A meeting of women farmers in Osmanabad. (TOI photo: Mandar Deshpande)

TULJAPUR (Osmanabad): Shaken by the 338 farmer suicides in Marathwada this year alone, and fearing for the lives of their husbands, some women from the villages in parched Osmanabad have taken over farming operations to keep home and hearth together.

The effort has raked in enough produce to see them through the drought, with a little cash in their hands. It is also bringing MBA students and officials from the Agriculture University in Marathwada to their doorstep seeking guidance on sustainable farming, despite the women farmers being school dropouts or even illiterate. The parched land in Osmanabad where crops have failed has pushed many over the brink, but suicidal thoughts have never once crossed Vaishali Ghuge's mind. “I am proud to be a farm er and my land in Tuljapur taluka yields more than enough for my family to survive. Why should I even think of suicide?“ she said. At a low point in her life, Vaishali did say that she felt sad being married to a farmer. “Farming and farmers have no value. But I have changed this picture for myself and my family ,“ she add ed.

Archana Bhosale backed her story of toil with statistics. “The average yield from my field is worth Rs 2 lakh.Even if the crop fails, I have a small poultry which gives me returns of about Rs 1.5 lakh. There is no need to worry or get distressed,“ she said. Like Vaishali and Archa na, many women have taken over the farming operations from their husbands and are producing better results. “A few years ago, we witnessed a similar drought like now. Women got together and shared thoughts about what will happen to our families if our men fall into a depression and take some hasty step. We realized that we must do something,“ Rekha Shinde from remote Hinglajwadi recalled.

When she spoke to her husband about wanting to help him in farming operations, he ridiculed her.“Farming is difficult and women cannot do it,“ he told her.

But the other women in Hinglajwadi joined Rekha and made similar demands from their husbands. Komal Katkate said their actions were not planned, but they were worried about their children.

“The suicides and distress all around us made us determined to do something. We thought we should be able to feed our children. We would need grain, pulses and vegetables that need less water to grow. Our men were producing nothing of this.They were after cash crops like sugarcane and soybean,“ she added.

The men were in no mood to hand over the reins. “We asked them for one guntha (about 1,000 sq ft) to cultivate vegetables and pulses. Begrudgingly, they agreed. We wanted to grow some food for our families to survive. Women know 80 per cent of farming, but they are never called farmers,“ Kausalya Katkate, now in her sixties, said.

It was a slow beginning.When two women got a guntha of land from their husbands, and the other women grew insistent, the men gave them some land.

“We grew vegetables with whatever farming knowledge we had. When there was sufficient for our families, we sold the extra produce in the nearby markets. For the first time, we had our own money,“ Rekha said.

With little support and no money to buy fertilizers, they took to organic farming. “Vegetables and pulses don't need much water,“ Nanda Wakure said.

The `change-of-hands' movement started in 2012 and within a year the women were earning more from the farmland they cultivated than the men who sowed water-guzzling crops using chemical fertilizers, the women said.

“We grew confident enough to inquire about government schemes for farmers,“ Godavari Kshirsagar, from Gandora village in Tuljapur, said.

The women also formed a small savings group and started sharing their experiences, with men watching them closely.

“When they realized we were not asking for money or water but were earning better, they started seeking our advice on the crop to be sown and how to avoid spending on chem ical fertilizers,“ Anita Kulkarni said. She also markets organic fertilizers made on her farm.

The women also took to other sources of income.Archana has a small poultry farm, Anita and others rear cattle. Some sew clothes or run flour mills.

“This year, I cultivated dal and the earnings helped me pay my children's school fees. Homegrown vegetables and pulses save about Rs 300 every week. I have stopped using chemical fertilizers. While it is not a grand success, we are doing our best to change the situation,“ Komal said.

Many women farmers are district and state awards recipients. “We have not started any revolution ­ just gone back to the basics like avoiding cash crops, using organic fertilizers, ensuring food security and creating additional income,“ Godavari said.

She addressed MBA students recently and shared her experiences with the agriculture university in Parbhani. The university will hold a camp for its students in her village.

Komal Katkate's husband Achyutrao admitted that women had changed their lives. “I have stepped back. My wife Komal is the lead player now. I go by what she says on crop cultivation,“ he added.

Agencies have helped these women. “NGOs and the government are facilitators. The women farmers have written their success stories,“ said Vikas Kamble of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, an NGO working with women farmers.

Sonali Jadhav is learning new skills. “Do tell our story. Marathwada is not just about farmers' suicide, it is also about people like us who have challenged drought and destiny.“

