Swarnalata Sahu, Who Taught Odisha's Women Farmers How Climate Action Begins From Paddy Fields

ETVBHARAT

Once shattered after losing her husband, the climate champion from Ganjam now cycles between villages, guiding women on climate-friendly farming and leading a change.

Transcript

00:00In Brajesh Penta village of Odisha's Ganjam district, a quiet revolution is underway.

00:24At its heart is Swarnalata Sahu, a woman in her early 40s clad in a simple salwar kameez,

00:32whose calm voice now carries the weight of change.

00:37She is a climate champion, guiding farmers through the system of rice intensification

00:43or SRI, an agro-ecological method that uses fewer seeds, less water and minimal chemical

00:51inputs, yet delivers better yields.

01:15In a village of 148 households, her influence has grown.

01:20About 20 women farmers have adopted the SRI method, refusing to remain just helping hands

01:26in agriculture.

01:33In a village of 148 households, a lot of people have decided that the SRI should be able to

01:41make a small amount of water and a small amount of water and a small amount of water.

01:48One of the first to follow her was Naini Pradhan, a farmer.

02:14Others soon echoed the same.

02:40Farmers say fewer seeds are now yielding more paddy.

02:46Swarnalata's journey here was born of loss.

02:49Widowed in 2023, she returned to her in-laws' village with her two young daughters.

02:55She joined ECRICC as a climate champion, an initiative-supporting

03:01young daughter.

03:02She joined ECRICC as a climate champion, an initiative supported by the UNDP and the government

03:18of Odisha.

03:19Today, she cycles from one village to another, helping more than 150 farmers embrace climate-friendly cultivation.

03:36She was born of the U.S.

03:54The project is now on the road.

03:56The first project is in the road.

03:58The project is in the road.

04:00In fact, it is a project for two years.

04:04The project is a livelihood.

04:08The system of price intensification is very similar.

04:12We have already 3000 per hectare.

04:16We have a marginal, small,

04:20The state, too, sees Swarnalata's work as crucial.

04:32Prem Kumar Jha, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and State Project Director EC RICC

04:39says our climate champions are the vital bridge between knowledge and action.

04:45They tirelessly guide farmers through SRI step by step.

04:49This hands-on mentorship is our project's greatest strength.

04:57For Swarnalata, the change is deeply personal.

05:00Her story and those of hundreds of other climate champions across Odisha is a reminder that

05:06resilience is not only about surviving the storms but about sowing seeds for a greener

05:12future.

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