Ignorance is not bliss.....

Ignorance is not bliss....

A morsel of rice in our hands goes into our mouth in seconds and is swallowed in minutes. Women toil for hours and days in the slush on fields to produce those grains. Most of us passing through villages often see women standing in the fields and working in them even during rains. They exuberate the joy of production despite the harsh conditions under which they work. How many of us are aware of their hardships?
Till the last week , I too was ignorant about the efforts put in by women on the fields to ensure our taste buds are satiated. Neither was I aware of the discomfort of standing in the slush of the rice fields.
Our State Mission Manager, Yogesh Bhamre, organised a field visit to village Lalthane in Safale block of Palghar district for observing and participating in rice plantation using the SRI technique as well plantation using the power tiller.
The drive amongst the greenery of hills covered with freshly washed leaves was energising. Streams of waters flowed from the hills, the air was crisp with coolness of the breeze.
I arrived at the village with happy thoughts of being able to interact with the women. Meeting them is a learning for me always. Their dedication, devotion, time management skills fascinate me.
I first visited the field of Hemangi Hemant Patil who had already planted rice in 2.5 acres of land using the SRI technique. She was very excited and happy to share that the use of SRI technique made her life easy. The plantation was systematic and had helped her to increase her yield. This was the second year when she used the technique. Being a community resource person she personally experimented on it and now propagates it. Her extended family too uses SRI technique now.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a method of rice cultivation which increases the yield of rice produced in farming. It emphasises on use of single seedling , spacing it with the support of rope. It uses less water, is labor-intensive, and is a method that uses younger seedlings. It reduces cost of production and leads to increase in income.
The benefits of SRI include higher yield, lesser chemicals, larger grain.
The main Advantage of SRI is that it requires less seed for sowing that is 3 kg seed per acre in contrast to traditional method which uses 30 to 40 kg seeds per acre .The transplanting can be completed in 10 to 15 days. The spacing between two rows of plantation is 25 × 25 Cm . Since single seedlings are transplanted , less labour is required, also the per plant tillers (Phutavey) ranges from 20 to 35 . The grain weight is more and leads to increse in yield from 57 % to 80 % in some cases more than double produce is possible.
Equipped with all this knowledge, I felt sufficiently inspired to participate in the actual plantation. I rolled my leggings to step into the field not knowing what was in store for me.
My first step into the muddy slush betrayed my unsuspecting confidence. I felt unstable as I put my second step. Taking the next one was even more cumbersome. Then began the master class for plantation of rice using the SRI technique. The Community resource person educated us  on the use of rope and line technique. Soon we all learnt to manage the plantation deftly. Those 20 minutes in the slush were an eye opener for me. The women normally had to stand in this slush for hours on days which were a minimum of 21 in most seasons.
Yet, Pranaali Prakash Patil, the owner of the land was happy with SRI as it would help her to increase yield with lower inputs. I came out of the slush richer in experience with empathy for the women who withstood all storms and worked in the slush to ensure we had better food to eat.
Technology is always fascinating. I have driven cars, jeeps and even an autorickshaw, but embarking on a Paddy Transplanter was something different.
A paddy transplanter is power driven and is used to transplant rice seedlings on to a paddy field. It can usually transplant six lines in one round.
A paddy transplanter comprises of a seedling tray on which cakes of rice plants are kept. The tray plants single seedlings into the land exactly the way in which we did using our hands and fingers. Only that it was faster and more organised. And the whole field could be done in a couple of hours.
However transplanters are expensive and can be hired from the tool banks of the SHGs which become an additional source of income for the SHGs. These mundane thoughts were distant as I sat on the paddy transplanter to enable facilitation. The initial jerks smoothened to joy and excitement of driving a new type of vehicle.
The advantages of using a Paddy Transplanter are many. Compared to the traditional method they use lesser seeds per acre. That is just 10 to 12 kg seed per acre instead of the usual 30 to 40 kg per acre. This reduces the cost . The per acre transplantation cost is just Rs.2500 against the traditional cost of Rs.8000 to 10000 per acre. Most importantly the per acre transplantation time is just 2.5 hrs only and the increase in yield is more than 50 %. The cost per acre is also attractive at Rs. 750 per acre.
Both SRI technique and use of paddy transplanters have led to a per acre profit of Rs. 14000 to 18000 and around Rs.16000 to 18000 per acre respectively.
The transplanter belonged to Gauri Gram Sangh. It was a part of the tool bank which included a mini tractor, thresher, reaper and power tiller. Their optimal use could enable the SHGs to earn Rs.7.45 lakhs for the SHG. However they had to learn the ropes of the business with smart marketing,and efficient hiring charges.
Additionally, the Vanrai SHG ran a vegetable collection centre and a jute bag making unit also.
NRLM envisages a basket of livelihoods to overcome poverty and the Lalthane village was on it's way to achieving that objective.
That the village had no electricity last 3 days did not matter to them as they positively surged forward in their activities with a smile.
As for me, I realised ignorance is not bliss. Had I not stepped in to the slush, I would never have known about the efforts of women as farmers and entrepreneurs, and about their growth and development. If only each one of us went through this experience, we would not only learn to respect the women in our life but also learn to respect and value the food we eat.