Nabard award for farmers' club

A variety of farmer-friendly initiatives, such as supply of inputs, collective marketing of agricultural produce, soil testing, awareness programmes, facilitation for technology transfer, and organising study tours to model farms, has helped Kakkayangad win Nabard's best farmers' club award in Kerala.

The club has received the award from Nabard for three consecutive years now.

The Kakkayangad Farmers Club's efforts in relieving the debt-ridden farmer families from the clutches of usurious moneylenders, won them the award this time.  The club, with the help of the SHGs, carried out a house-to-house survey in the entire panchayat to assess the indebtedness of the farmer families and found that over 500 families had outstanding liabilities.

The North Malabar Gramin Bank came up with a debt-swapping programme called 'money lender free panchayat' to relieve these families from the clutches of the private moneylenders. This initiative spurred the interest of other RRBs in the area and they have also started replicating this model. 

According to Bhawar Puri, chief general manager of Nabard - Kerala, the club had assumed the role of a self-help promoting body and had formed around 200 SHGs in the panchayat. Through thrift and small loans, the members of these SHGs had gained economic empowerment and social recognition. In its efforts to sustain the movement, the club also encouraged the SHGs to start micro-enterprises to enhance their income levels.