The Millet Network of India supports millet farmers. It was created by one hundred women who realised the qualities of the traditional crop. [1] The group have helped village farmers to grow millet with low water usage and organic fertiliser while highlighting the injustice of government subsidies which encourage competitor crops like rice. It has received both the Nari Shakti Puraskar and the Equator Award.
Millet is a traditional grain in India and the Millet Network of India promotes it because the crop will grow with less water than other crops. This is particularly apparent when it is compared with rice which enjoys a subsidy in India. Millet will grow on poor soil, it suffers from few diseases and the harvested crop can be kept for a long time. [2] Millet can be fed with natural fertilisers, but not many farmers still grow it, stopping because there is little demand. White rice is more popular and rice growing attracts a government subsidy. [2]
In 2016, the network was campaigning and lobbying government to get millet recognised by legislation which currently excludes it. They wanted the National Food Security Act amended so that millet would be included in the subsidised food that is made available to the poor. The month long campaign was designed to end on World Food Day. [3]
By 2018, the network had 5,000 members [1] and Moghulamma received the Nari Shakti Puraskar on behalf of the network on International Women's Day in 2018. [4] This is the highest civilian honour for women, given for an outstanding contribution to women's empowerment and presented by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind on 8 March 2018. The network was one of 39 recipients from all over India. [5] Moghulamma, who collected the award, was aged 36 and had become a full time farmer after her husband and his mother died. It was her mother-in-law who had got her involved with the Millet Network and she has gained attention for her success at organically growing millet. The network supplies advice on pest control and the organic use of vermicompost, manure and panchgavya. In 2019 she went to New York to receive the Equator Award from UNESCO. [6]
Manjakkudi is a village on the banks of Kaveri river in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comes under the Kudavasal Taluk.
The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian honour for women in India, and is presented by the president of India on International Women's Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The award was instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar, renamed and reorganised in 2015. It is awarded in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of 200,000 and 100,000 rupees, respectively.
Bina Devi is an Indian leader who became known for inspiring women to become businesswoman through mushroom cultivation. Nicknamed 'Mushroom Mahila' for popularising mushroom cultivation, Bina Devi gained respect and became the Sarpanch of Dhauri Panchayat, Tetiabamber block for five years. She has trained farmers on mushroom and organic farming, vermicompost production and organic insecticide preparation.
Nilza Wangmo is an Indian restaurant owner and an enthusiast for the local food of the Ladakh region of northern India. Her work in 2019 was recognised with the highest award for women in India – Nari Shakti Puraskar.
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Sheela Balaji leads the Indian educational nonprofit organization (NGO) AIM For Seva. She is known for preservation of rice varieties, starting with four varieties and now having thirty. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar for her work and leads one of the largest organisations offering free education in India. She hails from the powerful family behind the TVS group and is the grand-daughter of T. V. Sundram Iyengar.
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Anita Gupta is an Indian social entrepreneur, organic farmer and tribal activist. She has arranged training for more than 50,000 rural women.
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Sabarmatee Tiki is an Indian conservationist and farmer living near to Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha. With her father she runs a non-governmental organization called Sambhav which promotes organic farming and runs seed swaps. The achievements of Tiki were recognised in 2018, when she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar and in 2020 with the Padma Shri.