World Without Women
A world without women is unimaginable. Without women, the world will lack empathy and will be just a hollow ball with no substance. Women are blessed with the powers to fill inevitable voids, jump over unforeseeable hurdles, and draw a thin line between decisions of mind and heart.
Even nature is the personification of a woman. We always pay homage to nature and reverently address “her” as mother nature. Women have since ancient times been entitled as caregivers and nurturers.
Women & Farming
They also for long have been a big part of Indian agriculture and farming, but are seldom given credit for their contribution. Women farmers are grounded, resilient and face hardships while flashing a big smile on their faces. They put in their blood and sweat to enrich mother nature and make the environment sustainable.
Women Of Today
The women of today are independent, strong-willed and sharp. They are multi-taskers, who smartly strike a robust balance between work and life. They will not only care about the health of their family members but will also give a lot of attention to what they themselves eat. Food and nutrition are number one on their list, and they will ensure that their family is blessed with the wealth of health.
They are also more friendly towards the environment and are cautious about not dirtying it by any means because they know that their actions today can have reactions on their tomorrow. Not only do they have a solid belief on healthy eating and living, but they also want their children to grow up in a cleaner and a greener environment, where they can be connected to their roots.
On women’s day, we interviewed a few women from the Farmizen community and asked them about their connection with Farmizen, drive to eat right and their opinion on women’s role in agriculture.
First, on the list, we have Ashwini Amarnath, who is one of our Farmizens.
When asked to describe herself, she responded,
“A mother, wife daughter and sister, I play all the roles.”
Her take on health and farming,
As an entrepreneur and a homemaker, I’m on a mission every minute of the day. I have always been inclined to farming, be it maintaining just a lawn or planting a tomato sapling, to me it was all about my love for plants and the smell of soil.
I believe in the term “Health is wealth” and would always vouch for organic food for my family and in the last few years I’ve only bought organically grown food. Soon I realised how much of vegetable wastes were being thrown contributing to polluting the environment. So I started to compost the leftovers from my house and started growing vegetables in my garden with the same compost. Nothing made me happier than to see my plants grow.
Her response on how she came across Farmizen,
I happened to read about Farmizen on Facebook, and it was like someone read my mind. Imagine, in a place like Bangalore where apartments sell at a fortune, owning a farmland was a distant dream. At Farmizen you can have the best of both worlds, even if I were to own a farm, given my busy schedule I wouldn’t have been able to manage the labour or put in as much time into it. But now, I can 🙂
Things that she loved the most about Farmizen,
With Farmizen it is just not letting someone grow your vegetables, it is the way they do the entire process, it so “YOU” centric, from choosing your vegetables to harvesting them, you are involved in every step. It makes you feel like you’re doing it all by yourself. All you have to do is click a few buttons on your phone.
Her opinion on women and farming,
Women have always had an inclination towards farming, mostly because of their nurturing maternal instincts. Women have always played a vital role in most fields. Who else will better understand the importance of agriculture than the user? A woman is forever caring and is involved deeply in nurturing her family. She will always want the best for them.
It is just like the Tamil movie 36 vayadhinile, that was about empowering women to be independent by starting small.
We admire Ashwini for effortlessly juggling so many responsibilities :). She is the perfect modern woman with a lot of passion and determination for what she does, along with having a healthy lifestyle. We really love her brand “The Classy Rags” and would highly recommend that you all check it out as well 🙂
Second on the list is Abi, who is also one of our Farmizens.
Abi talks about herself and tells us that,
I am a mother of two lovely daughters and am currently working as a Software professional in an MNC.
When asked about her interest in farming and eating healthy she says,
We Are What We Eat …
I have been always interested in farming and wanted to have my own farm since childhood as I come from farming background. During my childhood and village days, I have witnessed the processes of sowing seeds, taking care of crops esp Paddy fields till it came to our kitchen.
Food is the basic necessity for human life and farming enables it to our families. It is a scientifically proven fact that our food choices affect our health. The old saying, we are what we eat, is true. Every cell in our body was created from the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
She further talks about her connection with Farmizen and says that,
I learnt about Farmizen from one of my colleagues and I got interested. So wanted to explore the way it works. When I got deeper into details, I really started liking the idea of growing your own food.
I wanted to get involved in this concept with fellow like-minded people to. These days we all live in closed communities where there is no touch of nature and soil. It is basic human nature or dynamics to be in touch with our mother earth and soil. Hence my inclination towards Farmizen.
Farmizen also encourages people to come to the farms whenever possible and work with farmers and to sow their own vegetables, seeds/plants, greens or any crops that they need for their kitchen.
I want our future generation to be in touch with roots and experience this way rather than eating packaged and junk foods.
So Farmizen via this Urban farming business model helps people and society for a sustainable agricultural experience.
Her opinion on women and farming,
Traditionally if we see in a family, women run everything including the kitchen. So when it comes to eating as well, women want to ensure that their families eat healthy food and live healthy from dawn to dusk. I think that these days there is great awareness about eating healthy and organic foods in general.
And women play a vital role in instilling healthy eating habits among kids as there are a lot of junk food options which intrude our immune system.
So my suggestion is to eat healthy and live healthy.
Abi is so good at creating a perfect equilibrium between home and work, and that makes us respect her a lot! She also is the enabler of good health for her children. She is smart, grounded and knows what is best for her and her family!
Third, on the list, we have Pratibha. Pratibha is one of the farmers at Kamadhenu Cattle Farms
When asked about what she does, Pratibha says that,
I have finished studies in MSC Microbiology and am supervising and working in our own ancestral field. My family has a background in agriculture and has excellent knowledge about it. They had land for years, and they did not want it to go to waste, and that’s why they utilized the land, rejuvenated the soil, and started practising organic farming.
On her inclination towards farming, organic farming in particular she says,
Me and my father were always inclined towards growing food organically. We wanted to have a sustainable ecosystem as well. We believe in organic farming, as the soil is enriched and land becomes very fertile through it. Instead of relying on chemicals, we rely on natural manure such as goat manure that reinvigorates the topsoil instead of deteriorating it.
I also believe that microbes are farmer’s best friends, as they enhance the soil quality, and ensure that the plants get the necessary supplement. These little beings, unlike the hazardous chemicals and fertilizers, do not disturb the life of the soil, and instead, enrich the soil.
Her take on how women are the future of agriculture
I want to focus on farming, and want to support women who are as urban, modern and educated as I am. A lot of young women are not willing to come and spend some time in the sun.
But honestly, speaking women can really bring about a lot of change to the way farming is perceived.
Woman of today is educated and aware. She will bring with her all the knowledge and best practices of farming along with unhindered passion and hard work.
If you see the word Farmer, it ends with an “er”, “er is also a major part of her.
Farming is in Indian blood.
Urban women can take better control of their eating habits and their family’s as well if they participate in farming more. This way, they can ensure that their children are also connected to their roots.
For women in rural villages, organic farming has proven benefits. I say this because in our farms we have many women, who are supporting their households from income through farming.
They are not dependent and are stronger than ever. They also have to incentive to work with chemicals, as they are in a completely chemical proof organic environment. We have a widow who works at the farm. She is healthy, happy and is supporting her childrens’ education through farming.
We look up to Pratibha for her dedication towards farming and believe that she is the ideal woman of today. She is a visionary and has a mission to bring positive changes to the world around her.
Let’s salute these women who make our lives extraordinary in so many ways.
Happy Women’s Day To Everyone 🙂
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