Two sangham farmers and community media trust filmmakers along with DDS staff proudly participated in the Second National Women Farmers’ Convention organized by Mahila Kisam Aadhikar Manch (MAKAAM) at Savitribai Phule University, Pune, Maharashtra during 7th to 9th May, 2025. On Day 1, DDS women sang a song together on women’s agriculture titled ‘Aadolla Bhoomulla’ which was about the relationship between food crops and well-being.
On Day 2, Ms N Narsamma participated in a parallel session ‘Seed Sovereignty and Diversity.’ where she shared her experiences of the Sangham Seed Bank. “Our traditional methods are very rich in diversity. Different seed varieties have different methods of preserving them. For instance, Pulses that are more delicate are stored along with foxtail millet which makes it difficult for pests to move because they are small grains. Oilseeds are not stored in baskets but in hard clay pots because they attract rats. Similarly, paddy varieties are saved with nirgundi leaves that repel weevils.There is a lot of nuance in seed preservation techniques of community seed banks.”
Ms T Sunitha, farmer from Bilalpur, participated in a parallel session ‘Gender Transformative Agroecology’ where she shared her experiences in organic farming “This year’s pigeonpea crop got infested with pests. My neighbours who grew mono crops for three acres applied different pesticides they bought from the market and spent so much money. I mixed jaggery with water and sprayed it on crops. It attracted many ants that predated on the pests. It did not cost me much money at all. The yield in my one acre was more than the yield in 3 acres of my neighbour’s farm.”
On Day 3, B. Kamlamma participated as a speaker in a plenary session titled ‘Feminist Approaches to Agroecology: Perspectives and Strategies’. As a senior sangam karyakartha, she shared her experiences with feminist organizing for mixed cultivation of food crops. “Men questioned and sneered at us when we formed sanghams and discussed growing multiple food crops. But we argued with them and were determined to show our strength. We argued about the benefits of food crops for our farms and households. We also succeeded in achieving seed sovereignty for our sanghams.” Her full speech can be viewed here.