A Monsoon Dialogue of Women Farmers: Seeds, Soil and Solidarity

A monsoon gathering in Panna brought together Gond women farmer-foragers, to talk about what matters to them the most- their land, forest, and their future. 

Women shared recurring challenges: fallow lands given as compensation, crop damages due to wildlife attacks, low and erratic rainfall, no tenurial rights for women, widows seeking land mutation, women's poor access to farm schemes, and most of all, pending CFR and IFR claims and restrictions in their forest. 

Their dialogue explored ways to centre their work as farmers and foragers, how to read not only land documents but also the changes in their soil. They discussed exchanging skills in improving soil health, natural farming, composting and manures, how to prepare Beejamrit and Jeevamrit, and many more strategies from memory of their landscape. While distress is serious, women's collective agency and their monsoon dancing gave new hope and ideas. 

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