After excessive fertilising stripped nutrients from her village’s soil, an anganwadi teacher takes it upon herself to educate her community about the perils of chemical farming and how to cultivate agri-nutrition gardens.
With a warm, ready smile and a big heart, Vimala Rathiya has been teaching young children in the local community anganwadi centre since 2011. But now she is educating her entire community on a different set of fundamentals.
For years Rathiya, and most families of her village – Rampur – in the Kartala block of the Korba district of Chhattisgarh, relied on farming standard crops like paddy, driven by the government’s minimum support price (MSP).
However, using chemical fertilisers for a long period not only became more expensive, but it began to impact the quality of the crops, never mind the soil. Overuse of chemical fertilisers, like urea and DAP, degraded soil health so much that the produce became unsafe to eat, especially for pregnant and lactating mothers.
“It was something I always wanted to do – make an impact on my community’s future health,” said Rathiya, the 47-year-old anganwadi worker. It wasn’t until she encountered the JIVA programme, launched by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) with support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and facilitated locally by Gram Bartori Vikas Shikshan Samiti (GBVSS), that she felt empowered to take action.
Through the JIVA programme, Rathiya learned about “agri-nutrition gardens,” small, sustainable gardens designed to grow nutrient-dense crops that improve household nutrition and food security. These gardens integrate agriculture with nutrition by promoting the cultivation of vegetables, fruits, and herbs rich in essential nutrients.
“I received the necessary training from the GBVSS team, and officers from the NABARD regularly visited us for feedback,” she recalled.
In rural settings, it is challenging for women to be voices of change, but with a clear goal of prioritising health and nutrition, Rathiya committed herself to eliminate harmful fertilisers from her village.
As the head of her self-help group (SHG), which includes 8-10 women from nearby villages, she led weekly discussions on women’s health issues like anaemia and shared solutions. “In a family, a mother’s responsibility is to provide nutritious food, but we only realised the enhanced quality of our diets after we started eating from our own agri-nutrition gardens,” she said.
Creating an agri-nutrition garden wasn’t difficult. All it required was proper hand-holding and guidance which was provided through the JIVA programme. The focus shifted from chemical fertilisers to cow-based, natural farming practices.
“We wanted to reduce farmers’ expenses. Under this programme, we’ve trained about 200 women who are now promoting this model, improving their health and helping them financially,” explained Suryakant Soulakhe, president of GBVSS.
Today, Rathiya grows over 20 types of vegetables in her backyard, including red spinach, moringa, okra, chili, tomato, radish, ivy gourd, and pumpkin, and she also sells her produce in the local market twice a week. Although her sales bring in a modest weekly income of Rs 1000 to Rs 1500, her true satisfaction lies in knowing her family and the Anganwadi children are consuming safe, nutritious food.
I believe that if my family eats healthily, it’s the right of every child at the anganwadi to eat the same quality of food
The SHG women now provide fresh, homegrown produce for mid-day meals and encourage the children to promote this practice to their families. Inspired by Rathiya’s success, all 50 families in her village have adopted agri-nutrition gardens, leading to improved health, reduced medical expenses, and substantial savings.
The process of establishing a successful agri-nutrition garden includes several stages, beginning with Beejamrutha, a seed treatment to protect young roots. Rathiya prepares it by dissolving 5 kilos of cow dung in 20 litres of water, adding 5 litres of cow urine, and a handful of soil from under a neem tree (Azadirachta indica), and stirring in 50 grams of lime. After letting the mixture sit for 12 hours, she coats seeds in it, air-dries them, and plants them to boost germination and seedling growth.
The next stage, Jeevamrutha, is applied to soil to increase fertility. She mixes 10 kilos of cow dung with 10 litres of cow urine, 2 kilos of jaggery, 2 kilos of gram flour, and 200 litres of water, stirring in soil from a neem tree to promote microbial growth. After fermenting this mixture for three to four days, it is applied around the plants.
As a further step, Ghanjeevamrutha is a concentrated soil enhancer. Vimala combines 10 kilos of cow dung, 2 litres of cow urine, 500 grams of jaggery, 500 grams of flour, and soil from under a neem tree, fermenting it for three to five days, then drying and storing it. This mixture, when applied around plants, improves soil health and reduces dependency on chemical pesticides.
These organic methods, rooted in India’s agricultural heritage, remind farmers of traditional practices before the widespread use of chemical fertilisers. Rathiya also shares this knowledge with her anganwadi students, encouraging them to eat balanced meals and promoting agri-nutrition gardens during community events. Her efforts gained local attention, and the gram panchayat invited her to speak on natural farming and the importance of food, nutrition, and health for women.
Through the JIVA programme, women from neighbouring villages now approach Rathiya and GBVSS for training and guidance in establishing their own agri-nutrition gardens. A year after JIVA’s launch, villagers saw significant improvements in soil and crop quality while halving their fertiliser expenses.
This is how Rathiya’s dream of a self-sustaining, healthy community has come to life. With each seed she plants, she cultivates a legacy of resilience, health and empowerment, showing that one woman’s determination can transform her world, one garden at a time.
The lead image on top shows anganwadi worker and community leader, Vimala Rathiya, educating children and women in Rampur village about the benefits of agri-nutrition gardens. (Photo by Devashish Biswal)
Devashish Biswal is a Knowledge Management and Communications Consultant with the Ministry of Rural Development. He was also a Village Square Fellow in 2023.
