BHUBANESWAR: From a homemaker and an occasional farmer to becoming a successful vermicompost producer, it took Sumitra Giri three years. But the 41-year-old woman is happy that she chose to take that extra step towards her economic freedom.
What helped her was the Forest Department’s vermi-village initiative that encouraged SHGs led by women as well as others in forest fringe villages to produce vermicompost as an alternative means of livelihood.
Sumitra from Aharposi village in Kandraposi gram panchayat who started vermicompost making, the processing of organic waste through earthworms, with just one small unit at an investment of just Rs 3,500 initially, is now earning over Rs 1 lakh annually by selling it for the last two years.
Sumitra, who used to support her husband in farming activities occasionally, was one of the few Van Suraksha Samiti (VSS) members from her village who started vermicomposting as an alternative livelihood practice during 2021.
The Keonjhar forest division that provided handholding support to her and seven other women from Aharposi, took them for an exposure visit to one such site in 2021, after which they started the making of vermicompost in their backyards.
“In the first investment, I earned around Rs 21,000. I invested more and created five units which are now helping me to earn around Rs 1.5 lakh annually,” she said while thanking Keonjhar DFO Dhamdhere Dhanraj Hanumant, the local forester and other forest staff of the division. She said the extra source of income has significantly helped in improving the financial condition of her family including funding her son’s ITI education. She has also been able to repay the loan that she took for her daughter’s wedding.
Sumitra said like her many women from her village have now been able to achieve financial independence by making vermicompost. A number of male members in the families are also helping them.“From initial eight, the number of households in our village who are into vermicomposting has now increased to over 80,” said secretary of Maa Durga SHG in Aharposi and president of the GP Level Federation of SHGs in Kandraposi Sairendree Mahanta.
Mahanta said there are households who are now earning Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh from vermicompost making in their village. “Many women have become financially independent and have been able to give better education to their children,” she said and added that it has become a boon for women, who were clueless as to what they should do to supplement their family income.
With more and more women SHG members joining the initiative, the Keonjhar division has declared at least five villages Taramakanta, Baghinasa, Nalabilla, Aharposi and Rohiniduma as vermin-villages, where 50 per cent or more households have vermicompost units. The division has also announced an assured buyback of the organic compost at Rs 20 per kg for plantation and nursery activities in its jurisdiction.
DFO Dhamdhere Dhanraj Hanumant said vermicompost making is an alternate livelihood that can be done with very low capital investment while doing core agricultural activities. It is very effective in increasing the income of farmers and forest dependent tribal communities.
Besides, he said the profession also reduces the dependence of forest fringe communities on forests and helps in preventing man-animal conflict. It also promotes LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment), he added. Technical guidance and training are being given by Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project partner NGOs Prakalpa, Gramin Product Marketing and KVK Keonjhar.
BLACK GOLD
1,554 vermicompost units of 6’ X 4’ X 2’ set up involving 211 SHGs and 1,494 households in 5 villages
Subsidy for installation of vermicompost unit is being given by the government at Rs 3,700 per unit including 2 kg vermi culture.Division plans 3,000-tonne vermicompost from the existing vermicompost units every year.
An eight-quintal production unit can fetch up to Rs 16,000 in 65 to 90 days without much monetary input.
145-tonne vermicompost produced by the 68 Mission Shakti SHGs has already been procured at a cost of Rs 29 lakh till August 20.