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[ACTION FOR SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT [ASA], Success Stories, 2016-17
Cotton eyed Molava
Name: Badi Bai, Roshani SHG
Village: Molava
ASA stepped into Molava to a scene of chaos. Farmers from the village were getting weighed down by loans
pegged at an interest rate of 10-15%. Unable to deal with the debts and the disparity in wealth, most of them
were migrating to nearby towns and cities in search of a different occupation. Moreover, due to lack of
guidance, whatever farmlands were still functioning were laden with chemical insecticides and pesticides as the
vendors were not aware of the quality of soil. In an effort to encounter the issues of Molava, first and foremost
a Self-Help Group (SHG) called The Roshani SHG was started for effective management of funds.
Once the SHG was established, training workshops were conducted to cultivate Organic Cotton in the fields of
their village. The trainings primarily focused around agricultural practices and deduction of cost in cultivation
pushed the farmers towards adopting the practice of saving, which yielded positive gains within three months.
One of the SHG members Badi Bai recounts the journey of success. She maintains that home based inputs,
produced from locally available resources bore them maximum gains at reduced cost which in turn acted as
their saving. By attending the skill based trainings the farmers turned the table with successful production of
Organic Cotton.
In the recent Kharif season, ASA visited the village with a plan to mobilise the farmers to buy more seeds for
rest of the members. But the farmers happily reported that they had saved enough money to buy seeds for all
the members and that too without burning a hole through their savings. Today the group is efficiently
managing their farms without the use of any chemicals, pesticides or artificial methods.
Highlights of Success
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Confidence in a knowledgeable agency to adopt new practices
Adapting recently learnt activities and implementing it successfully
Keenness to adopt unconventional methods of saving and successfully saving enough to yield produce for
new crops.
Contributed by:- ASA Rawti & Team
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[ACTION FOR SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT [ASA], Success Stories, 2016-17
Contributed by:- ASA Rawti & Team
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