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G.K. Nair

KOCHI, Feb. 18

PUBLIC participation in rural planning has begun to pay dividends to small farmers in several villages of the State.

Under a system introduced by the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK), the public, Government officials, technical experts and the beneficiaries are brought to a common platform where all the issues related to vegetable and fruit cultivation are discussed and solutions found. The approach, known as `participatory rural appraisal', has proved a success in several centres.

The field officers of the council play the important role of educating the people about their responsibility. The farmers are given training by exchanging ideas and experiences and analysing them. Based on this concept, self-help groups (SHGs) are formed and they take up cultivation as per the guidelines of the council.

The SHGs, under the micro plan introduced by the Kerala Horticulture Development Programme (KHDP), have set up several experimental farms of vegetables, plantain and banana.

Selection of the crop is done depending upon the experience of the farmers in the area. For instance, in the initial stages of the introduction of the micro-plan in late 2000, Machamthodu in Palakkad district was selected where eight experimental farms of banana and vegetables were promoted.

The majority of members were farmers growing banana and hence six banana plantations were selected for exchange of ideas and experiences.

Through this method the farmers' practical knowledge is shared with others. And the available statistics had shown that if cultivated and managed scientifically, banana crop could be more profitable.

Once the SHGs have established their base, they are assisted in setting up marketing centres to sell their products.

The groups in one particular village jointly set up the sales centre at a central point. In some areas, the groups have been able to construct their own buildings, Mr K.R. Viswambharan, Managing Director, VFPCK, told Business Line. Recently, the SHG group at Elanji got their Samithi building inaugurated, he said.

Some groups have even distributed bonus to the members while some others have donated money for social service.

What is more important, says an official, is that such approach could bring together the people in the villages and help them understand one another and contribute jointly to the development of the area. As awareness about the schemes grows, more and more small farmers are coming forward to set up SHGs for the cultivation of vegetables and fruits.

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