Fieldwork

The research team has conducted a three month fieldwork between March and May 2018. During that period the team met with and interviewed women and subsistence farmers from rural Bangalore, Karnataka, as part of the Oral History aspect of the project. The main topics explored focused on the unique knowledge which women retain as custodians of agricultural diversity and the specific tasks and work that fill the days of rural women.

Women at work

A booklet of millet recipes, a testament to the significance and importance of millets in local diets

A Kannada Language Textbook for the 3rd grade, featuring a poem about the milling, grinding stone. Once a must for every household and an inherent part of traditional culture

A Machine separating stones from seed, part of the Millet Production Unit, upsclaing initiative for Women Farmers' Producer groups

A Woman Posing With Silk Worm Cocoons Ready to be Harvested

A woman's work never ends. Coming back from local market, it's time to make food for the family

Bhagyamma in the field, transplanting Ragi seedlings

Cleaning Tamarind, an essential part of Kannada cooking

Collaborative work and knowledge exchange. Women from different corners of the world, learning about each other's realities

Fetching leaves from the forest for livestock fodder. A traditionally female chore

Making a flower garland, a favoured hair ornament for Indian women and a source of income for rural women

Milking the Cows, a traditionally female domain

Millet Grinding Stone

Millet Processing Unit- Stone and Seed Separator

Millet Processing Unit, upscaling the efforts of Women Farmers' Producer Groups

Millet Processing Unit

Ragi Mudde (Steamed Balls made of millet flour, a Karnataka staple) in the making

Ragi Mudde (Steamed Balls made of millet flour, a Karnataka staple) in the making_ Step 1_ Lighting the fire

Ragi Mudde (Steamed Balls made of finger millet flour, a Karnataka staple) in the making. Step 2. Adding Ragi flour to water, bringing it to boil

Ragi Mudde in the making. Step 1_ Lighting the fire

Ragi Mudde in the making. Step 3_ Stirring the mixture. When clay vessels are used, this is a particularly sensitive step, since it is easy to break the pot. A true measurement of a woman's cooking skill

Ragi Mudde in the making. Step 4_ Shaping the balls, using water to avoid sticking

Rajamma Pruning her Mulberry Plants

Rajamma weeding her Kitchen Garden

Sharing a cuppa tea and a brief respite from the scorching sun

Sharing a cuppa tea under the shade

Sharing a song, some laughs and some stories

Sun Drying Seeds, an essential part of seed preservation

Transplanting Ragi Seedlings. Initially sown on a small part of the field that is used as a nursery, after 10-14 days, the now stronger seedlings are spaced around the field

Transplanting Ragi Seedlings. Only fields with abundant and regular access to water can sustain a crop of Ragi outside the Monsoon Season. Bhagyamma and her family would have to water the crop twice a week