HONNERU RURAL PRODUCERS’ COLLECTIVE draws on the availability of local agricultural and horticultural produce and combines this with the knowledge and skills of local rural women. HONNERU (‘first plough’) focusses on preserving and promoting local food traditions and knowledge, engaging rural women and youth in entrepreneurship towards creating livelihoods, expanding and diversifying for local organic produce grown by small farmers, and bridging the producer–consumer gap fostering meaningful community engagements.

This is an effort to not only generate employment in the village, but to also link local production and sustainable agriculture as a decentralised model of production. This initiative also helps preserve local recipes. Produce such as ragi (finger millet), pulses, oil seeds, and herbs that are grown in organic/non-chemical conditions are collected, cleaned, and processed at a centre in Nagavalli. The end result is a range of heritage health foods that are nutritious and tasty. Some of the products include: fresh ragi flour; niger, drumstick, and neem chutney powders, Immunitea (herbal drinks), masala powders, green chilies thokku, millet mix chivda, coconut and poppy snacks etc.