VASUDHA JAIVIK KRISHAK KALYAN SAMITI, INDIA
The cotton farmers we work with in India currently find it very difficult
to access non-genetically modified cotton seeds, with over 95 percent
of cotton seed supply in India being genetically modified.
This limits the opportunities of cotton farmers to improve their
livelihoods by gaining access to higher-value markets for their crops,
since Fairtrade and organic standards prohibit use of GM seeds.
Vasudha Jaivik Krishak Kalyan Samiti is a registered society of
smallholder cotton farmers in Khargone district in the state of Madhya
Pradesh, Vasudha comprises 1,524 individual members spread across
47 villages, of which 1,417 are men and 107 are women.
In late 2016, Fairtrade Foundation raised funds through TRAID to
develop a three-year seed breeding programme for non-GM cotton
seeds. The project aims to benefit 1,500 farmer members of Vasudha and
will be extended to other producer organizations in the coming years.
Thanks to Fairtrade Premium funds, Vasudha has been able to invest
significantly in their members' businesses. The cooperative makes its
own chemical-free fungicides, insecticides and nutritional supplements
and sells to farmers at cost. They work with several technical experts to
provide periodical workshops and training camps on different topics to
improve quality and productivity.
Vasudha has also used the Fairtrade Premium to benefit the local
communities. Projects include the establishment of a skills development
centre for women where they learn stitching and tailoring to supplement
their income and efforts are being made to enrol all the girls in the
community in the local schools.
The cooperative was even able to use Premium funds to build a school
for the children of local farmers. Today, over 450 students attend the
school, which offers education up to twelfth grade. Vasudha also
invested in school buses so that now students from 80 villages can
attend the school. They aim to build a college in the coming years.
"With great courage and determination, we are on the way to
achieving our vision for better farming."
says Avinash Karmarkar, the Vice-President of Vasudha.
"We have raised the bar for sustainable agriculture and won't
stop there. Abiding by the Fairtrade Standards, we have many
exciting plans."
Vasudha is an example of Fairtrade supporting the empowerment of
farmers in taking control of their future.
Fairtrade Monitoring Report 9th Edition (2018), Fairtrade International