This chemical-free production technology for bottlegourd targets rural families as beneficiaries, involving women who can adopt and make it a profitable activity. The technology promotes the use of organic soil and foliar fertilizer, traditional pest management (handpicking, dusting and hanging of bait trap) and uses locally available materials for plant bases like used tires, sacks, bamboo slats or used galvanized iron sheets to elevate the soil and prevent water-logging. With the involvement of women in organic/chemical-free bottlegourd production, poor families will be provided with quality food during the rainy season, thereby minimizing/solving malnutrition in the family, especially to children (Malab, et al., 2011).

This will be a combination of training, farm technology demonstration, and farm field days. Three training programs on organic farming vegetable production, specifically synthetic chemical-free production technology for bottlegourd, will be conducted. This will be a combination of lectures and farm technology demonstration on the production of organic fertilizers and biopesticides. Participants will be provided with bottlegourd seedlings for the first series of the training program. At least four farm field days will also be scheduled, particularly during the fruiting stage of white-flowered gourd. Regular monitoring and providing technical assistance will be done by the project staff to keep records and identify problems encountered by the women-cooperators.