Thematic Area : Livelihood & Skill Development
Project Guide(s) : Mr. Prabhudev, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Amrita Partner(s) : B. Akhila Manogna and Anubhav Kumar, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
Village : Guptapada, Orissa
Project Duration : One month
Identified Challenge & Aim :
A variety oftraditional occupations exist in rural communities and residents depend on those occupations to earn a living. However, with more awareness about market segments, pricing, and updated methods, some occupations can become more lucrative, leading to a better standard of living for villagers. This particular project focuses on working with women from the village’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) to help increase their earning capacity.
The Study/Innovation :
The team first met with the village’s health worker to identify the women SHGs that had an interest in discussing and exploring other avenues of income generation. After identifying 5 SHGs, the team made house visits and met with the leaders of the SHGs to talk about the meetings and discussions they want to have over the next few days about income generation. The next day, the team, along with members of the 5 SHGs, engaged in drawing and sketching activities to express what types of jobs and places for jobs everyone enjoys the most. This was subsequently followed by a group discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of each job and how much potential income one can make.
As part of the project, the team also visited a local mushroom farm to learn about the latest practices in mushroom farming. This was followed by a visit to a biotechnology center in the local town where the team interviewed the center’s director about the viability to automatically monitor humidity and temperature. This will, thereby, increase mushroom yield and place less physical burden on villagers. The team then shared the information from their visits with the village women and conducted a brainstorming session to develop a work management plan for mushroom farming. The session was followed by groups discussions to automate the mushroom farming process by utilizing sensors and IoT.
