KACHARAM – WOMEN’S TECHNOLOGY PARK
In the year 2016, VARDHAMAN College of Engineering has received funding from the Department of Science and Technology’s Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division for training rural women by establishing Rural Women Technology Park (WTP) in Kacharam (Shamshabad Mandal) Rangareddy district, Telangana State.
This Rural Women Technology Park (WTP) has been established at Village Kacharam for training marginal farmers specifically the rural women with key objective of improving the economic conditions of the farmers through training and technology. The WTP introduced leading farming technologies for cultivation of low volume high value crops like: Quinoa, Chia and trained several women farmers in the vicinity of the park since inception. The technologies proposed in this project are location specific and best suited for rural women.
The Park extends its services and support all interested poor women farmers in the vicinity of the park i.e. Rangareddy district (Telangana) with handholding and practical assistance at Park and the fields. Distance learning mode through e-medium is being planned and shall be introduced shortly by RWTP-K, benefitting women farmers across the Nation willing to take up cultivation of Quinoa and Chia.
As per expansion plans of the RWTP-K, facilities for post-harvest processing of Quinoa and utilization of Quinoa grains will be taken up utilizing Self Help Group/ s (SHGs) associated with the Park. The business model for these SHG shall be financially self-sustaining and shall focus and establish products like seeds, greens, dry supplements (Quinoa), bakery products, organic farm aids ( nutrition, weedicides, menuers etc.)
Regular training is arranged for women farmers in Aug- Sept every year. Training classes are arranged at the RWTP-K and online (proposed). Study material in Telugu and English are provided to registered women farmers. DST-RWTP (Kacharam) has successfully completed three batch for Quinoa and two batches for Chia during past. The training is imparted using qualified instructors from reputed Agricultural Universities.
Host of instruction manual and protocols are published and available for use by farmers new to these robust crops specifically suited to dry, semi aired regions of the country. For further details contact project coordinator through e-mails, [email protected] / [email protected]