Empowerment and Capacity Building for Food Security and food sovereignty

This is our core programme and this service administers the empowerment unit of the Gami Seva Sevana Ltd. The primary source of information and technology in relation to organic farming practices are transferred by the empowerment team to the farmer groups. The hands on residential and field training enhance the capacity of rural farmers to solve their problems. The farmers also learn from each other’s experience. The rural initiatives like carpentry, developing of marketing of rural produce is also encouraged. A savings and credit programme further helps them to make them credit worthy and strengthens them to be a self reliant and independent. Each saving group comprises of 5-8 members and they save Rs: 10/- per week. Loans are given against the group savings ranging from Rs: 5,000/= - Rs: 50,000/= depending on the amount saved and the payback. These are inter say guarantee loans where the rest of the group members have to guarantee the loan given. This is an effective method for payback. The farmers who have thus become self reliant and independent can be a role model and an inspiration to would be organic farmers and others. We are also supporting produce co-operatives. Designing and promoting consumer related marketing structures, which will benefit the producer and the consumer. A delivery system of produce from the farmers is presently initiated which should finally become the responsibility of the proposed organic co-operative.