The State Forest Department has implemented various schemes of nursery rearing for women from farming families to accelerate the rearing of seedlings by women through the Social Forestry Department.
Under this, the Department of Social Forestry, Vadodara has raised 19.20 lakh saplings from 99 women in the Vadodara district and 8.70 lakh saplings from 53 women in the Chhotaudepur district under various schemes during the last three years. It is under the approach of decentralized Kisan Nursery in the form of tangible contribution in women empowerment. It has made a unique contribution to women’s empowerment by providing complementary employment to individual beneficiary women and members of women’s groups.
Expressing the feeling that the women involved in the operation of the nursery have proved that they can raise seedlings just like a child, Kartik Maharaja, Deputy Forest Conservator, Social Forestry Department, Vadodara, said that community forestry project under decentralized nursery rearing approach (CFP), Scheduled Caste Special Nursery Project (SCP) and Scheduled Caste Women Self Help Group (SHG / SC Group), different types of seedlings are raised which give them additional supplementary employment and economic strength.
Under these schemes, the women of the farming families who applied for it are allotted nurseries of 5 to 25 thousand seedlings depending on the availability of land and water.
Foresters and guards of the forest department provide these women with the necessary technical guidance and on which species to transplant according to local demand so that it can be done successfully.
Starting a nursery, raising seedlings according to the target and species, and distributing them to the people before the monsoon, the amount of assistance fixed in three installments is paid by the Forest Department to the beneficiary women. People have to distribute the seedlings free of cost. But even after distribution, if the seedlings left with them then they were allowed to sell to those who need private planting and earn extra income.
The social forestry department of the state uses the powers of women for the creation of green Gujarat, cultivates seedlings, and gives them an opportunity to earn extra income. This initiative of women empowerment is worth noting.
