Self Reliance Through Vermi Composting

An Inspirational Journey of Babita: Self-reliance Through Vermi-Composting

Backdrop

Babita is an ordinary lady of Lalpur village whose life until recent was crippled with household responsibility and socio-economic challenges. A near total dependency on farming activities made it difficult for Babit to balance the daily expenses while the income came only periodically. This situation many a times made Babita think if she would see the light someday and fulfil her and family’s dream.

Now this is the story of almost every women in that village who persistently reel under the economic backwardness and social boundaries.

The Wind of Change

The life gives opportunities time to time but it’s in our hands to grab that chance and improve our life. In 2024 Babita came in contact with FORCE when it was working on Water and WASH project in Nandgaon Block of Mathura funded by PepsiCo India. FORCE was trying to find a win-win situation for the women through self-help groups engaging them to activities that can make them self-reliant though activities that would fit into the broader theme of WASH.

This was when FORCE organized a training programme on vermi-compost; of about 50 women Babita was one. The training immediately struck Babita’s mind as she already thought of the four buffaloes at her home and a huge amount of dung produced through them on a daily basis.

The training changed the direction of her life.

Training Made Her Self-Confident 

FORCE designed this training on vermi-composting that serves two purpose – one to make the women in village self-reliant through house-based activities and two – the compost would be sold to the farmers and slowly build a base for bio-input revolution in farming that would make our food nutritious and poison free by slowly replacing chemical inputs. In the long run it will improve soil fertility and ecosystem.

Since then Babita along with her friends have attended two more trainings. Over hundred such women have already taken training on compost making.

Babita has taken this business seriously and has invested her spare time to convert waste to wealth. The initial stages were tough as there were resistance from family but eventually they became supportive to her new venture.

Today’s Babita

A Successful Entrepreneur:

• She has four vermi compost units that is able to produce 5 kg vermi compost on a daily basis
• Local farmers purchase this compost from her
• She is able to generate a revenue of 5-8 thousand every month – and increasing
• Now she is also able to sell earth worms @200 per kg

A trainer herself:  

• Babita is now a trainer for the other women; she has already provided two trainings – one for women at Greater NOIDA and one for women of Hathras. Altogether about 60 women attended these training.

 Social Impact

• Women nearby take her as source of inspiration
• The agriculture nearby is slowly turning towards bio-farming
• FORCE is assisting in increasing the compost demand in urban pockets
• Enhanced economic awareness, confidence and self-reliance among women

In Her Own Words

• “I used to think women are made to do only household work and support family but after getting in touch with PepsiCo & FORCE has changed my thinking. I know for sure women can achieve anything – only that the poor rural women need some initial push and support”