How dahlia cultivation is empowering women in rural Karnataka

As the rainy season draws to a close, Jayalakshmi Hegde is busy tending to her dahlia plants. An avid florist from Nanikatta-Kalagadde, a remote village near Sirsi, she has been growing dahlias for nearly three decades. Planted just before the rains, the stalks have turned the surroundings of her home into a riot of dahlias in dazzling colours, patterns, sizes and shapes.

Jayalakshmi is not alone. Thousands of women across Sirsi, Siddapur and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district, and Sagar in Shivamogga district share her passion for the flower, locally known as Dere hoo.

“At least 250 women in Sirsi area grow around 50 varieties of dahlias every year,” says Anjana Bhat, one of the organisers of the Dere Mela, an annual dahlia exhibition held in Sirsi for the past 15 years. The mela brings together dahlia growers for the display and sale of plants, while also giving them an opportunity to exchange varieties and information.

For years, the women of the region grew dahlia out of passion and love for the flower, despite the considerable time and money involved in maintaining the plants. Now, that passion has slowly opened up small income opportunities for some growers.