Project Kitchen Gardens

The setbacks of Green Revolution were manifold. First - The crop pattern was reduced to wheat and rice, that too with heavy doses of chemical applications. Second - Women lost their role and interest in farming practices. Third - Nutritional security was lost, as fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants were either out of the farming scenario or fed with cocktails of pesticides. Fourth - The food was devoid of compassion and life-force energy. To address these issues, we had started working with women to establish kitchen gardens in villages.

With the support of Association for India's Development (AID), we started the ‘Women Action for Organic Farming and Rural Livelihood’ in 2011. Under this umbrella, we are training women to establish Organic Kitchen Gardens (inclusive of vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants and mushroom cultivation) in their backyards. Started from 4 villages in 2011, it has now spread across 60 villages with 6,000 women involved.

Kitchen Gardens

KVM delivers trainings which include designing the garden; making natural growth promotors; pest management; seed conservation & much more. The key feature is that majority of our trainers, project coordinators and trainees are women. The field coordinators pay their regular visits to the gardens every month, addressing the challenges faced by the gardeners.

• In a season, around 15-20 varieties of vegetables are grown and it reaches up to 50 every year.
• Along with vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants have also been planted.
• By growing vegetables organically in the households, women have provided nutritional security.
• Many health issues and diseases have been reduced after eating chemical-free vegetables.
• On an average, one household is able to save Rs. 1500 per month, which is otherwise spent to buy vegetables.
• People admire the improved taste and quality of the farm-fresh produce.

Seed Banks

A new dimension was added to the project by propagating the concept of indigenous Seed Conservation. Punjab was void of its indigenous seed diversity. Working with women, we realized that they can play a key role to restore the same. So, native seeds, collected from various states and adapted into the environment of Punjab, were distributed to the gardeners. KVM groomed them to conserve these seeds every year for next sowing seasons. Slowly, the gardeners became seed savers; and currently we have 110 family seed banks maintained by these women. KVM distributes ‘seed kits’ to the newcomers comprising of seeds of 15 - 20 seasonal vegetables.

Mushroom Cultivation

To add-on to their livelihood, we organise Mushroom Cultivation workshops for our gardeners. Seeds and other raw materials are made available, along with. With the assistance of KVM, some 400 women are successfully growing and selling organic mushrooms from their homes itself.

Young Seed Keepers

This was a group of 20 young girls trained into conservation of indigenous seeds. Their classroom was a one-acre rented plot in Chaina village of Faridkot district. These young seed savers were trained to manage the farm; grow organic and indigenous vegetables; conserve the seeds, preserve them with traditional practices and markete them in various public events, under the auspices of KVM. These seeds were sold as ‘seed kits’ yielding an earning of Rs. 80,000; which was distributed among the group itself.