Women Empowerment and Sustainable Farming: FPO Dharampur Prepares Vermicompost in Samoud and Khonod.
Shimla:
The Women members of the Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) from Dharampur have successfully produced vermicompost (earthworm manure) in Samoud and Khonod in Mandi district. In the second phase of this initiative, large-scale compost production has begun at the Nald-Longni Gaushala. The FPO and the Gaushala committee are working together to manufacture vermicompost.
FPO Dharampur, with the objective of promoting organic and natural farming while minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers, has prepared vermicompost for local farmers and gardeners. Agricultural scientist Dr. Kuldeep Guleria, who is also the FPO’s program secretary, provided training to women members in Samoud and Khonod over the past two and a half months. Using a simple and cost-effective method, they have successfully produced earthworm manure.
FPO President Satpal Singh Chauhan and Secretary Bhupender Singh explained that this initiative aims to strengthen organic farming and horticulture. Dr. Guleria’s technique involves layering cow or buffalo dung on plastic tarps, adding earthworms, Trichoderma fungi, and neem cake. In 60 to 70 days, this mixture turns into high-quality compost. The result has been the production of around ten quintals of vermicompost in the two villages.
The FPO is set to launch the product under the “Pahadi Ratna” brand on March 21, with packaging in 5, 10, 20, and 40-kilogram bags. This will be launched by Bhupender Mandavi, Regional Manager of the National Cooperative Development Corporation, from the Bihari office.
Dr. Guleria mentioned that the FPO has designed various packaging sizes to cater to different needs, from home gardening to larger farm applications. Due to the high demand, the FPO has teamed up with the Nald-Longni Gaushala’s management committee to produce vermicompost on a larger scale. A meeting was held with several committee members, including Baba Tillu Ram and D.M. Hans Raj, to discuss the commercial production of the compost.
Additionally, FPO plans to conduct training sessions and market the product to benefit rural women and farmers. The training in Nald and Samoud has been organized by Dr. Kuldeep Guleria and Khimraj Saklani, in collaboration with local leaders like Baba Tillu. The FPO will source cow dung from the Gaushala and produce the compost there, with plans for packaging and marketing.
Dr. Guleria highlighted the growing demand for vermicompost in the Shiva Project’s horticulture clusters in Dharampur and other surrounding areas. As a result, the FPO plans to scale up production in the upcoming financial year, providing training to both men and women at the village level to meet this demand.
With the involvement of several experts offering free advice through the FPO, this project has the potential to become a model for sustainable farming and rural development. It is expected to play a significant role in empowering women economically and fostering self-reliance in the region.
