E-Paper
Pune-based NGO wins Local Adaptation Champions Award at COP27 climate summit
Swayam Shikshan Prayog won the award in the ‘capacity and knowledge’ category for the work in supporting women farmers to adopt more resilient and sustainable agricultural practices in Marathwada in Maharashtra
City-based non-government organisation (NGO) Swayam Shikshan Prayog received the Local Adaptation Champions Award organised by the Global Centre on Adaptation, at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on November 12 this year. The award constitutes 15,000 euros as cash, certificate and memento.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog won the award in the ‘capacity and knowledge’ category for the work in supporting women farmers to adopt more resilient and sustainable agricultural practices in Marathwada in Maharashtra, where a focus on water-intensive cash crops currently leaves farmers exposed to climate shocks such as poor and uncertain monsoon seasons.
The NGO founded by the late Prema Gopalan worked mostly with the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, Tamil Nadu tsunami in 2004, floods in Bihar in 2007 and Kerala in 2018 and is working extensively in three states Kerala, Bihar and Maharashtra.
“The award gives recognition to the women farmers and helps to get more adopters of the women-led climate resilient farming model. The women-led model, climate-resilient farming model or often known as the one-acre model helps farmers to transition from cash crops to food crops, as well as organic farming practices to create a diverse and resilient livelihood,” said Upamanyu Patil, director of programmes for Swayam Shikshan Prayog organisation.
Till now, the NGO has trained 3,00,000 rural women from across India to adapt to climate change with this model which is being implemented in eight districts in Maharashtra (Osmanabad, Solapur, Latur, Landed, Washim, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar and Jalna).
“We trained the women to become farmers and entrepreneurs, enabling them to become financially independent and rise above the adversity and loss they’d encountered. With this award, we would like to expand our scope and see if we can get more women involved,” added Patil.
