Kerala’s Kudumbashree farm groups surpass target for Onam vegetable cultivation

Published 1 August 2026 · india

As Onam beckons, attention turns this time of the year to Kudumbashree’s ‘Onakkani’ (pesticide-free vegetable cultivation) and ‘Nirappolima’ (floriculture) flagship agricultural initiatives. ‘Onakkani’ and ‘Nirappolima’

As Onam beckons, attention turns this time of the year to Kudumbashree’s ‘Onakkani’ (pesticide-free vegetable cultivation) and ‘Nirappolima’ (floriculture) flagship agricultural initiatives. ‘Onakkani’ and ‘Nirappolima’ are implemented across the State by Kudumbashree, the State’s poverty eradication and women empowerment mission that was set up in 1997, with the primary objective of ensuring the availability of safe, pesticide-free vegetables and local flowers during the Onam festive season. Last year, Kudumbashree grew vegetables on 8,913 acres and flowers on 1,820 acres for Onam. With the confidence gained from the successful attempt, it set ambitious targets for the current year, expanding vegetable farming to 12,000 acres and floriculture to 2,000 acres.

Agricultural coalition A massive agricultural coalition was formed to coordinate activities in 1,007 community development societies (CDS) and 153 blocks across 14 districts, including the special block of Attapady. Through collective efforts, Kudumbashree surpassed the targets set earlier. Pesticide-free vegetable cultivation under ‘Onakkani’ has expanded to 20,475.81 acres, as per latest figures. As part of ‘Nirappolima,’ flowers are being cultivated on 1,966.93 acres, quite close to the 2,000-acre target. To meet the high demand during the Onam festivities, a wide variety of traditional vegetables, including cowpea, okra, long beans, tomato, green chilli, bitter gourd, snake gourd, bottle gourd, brinjal, pumpkin, and ash gourd are being prepared for harvest.

Supply of seedlings Kudumbashree’s ‘Jaivika’ organic plant nurseries supplied the farmers with high-yielding hybrid vegetable seedlings and marigold saplings to ensure complete self-reliance in the production and quality of planting materials. The cultivation has been done by 33,875 farming groups called joint liability groups (JLGs) operating under Kudumbashree, who identified fallow lands and other suitable agricultural plots. These include 28,187 JLGs exclusively for ‘Onakkani’ and 5,688 JLGs engaged in ‘Nirappolima.’ The toxic-free produce and flowers cultivated will be made directly accessible to consumers through local markets as well as specialised ‘Kudumbashree Onam Markets’ organised for the festive season.

Beyond ensuring adequate supply of quality vegetables and flowers in the market during Onam, the two initiatives make it possible for hundreds of women farmers in Kudumbashree neighborhood groups (NHGs) to achieve self-reliance by securing a good income.