Here’s about Kashmir’s Asiya Begum: A Woman’s Courage and Determination in Farming
Asiya, in her big way, starts to try to recover from her initial setback after a loss. Asiya lost her first husband in 2015 fighting an armed threat to him, a union hardly lasting a year. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed their house, leading Asiya with nothing and uncertain about the future. Young widows attract social isolation leading to everyone believing her life has come to an end.
Asiya bucked against such narrative. Her father stood by her when he did not object to her moving.
Farmers Without Land
Because she didn’t have any farmland in her possession, it became necessary for Asiya to find work. She first laid the groundwork for her home-based business by preparing a small space within a small room to work on her mushroom production. The use of her mushroom compost served as her foundation for vegetable farming up on her roof.
Plus the mushrooms in the corner of the room provided excellent garden compost. Once the initial concept took root, various types of vegetables, including spinach and tomatoes, chillies and beans, brinjal and carrots, and so on, kept growing here and continuing into the present day. This initially began as a means of survival and transformed into a full-fledged business operation.
With 375 square feet (approximately) on the roof, Asiya utilized 15×25 square feet for vegetable farming throughout the year. Monthly mushroom harvesting results in 50 to 60 kilograms. Seal-goods, in the form of vegetables, are tough selling. The monthly average revenue from fresh vegetables, seedlings, mushrooms, and organic spices may be up to ₹35,000 to ₹40,000.
She raises high-quality food that is sold to the markets by the end customers-the villagers point out that people come from distant towns to buy the produce from her farm.
Empowering Other Women
Asiya has been very successful in finding motivation among women in the local community towards the pursuit of their individual objectives. Every student with which she has had cabin-related activity or enterprise development whose names are in Adil’s record is in this report. The organization helps women farmers with the kind of work that allows credence to them to sell products to their direct customers.
Her journey was made interesting as she secured her financial independence while she worked on leadership traits and building self-esteem.
Conclusion: Because of Asiya Begum’s success, she has become one of the sought-after women who could provide instruction in mushroom production and rooftop agriculture, especially to students who need her mentorship on skills for small projects. Sponsored by the institution, women farmers can directly market their supply to customers.
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