Soil health & cost reduction
Small and marginal farmers in watershed project areas learned to produce their own organic manure — reducing chemical fertilizer dependency, cutting input costs and improving soil health sustainably.
Vermi-composting and organic farming training
A Coodu Trust initiative that trained agriculturists, farmers and rural women in vermiculture and organic farming across Karur, Dindigul and Trichy districts of Tamil Nadu.
244
Women trained, 2004–05
2
Implementation phases
2003–2005
Implementation period
The project
What this project set out to do
Project mission
Promoting sustainable agricultural practices through hands-on training in vermiculture and organic farming techniques to enhance soil fertility, reduce chemical dependency, and create income opportunities for rural communities.
Delivered by Coodu Trust from 2003 to 2005 in two phases, the programme gave hands-on training in the scientific process of vermiculture and vermicompost application across Karur, Dindigul and Trichy districts — Phase 1 (2003–2004) working in Karur and Dindigul, and Phase 2 (2004–2005) in Trichy and Karur under IWDP and DPAP.
Training reached the people best placed to change farming practice on the ground: agriculturists and farmers in watersheds in 2003–2004, and rural women in the year that followed. In 2004–2005, 244 women completed the training.
The initiative was strategically integrated into Coodu Trust’s broader watershed development and women’s empowerment programmes — promoting vermi-composting as both a sustainable farming practice and an income-generation opportunity.
- Vermi-composting
- Organic farming
- Women’s SHGs
- Small & marginal farmers
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Chemical dependency draining farm incomes and soils
Small and marginal farmers who rely on purchased chemical fertilizers face rising input costs while their soil health steadily declines.
Our response
Farmers producing their own organic manure
Hands-on training in vermiculture — site selection for vermi-beds, waste handling and compost preparation — so farmers in watershed project areas cut input costs and rebuild soil fertility.
The challenge
Rural women with few routes to independent income
Women in rural farming communities often lack a marketable skill that can be turned into a sustainable enterprise of their own.
Our response
244 women skilled for enterprise
In 2004–2005, 244 women in Trichy and Karur learned to enhance soil fertility and raise crop yields through organic measures — a skill they could also turn into an enterprise.
At a glance
The essentials
- Scheme
- IWDP & DPAP watershedsDelivered by Coodu Trust; the 2004–05 training ran under IWDP and DPAP, no separate funder named
- Period
- 2003–2005Phase 1: 2003–2004; Phase 2: 2004–2005
- Coverage
- Karur, Dindigul & TrichyRural farming areas within watershed project regions
- Beneficiaries
- 244 women trainedIn Trichy and Karur in 2004–2005; agriculturists & farmers also trained in 2003–2004 (numbers not stated)
- Part of
- Organic farming practicesSustainable agriculture sector; integrated with watershed development & women’s empowerment programmes
- Status
- Successfully completedBoth implementation phases delivered
Outcomes
What the project changed
Economic empowerment of women
Women were empowered to start vermi-composting enterprises, creating sustainable revenue streams and strengthening their economic independence — integrated with women’s empowerment initiatives.
A shift towards sustainable farming
A foundational step in promoting eco-friendly farming practices within project areas — aligning agricultural change with watershed development goals.
Get involved
Support sustainable farming
Help us train more farmers and women’s groups in organic practices that rebuild soils, cut input costs and create rural livelihoods across Tamil Nadu.