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In Urban India, we have seen women occupy respectable positions in all walks of the field. Yet, they are not completely free from discrimination and harassment.
However, when it comes to the rural community of India, the common perception of a lady doing the usual household chores incessantly is the image.
Rural women play a crucial role in agriculture, food security, and nutrition but they suffer from isolation, the spread of misinformation, and a lack of access to critical technologies to improve their work and personal life.
Although villages are the reservoirs of culture and tradition, it is also the focal points of female oppression.
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Also, rural women are mostly dependent on the male members of their family for their financial requirements which makes them vulnerable to abuse.
The patriarchal-hierarchical structures that have emerged especially in villages, define a woman’s existence only as a mother, a daughter, a wife, and a domestic laborer.
There is no doubt that several courageous women from both rural and urban areas are fighting hard for their rights. But it takes a lot more courage for a rural woman to defeat inequality because of the still prevailing age-old customs and traditions in our Indian villages.
Here is a story of one such woman who defeated all odds and encouraged an entire village to take up organic farming!
Seenat is the founder of an all-women’s farming group called ‘Penmitra’ (women’s friend) through which she encouraged people of Kokkur, a tiny village in Kerala’s Malappuram district, to take up organic farming and make a living.
Seenat was born in a family of farmers and soon after discontinuing her studies, she got married.
Her life came to a standstill because she studied only till 10th grade and could not apply for jobs.
Seenat continued as a homemaker but coming from a family of farmers she tried her hand at agriculture. She started growing a vegetable garden and eventually saw the success of her endeavours.
Initially, Seenat brought saplings and seeds from the nearby Krishi Bhavan and got around 20 grow bags from the Mannuthi Agricultural University and planted tomatoes in all of them.
Later she expanded her vegetable garden with ladies finger, green chillies and cauliflower. She was then approached by other women in the neighbourhood and they learned her techniques.
In 2014, she founded the all-women’s group called Penmitra. It started off as a 10-member group, now there are 50 members.
The members of the group expanded their knowledge by attending and conducting workshops. The group gained popularity after they began selling their produce at yearly markets.
They also took up new hobbies like creating accessories from natural waste materials like coconut shells and husks and sold them at exhibitions.
The group has become a source of income for women, and they also harvest paddy. The women in the group are able to contribute to family income and break free from poverty.
Despite facing several obstacles from her husband and relatives, Seenat achieved her dreams that she had given up when she was young.
Her incredible journey, from stultifying patriarchy to community-wide influence, began with small steps. She is now proud that there is not a single home in Kokkur that doesn’t follow organic farming.
The story of Seenat shows the world that empowering woman is essential, not only for the well-being of individuals, families and rural communities, but also for overall economic productivity.