"A quarter of a million women in Kerala are showing us how to earn livelihoods with dignity."
The Indian elite shrieks at the prospect of formalising a universal right to food. Notwithstanding the collective moral deficit this reveals, it also shows that the millions of Indians whose food rights are so flagrantly violated are completely voiceless in the policy space. India's problem is not only to secure food, but to secure food justice. The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : From food security to food justice.
The experiment, "Sangha Krishi" or group farming, is part of Kerala's anti-poverty programme "Kudumbashree", initiated as a means to enhance local food production. These collectives lease fallow land, rejuvenate it, farm it and then either sell the produce or use it for consumption, depending on the needs of members. It is not a mere ‘project' or a ‘programme' but a social space where marginalised women can collectively pursue their needs and aspirations.
Kudumbashree office-bearers are elected, a crucial process for its members. These elections bring women into politics. And they bring with them a different set of values that can change politics. These groups are linked to state at village level and thus ensures that local development reflects the needs and aspirations of communities, who are not reduced to mere 'executors' of government programmes. It is transforming the socio-political space that women inhabit — who in turn transform that space in vital ways.
Is this a sustainable, replicable model of food security? It is certainly one worth serious analysis!
The experiment, "Sangha Krishi" or group farming, is part of Kerala's anti-poverty programme "Kudumbashree", initiated as a means to enhance local food production. These collectives lease fallow land, rejuvenate it, farm it and then either sell the produce or use it for consumption, depending on the needs of members. It is not a mere ‘project' or a ‘programme' but a social space where marginalised women can collectively pursue their needs and aspirations.
Kudumbashree office-bearers are elected, a crucial process for its members. These elections bring women into politics. And they bring with them a different set of values that can change politics. These groups are linked to state at village level and thus ensures that local development reflects the needs and aspirations of communities, who are not reduced to mere 'executors' of government programmes. It is transforming the socio-political space that women inhabit — who in turn transform that space in vital ways.
Is this a sustainable, replicable model of food security? It is certainly one worth serious analysis!
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