Nutri Champions and Convergence in MSRLM.....

Nutri Champions and Convergence in MSRLM.....

Hippocrates the father of medicine has said, ^Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. " This philosophy was largely neglected by many people as a result humans became more dependent on medicines than food. However times have changed and we have fully realised that even in this high-tech world, the low-tech plants are the key to nutrition and heath. Delightfully ,health, nutrition and sanitation is one of the cardinal principles which the self help groups of Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission practice. 
Three years back during the visit of the world bank team to the tribal district of Palghar in Maharashtra it was observed that though families were practicing sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry their diet was not wholesome. While going to their fields they carried nothing more than bhaakri or roti with pickle or chutney and their dinner would be limited to just daal and rice. Their diet was devoid of the five vital nutrients required by the human body for sustenance and well-being.
On the one hand they could not afford to buy vegetables and on the other they had to spend a lot of their income on healthcare facilities.
The propagation of the nutri garden model by MSRLM was an ideal solution to combat both the problems. 
Of course putting it into action required a lot of efforts beginning with awareness and also a change in mind set. This was made possible by our dedicated team specially the Community Training Consultants ( CTCs ) and the Community Resource persons ( CRPs). 
In times of Covid 19 too they stepped forward to spread awareness against the disease, encourage hand wash, use of face masks and social distancing. They also reached out to the vulnerable families by using the vulnerability reduction fund to distribute food grains and daily needs.
Perhaps for the first time the community also realised the value of nutri gardens promoted by the CTCs as also their counseling. This was evident during the experience sharing by five CTCs during our recent online conference.
Vaishnavi Kiran More, CTC from Chiplun in Ratnagiri emphasized how nutri gardens have transformed their lives as they consume 15 to 20 varieties of green and leafy vegetables and have also earned an income from selling them. It is a matter of great pride that her customer list includes members of the Panchayat Samiti and the Block Development Officer.
Manisha There from Pombhurna in Chandrapur ensured a regular supply of food grains in the community by supporting the most vulnerable through the Vulnerability Reduction Fund.
Sneha Dinesh Ghonmode from Karanja in Wardha had always dreamt of being an ideal teacher. This materialized when she became a CTC. She derives so much pleasure from her work as it has not only helped her to bond with the community but also come closer to it. Being in the village she was more accessible than the other service providers also her personal touch helped. Besides programmes like Mission Samriddhi helped them in procurement of good quality seeds. She encouraged smaller nutri gardens when one did not have space so that they could get at least 7 to 8 vegetables. She felt the nutri gardens have been a boon during Covid 19 when earnings were low and they could not buy vegetables. She also ensured that those coming from outside into their villages got quarantined. She facilitated the delivery of a pregnant woman through internal funding by arranging meetings of SHGs with social distancing.
Aparna Dnyaneshwar Deshmukh from Madha in Solapur ensured that vaccinations were administered to children during the pandemic and organized blood donation camps. She also encouraged vermi compost and nadep compost and facilitated sale of organic mangoes online. However her ingenuity was in making barfis- sweetmeats out of an excess harvest in beetoot which she marketed successfully emphasizing its nutritive value. She encouraged breast feeding and conduct of village nutrition day. She made innovative preparations like upma, laddoos, chaklis from the take home ration which people normally found insipid. She encouraged gifting of fruits instead of clothes. at baby showers
Archana Mane of Bhum in Osmanabad district said initially ladies were not willing to listen to her . The onset of Covid 19 made them realise that her efforts in propagating nutri gardens, menstrual hygeine, use of incinerators for handling menstrual waste .
The three years of dedication on the road to nutrition has thrown up many more surprises including the nutri enterprises with cookies made of Ragi, Jowar and Bajra, papaya jam, pomegranate juice etc.
The energtic narratives by the CTCs reinforced the fact that nutri gardens stand out as model where the approach has been from bottom–to–top making it acceptable and more viable.
Nutri-Gardens have currently been developed by our 1111 trained cadre  in more than 10000 villages, across 301 blocks covering 27 districts with 242 Block level demonstration plots , 4856 Community Nutri gardens and 55865 Individual Nutri Gardens. 
This program is an exemplary model of community-driven and demand driven service created by MSRLM and has been of great help in transforming lives.