Kerala’s Kudumbashree farm groups have made a significant achievement in their Onam vegetable cultivation efforts
As the Onam festival approaches, the focus is on Kudumbashree’s initiatives to promote pesticide-free vegetable cultivation and floriculture. The mission, which was established in 1997, has been working towards empowering women and eradicating poverty in the state.
Surpassing Targets
Kudumbashree had set ambitious targets for the current year, aiming to expand vegetable farming to 12,000 acres and floriculture to 2,000 acres. However, the latest figures reveal that the mission has surpassed these targets, with pesticide-free vegetable cultivation covering 20,475.81 acres and floriculture covering 1,966.93 acres.
A massive agricultural coalition was formed to coordinate activities across 1,007 community development societies and 153 blocks in 14 districts. This collective effort has enabled Kudumbashree to achieve its goals and ensure a wide variety of traditional vegetables are available for harvest during the Onam festivities.
Self-Reliance and Supply
Kudumbashree’s organic plant nurseries, known as ‘Jaivika’, have supplied farmers with high-yielding hybrid vegetable seedlings and marigold saplings. This has enabled the farmers to be self-reliant in their production and ensure the quality of their planting materials. The cultivation has been carried out by 33,875 farming groups, including 28,187 groups exclusively for vegetable cultivation and 5,688 groups for floriculture.
The produce and flowers will be made available to consumers through local markets and specialized ‘Kudumbashree Onam Markets’. This initiative not only ensures a steady supply of quality vegetables and flowers during the festival but also provides hundreds of women farmers with a good income and opportunities for self-reliance.
- Key Highlights:
- Kudumbashree has surpassed its targets for Onam vegetable cultivation and floriculture.
- Pesticide-free vegetable cultivation covers 20,475.81 acres, while floriculture covers 1,966.93 acres.
- 33,875 farming groups are involved in the cultivation, including 28,187 groups for vegetable cultivation and 5,688 groups for floriculture.
- The produce and flowers will be made available through local markets and specialized ‘Kudumbashree Onam Markets’.
Source: Original Article
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