Ancy Christy

Ancy has a long history of community engagement and activism, having commenced such work in the wake of the Tsunami of 2004 volunteering for SNEHA (Social Need Education and Human Awareness). Since then, she has joined several district- and state-wide campaigns against coastal industrialisation, shrimp farming and thermal power plants. She has also engaged in environmental education for communities and students on behalf of Ekta. As a result, she is now considered a respected figure in the community.

Over the last two decades, she has witnessed first-hand drastic changes in her district’s environment as a result of water-intensive and fertilizer-intensive mono-cropping, combined with the effect of climate change, leading to plummeting groundwater levels and soil fertility. The dumping of waste in water bodies is also a serious issue. The result has been significant environmental degradation and the destruction of many farmers’ livelihoods.

Ancy has therefore used the JWHI grant to develop her skills to remedy this situation. She will undertake training workshops with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and exposure visits in order to increase her knowledge and skills on alternative cropping patterns and solid waste management. She then seeks to develop materials appropriate for her region’s unique context in order to train farmers and communities in these issues. In order to enhance the effectiveness of this plan, she will also use the grant to network among villages and farms, and work on her public speaking and presentation skills.