By Janet Preethi G | Project Leader
In the quiet village of Siruganur, nestled between dry fields and dusty roads, lived a mother named Mallika. Every morning, she would leave her small thatched home before sunrise, with a sickle in hand and hope in her heart. For years, Mallika and her husband worked as daily wage farm laborers, earning barely 150 a day—when there was work.
They couldn’t afford treatment or transport, let alone special aids. It seemed like life had already set limits for them. But everything changed when an agricultural training team from a nearby NGO entered their village.
The Beginning of a New Season
The team wasn't just offering training—they brought hope. They spoke of integrated farming, organic inputs, and small value-added enterprises. Mallika, along with 30 other women from her village, joined the training. They learned how to grow brinjal, millets, and greens without costly chemicals, how to rear goats alongside crops, and how to turn waste into compost.
She received a starter kit—seeds, natural pesticides, and a low-cost drip irrigation pipe. The real shift came when the women formed a Self-Help Group (SHG) and started processing surplus greens into packaged bundles for the local market. A nearby college even agreed to buy directly from them.
These are not isolated stories—they are part of a growing movement. Across Tamil Nadu, farming families are embracing:
Sustainable agriculture: Switching to organic and natural methods.
Diversification: Combining crops, livestock, and value-added products.
Women-led enterprises: From banana chips to herbal oils.
Farmer groups and cooperatives: For better bargaining and bulk marketing.
Today, more than 700 families across 5 districts have improved their income by 30% to 50%, with consistent yields, direct market linkages, and local branding.
Agriculture is not just income for a family—it is nutrition, education, healthcare, and security. When farming thrives, the entire family thrives. When it suffers, every part of their life is affected.
For families like Ramu’s, supporting agriculture means supporting everything they live for—their dignity, their dreams, and their children’s future.
What’s Next?
The goal is to scale this model to 1,000 families in the next 2 years. Plans are underway to:
Set up mobile processing units for groundnut oil and millet snacks.
Train rural youth as agri-entrepreneurs.
Partner with local panchayats and government schemes for broader reach.
This isn’t just a project—it’s a movement of dignity and independence, rooted in the soil of Tamil Nadu. When you invest in rural families and their land, you don’t just grow crops—you grow futures.
Interested in virtual volunteering email to connect@voice-trust.org.
By Janet Preethi G | Project Leader
By Janet Preethi G | Project Leader
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