Mailam Women Farmers Receive ‘Farmers Integrated Hand Book

March 2018: MSSRF facilitated 200 women farmers in Mailam block, Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu in receiving the ‘Farmers Integrated Hand Book (FIHB)’ or ‘Vivasayigalin Orunginaintha Kaiyedu’ in January 2018. The FIHB, valid for three years, is mandatory, to receive entitlements and technical assistance from the Department of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu. It was introduced with an objective of promoting farm-specific crop plans based on soil test results, recommendation of crop specific inputs as well as to appraise the farmers on different schemes. The FIHB is supportive to women farmers in accessing the government schemes without land title deed in their name (which is generally used as a farmer’s identity document).The intervention started in Mailam block, on improved farming practices in pulses under demonstrations, as part of National Food Security Mission scheme. It was facilitated by MSSRF through Nallavur Farmer Producer Company (NAFPCL) which benefited 200 women farmers in accessing support to the tune of Rs 14.85 Lakhs. The NAFPCL, a farmer collective will work with its shareholders to operationalise the objectives of FIHB in the field.