'From the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom' book launched

Hyderabad: The book 'From the Realm of Necessity to the Realm of Freedom – A Study of Women Farmers under Kudumbashree Collective Farming in Kerala' was launched at the constitution club of India, New Delhi on Monday. The book is authored by Dr Jaya Mehta and Vineet Tiwari from the Joshi-Adhikari Institute of Social Studies (JAISS). Reputed academicians, activists and politicians were present at the event.

Co-published by JAISS, Aakarbooks and ActionAid Association, the book is based on a detailed study of collective farming by women's groups – a prominent programme of the Kudumbashree mission which was setup in 1997, as the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme and is implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala.

What unfolds in 300 and odd pages is a scholarly and, at the same time, a deeply empathetic narrative. It places the story of the experiment in the context of its social history and analyses the political economy which has enabled and shaped this unique experiment. It collates and analyses data and nurtures case studies. It enters into a dialogue with the living characters who constitute the agency of this movement. It draws lively sketches. It is rich in its analysis of the particular.

The relevance of the book extends far beyond the state of Kerala which has many particularities. The achievements, the virtuosity and the potential of women working on land in a land-scarce corner of India beckon the agrarian community of India. More so, when the vast masses of small and marginal peasantry and the landless living on land, far beyond the state of Kerala, and in a seemingly better off set- up are going through an unprecedented existential crisis.