Every year Bibari's women farmers group produces 30 kg black pepper in their home kitchen backyards. Pepper harvest is collected in January, when it is naturally ripened on the vines of pepper. Thereafter, greenish-black pepper in its raw form is shade dried. Black Pepper is manually cleaned by the women's group.
Before black pepper, the women's farmer group bought an auto and made their income through auto rides for 10 years. Now they sell black pepper, joha rice, bora saul rice and black rice to Taru to support their families.
Bibari has two children. Her husband Manoj Da along with her runs a grocery shop, poultery farm & a piggery in their backyard. Bibari is a superwoman. Along with a poultry/pig farm, she also runs a small farmer self-help group of 10 women, who strike a balance between household chores and working at the farm. We have been working with Bibari's self-help group, since 4 years, through natural farming training courses and sharing supply chain know how. The local produce (crops) are sent to Taru Naturals in Mumbai, which acts as a market place for farmers like Bibari. Bibari firmly also asserts women rights , to not just engage in household chores but also retain their independence by running small business and experimenting with new ideas.
