KOZHIKODE: Plagued as they are by low education levels and decreasing employment opportunities in the agriculture sector in Wayanad district, scores of women now find sustenance through self-help groups in Kaniyambetta grama panchayat.

The women have been managing with a great deal of success, self-employment ventures in mushroom cultivation, goat and cow rearing, readymade garment -making and through small loans for vegetable cultivation.

Of the more than 400-odd SHGs that have registered under the Rural Agency for Social and Technological Advancement (RASTA), an NGO based at Kambalakkad in Kaniyambetta grama panchayat, as many as 100-odd groups operate profitable self-employment ventures.

Mobilisation

The RASTA has been mobilising the women in the below poverty line (BPL) from the tribal and minority community, with the basic objective of development through self-employment besides creating awareness on larger social issues, empowerment and economic independence.

Set up in 1984, the RASTA has been addressing the problems of women from the lower echelons of society, with the aim to uplift their status, says T.K. Omana, Director, RASTA.

The tribal communities among whom the RASTA has been working comprise Kurichiars, Kurumas, Katunayakas and Paniyas.

The SHGs set up comprise five as well as 10-member groups, depending on the availability of funds.

"The most viable SHG initiatives are those engaged in goat and cow rearing. The sale of milk and manure is found to be highly feasible.

Mushroom cultivation

In the case of mushroom cultivation too, a ready local market exists. In fact, the SHGs are not in a position to meet the demands of households and restaurants for mushroom," Ms. Omana says.

SHGs manufacturing readymade garments, herbal preparations and traditional delicacies are also faring well.

The women also take up vegetable gardening, betel vine cultivation and grain milling with small business loans from banks.

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