental agencies on the community level such as USHA, anganwadi, ward members, local

NGO, religious institution, unions, and youth clubs. ♦ Ensuring community participation through formation of social media groups, like WhatsApp groups, as well as Swagat Samiti and Swachh

Manch etc. ♦ Community ownership of institutional based intervention through democratic, and federal approaches. ♦ Community based monitoring with better transparency in every aspect

Mass mobilization through folk media using various tools and methods to sensitise people towards sewerage connection

Door to door social mobilisation by a field executive People taking oath after Nukkad Natak

of IEC and social mobilisation.

Population Education

Poverty and illiteracy are interrelated and interdependent factors, acting as hurdles in the path of development in any region. UNESCO made an attempt to define population education in an internationally acceptable manner. It is an educational programme which provides for a study of the population growth in the family, community, nation, and world, as well as rational and responsible attitude towards it.

Population education has two dimensions - Population awareness programmes through communication media, and including subjects for population education in the present school curriculum. It includes educating people about eradication of poverty and hunger, myth, mythology, superstition, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/ AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Population education is a lifelong socio-economic and cultural learning phenomenon. It is the process to develop knowledge, skill, and understanding of any specific area like sewerage connection, sanitation, health, hygiene, or sustainable agrarian cultural and environment development. Such transformation from “Lab to Land” v/s “Land to Lab” is also known as scientific continuing education, which is a part of population education and learning process.

Conclusion

This pre-exercise has played a vital role in the IEC activities, and social mobilisation of the ULB Dharampuri. The local self-government, sewage technical team, civil societies, and the civic body actively participated in coordination with the AIILSG – MPUDC Outreach campaign project, and IEC & social mobilisation team.

Regional specialised Training Programme on PMAY organized at Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: The Regional Centre for Urban & Environmental Studies (RCUES) of the All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG), Mumbai organised a “Regional Specialized Training Programme on Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)” at AIILSG, Ahmedabad on March 28 and 29, 2022. The key objective of the programme was to discuss various ways of achieving targets of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). On the same day, the meeting of Gujarat Mayors’ Forum was also organised.

Mayor of Ahmedabad Kiritbhai Parmar; Mayor of Rajkot Pradeep Dav; Mayor of Junagadh Gitaben Parmar; Mayor of Jamnagar Binaben Kothari; Mayor of Bhavnagar Kirtiben Danidharia; Hiteshbhai Barot, Standing Committee Chairman, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation; Arun Singh Rajput, Dandak, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation; and C R Kharsan, Deputy Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, attended the programme. The specialised training programme commenced with an introduction by Anirudh Shiyal, Regional Director, Ahmedabad. He welcomed the dignitaries on the dais and the participants. He further stated the objective of the said training programme, and requested dignitaries to inaugurate the training programme by lighting the lamp. The Mayors inaugurated specialised training programme by lighting the lamp in the presence of Ranjit Chavan, President, AIILSG; Hansa Patel, Executive Advisor, AIILSG, Vadodara, and other dignitaries. After the inauguration, Ranjit Chavan and Hansa Patel honoured all the dignitaries present in the training programme. He welcomed all dignitaries on behalf of the organisation, and thanked the participants for their presence.

All the Mayors and dignitaries on the dais shared their commendable work, as well as experiences and gave ideas regarding PMAY.

At the end of the second day of the training programme, Parmar along with Binaben Kothari, and Kirtiben Danidharia distributed certificates of participation to the participants. A site visit was arranged for the participants on the second day.

Ranjit S Chavan, President, AIILSG and Former Mayor of Vadodara, addressing the participants. (L to R) Gitaben Parmar, Mayor of Junagadh; Hansaben Patel, Executive Advisor, AIILSG; Kiritbhai Parmar, Mayor of Ahmedabad; Pradeep Dav, Mayor of Rajkot; Kirtiben Danidharia, Mayor of Bhavnagar & Hiteshbhai Barot, Standing Committee Chairman, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Gujarat

Ranjit S Chavan, President, AIILSG and former mayor of Vadodara honoured Kiritbhai Parmar, Mayor of Ahmedabad. Hansaben Patel, Executive Advisor, AIILSG Vadodara honoured Pradeep Dav, Mayor of Rajkot; Gitaben Parmar, Mayor of Junagadh; Binaben Kothari, Mayor of Jamnagar; Kirtiben Danidharia, Mayor of Bhavnagar; Hiteshbhai Barot, Standing Committee Chairman, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Arun Singh Rajput, Dandak, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation; and CR Kharsan, Deputy Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation