Kerala Women Farmers Transform Village Into Flowerbed To Earn Livelihood During Lockdown

Every nook and corner of Chennam Pallippuram gram panchayat in Kerala's Alappuzha district is blooming with flowers— thanks to the women of the village who had turned to flower farming during the lockdown.

Under the state government's Subhiksha Kerala Project, launched to fight food scarcity and convert uncultivated lands into farms, the beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are being engaged for the farming work. Over 85 acres of land across 17 wards are now being used to cultivate flowers by women, according to a report by The Times of India.

Panchayat President TS Sudheesh highlighted that the initiative has provided employment opportunities for as many as 340 women besides enhancing the aesthetic beauty of the village.

"In each ward, the panchayat has set up a 20 member team of women for the cultivation," said Sudheesh.

He further added that due to temple rituals and functions like weddings, there is a good demand for flowers and the residents are getting good returns.

The publication reported that the panchayat authorities are planning to expand the initiative to include vegetable cultivation.

"As our flower cultivation is a big success, more women want to do it. So, in the second phase, we will do vegetable cultivation on a large-scale along with flower farming. At present, a woman gets ₹300 a day after spending just a few hours in the fields," he added.

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