Nibiya Begumpur, a village in Uttar Pradesh, is similar to many others in the region. However, a unique transformation has taken place over the past year that makes it stand out. Located about 100 kilometers from Lucknow, the state capital, this village hosts a center where local women are actively involved in producing, packaging, and selling biofertilizers, biopesticides, and bioinsecticides. The raw materials used, such as cow dung, neem leaves, and other herbs, are readily available in the area.
The products created by the women’s self-help group, Unnati Jaivik Ikai, have distinct names: Mrida Sanjeevani for the biofertilizer, Paudh Rakshak for the biopesticide, and GGOC Paste (ginger, garlic, onion, and chili paste) for the bioinsecticide.
This self-help group, consisting of 22 women, has successfully established two Bio-Input Resource Centers (BRC) in Bahraich district. The first center is in Nibiya Begumpur, located in the Risia block, while the second is situated 18 kilometers away in Bichhala village, Chittaura block.
Ram Pyari, a 42-year-old member of the self-help group from Nibiya Begumpur, expresses optimism about the venture’s early success. She shares, “The biofertilizer called Mrida Sanjeevani is gaining popularity among local farmers. This is just the beginning, and each of the 22 women members has been able to earn almost Rs 1,500 per month. We anticipate our earnings will increase in the future.”
In April 2022, Ram Pyari became the first woman in her village to visit Abhinav AHRDO, an organic farming consulting firm in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. This firm has collaborated with over 100,000 farmers across 500 villages. Ram Pyari went there to learn firsthand about making biofertilizers from cow dung. When she returned to her village, she shared her newfound knowledge with other women.
The founders of Abhinav AHRDO, Ravi Kelkar and Ajit Kelkar, also visited the villages to assist the women and provide technical guidance as they embarked on their organic farming venture. Over the past year, these women have been producing and supplying biofertilizers and biopesticides made from cow dung to local farmers. The Begumpur Bio-Input Resource Centre (BRC) is directly supplying its products to 3,000 farmers, while the second BRC unit in Bichhala serves another 3,000 farmers in the district.
Narendra Kumar, a farmer from Nibiya Begumpur village, was the first to use their products, and 50 more farmers in the area followed suit. According to Kumar, he has seen a significant increase in yield, producing five quintals of rice from his two acres compared to the previous two to two-and-a-half quintals before using biofertilizers. In approximately 15 months, the two BRC units have collectively sold biofertilizers, biopesticides, and bioinsecticides totaling Rs 3,30,000 to farmers.
The raw materials are readily available on-site
Describing the process of making the biofertilizer Mrida Sanjeevani, Suman Devi, a member of the self-help group from Bichhala village, explains that all they need are cows and their dung. Buffalo dung isn’t suitable for making fertilizers because it doesn’t benefit the soil as much as cow dung.
“Every woman in the group has a small rectangular pit beside her house where she gathers approximately 60 kilograms of cow dung. The dung is mixed with 200 grams of eggshells or lime, 200 grams of sand, and two sets of biodynamic preparation,” says Devi. Biodynamic preparations are organic products added to the soil to improve its fertility. The mixture is then left to decompose for three months before being dried.
The dried mixture is ready to be added to the soil in an agricultural field. “From approximately 60 kilograms of cow dung, we get 25 kilograms of manure,” Devi added.
Biopesticide Paudh Rakshak
The women in the self-help group also create a biopesticide called “Paudh Rakshak,” which is sold to farmers at Rs 99 per litre. This biopesticide comes in two types: seed extract and leaf extract. To make the seed extract, three kilograms of neem seeds, two kilograms of karanj seeds, and two kilograms of mahua seeds are ground and mixed. This powdery seed mixture is then soaked in five litres of cow urine (gaumutra) and 20 litres of water.
“The mixture needs to be stirred twice daily for the next 20 to 25 days. After that, strain the mixture and store it. It can be stored for six months,” explained a spokesperson from the Aga Khan Foundation, which supported the self-help group by providing financial assistance of Rs 14,00,000 for setting up the two Bio-Input Resource Center (BRC) units.
A 500-milliliter packet of biopesticide can be used by mixing it with 16 litres of water. The resulting Paudh Rakshak solution is then sprayed on an acre of crops. It is effective against thrips, suckers, red spiders, caterpillars, and fungal diseases. On the other hand, the leaf extract biopesticide is made using leaves of neem, karanj, datura, madaar, nirguni, ratan jot, and besharam. These leaves are soaked in cow urine and mixed with 500 grams of mahua fruit and 12 litres of water.
Bioinsecticide GGOC Paste
The bioinsecticide is known as GGOC paste, made with a blend of ginger, garlic, onion, and chillies. The women prepare a paste by combining a kilo of green chillies or half a kilo of red chillies, along with 500 grams each of ginger, onion, and garlic. They then mix this paste with about eight litres of water. After letting it soak in warm water for 12 hours, the mixture is strained.
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The resulting liquid can be used to eliminate insects on an acre of land. It remains effective for three months, after which its potency diminishes. Another product, called compound pest and disease controller, can be created by combining leaf extract, seed extract, and GGOC paste in a ratio of 4:2:2, as explained by the Aga Khan Foundation spokesperson.
A liter of this liquid can be applied to an acre of land to safeguard the crops from pests, diseases, and insects.
Enhanced earnings for rural women, improved yields for farmers
For the farmers in Nibiya Begumpur and Bichhala villages, using the products crafted by the women of Unnati Jaivik Ikai has been a positive experience. It saves them the time needed to create the mixture themselves or acquire it from distant places. Azhar Husain, president of the Unnat Sechai Solar Vikas Samiti, shared, “There are fewer pests, and the soil quality is improving.” Husain leads a group of 70 farmers with small land holdings (less than 1 acre) who have come together to practice solar-powered irrigation in Bahraich.
The farmers purchase the biofertilizer at Rs 99 per kilogram. However, the women provide discounts to those who bring their containers, reducing the use of plastic containers. For these farmers, the biofertilizer is sold at Rs 60 per kilogram. The enterprise in her village has been a blessing for Munnaka Devi. The 55-year-old, who lost her husband 10 years ago and later her only son, had to resort to begging to provide for her 28-year-old daughter-in-law Sughri Devi and her two grandchildren.
“With the support of the self-help group (SHG) and the village, they can gather the needed amount of cow dung. Both Munakka Devi and her daughter-in-law, as SHG members, learned to create biofertilizers. Now, they are earning some money and gaining respect,” stated Ram Pyari, the leader of the self-help group.
These two centers bring additional benefits. When organic matter is used to produce biopesticides, biofertilizers, and bioinsecticides, it generates methane, commonly known as biogas. The women in the self-help group use this biogas for cooking.
The biogas is stored in containers connected to decomposition pits through pipes. These pipes transfer the gas for cooking food, replacing the need for firewood or cow dung cakes. This not only reduces indoor air pollution but also promotes sustainable energy practices. In Nibiya Begumpur village, 10 houses have also set up biogas units for cooking, providing a smokeless, cost-free cooking facility.
All that is needed is some additional land to construct the biogas unit. Ram Pyari expressed, “If we can make biofertilizers, we can easily manage the biogas unit too.”
