Several small farmers of an OBC community in Mahuari village have formed a group called Pragtisheel (translated as progressive). In the course of just three years or so they have achieved significant increase in income and yield and also experimented with several new methods.
As a conversation with a group of several farmers here revealed, a significant part of the increase has come from the adoption of SRI (System of Rice Intensification) and to a lesser extent SWI (System of Wheat Intensification). As farmers here say, initially they had some hesitation in adopting these changes, but once significant gains became apparent, they were quick on the uptake and this made them more open to further experimentation as well, particularly in terms of growing crop diversity.
Productivity and income of several farmers here increased significantly with the arrival of a new bore well equipped with a solar pumping set. This solar pumping set has been brought here under HRIDAY development project being implemented by a voluntary organization Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra with support from LIC Housing Finance Limited. While making good use of this new source of irrigation farmers are able to grow two and sometimes even three crops in a year, and the rabi or winter crop in particular has become more substantial. Apart from the traditional main crop of paddy, there is substantially more production of wheat, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables.
What is more, this is achieved without the cost of diesel, thanks to solar pump. Instead members of the farmer group have decided to make a modest contribution regularly so that a fund is created for repair and maintenance. Farmers who are not members of the group but use this irrigation have to pay a somewhat higher but affordable amount.
Several of these farmers are also keen to move towards natural farming and reduce their dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. However, as Sudarshan, the group head, explains, they wish to do so gradually, avoiding any sudden disruption. To the extent that they have experimented in this direction, they are happy with the improved quality of their produce. Introduction of traditional varieties of paddy like Kala Namak with their fragrance and good cooking quality is also fondly recalled by them. One farmer Jagnarain has been particularly keen on adopting vermicomposting.
Small farmers often need mid-way or intermediate technology instead of getting indebted by purchasing expensive machinery. HRIDAY has kept such implements with farmers which can be adapted and modified for different uses and can be shared by farmers as per needs.
These low resource base small farmers tend to be cautious in their approach, and think a lot before giving up any prevailing norm or adopting anything new. In some hamlets here farmers have given up the use of bullocks after the advent of tractors, but these farmers of Pragtisheel group do not want to lose bullocks entirely even though they use tractors. As Sudarshan explains, “If suppose there are four families, two of them can share the expenses of keeping one bullock each, and all four can benefit from having bullocks in their midst.”
The fact that these cautious farmers have also welcomed the changes introduced under HRIDAY project suggests that these changes were introduced only after carefully considering the local situation.
In Basari village there is another farmer group called ‘Unnat’ (which is translated as well-developed or prosperous). Here farmers have a somewhat higher resource base and better existing irrigation facilities. These farmers also associate HRIDAY project with significant increase in production through introduction of SRI and SWI, increased opportunities of cultivating legumes and vegetables and increased availability of better quality seeds in particular.
Nawal Kishore is a farmer but also a Krishi Mitra or extension official. He has achieved significant increase in production of moong pulse and vegetables. From one kg. moong seed I could get one quintal yield, he says.
Vishwanath is a farmer known for his big success with multi-layer vegetable farming. When he says that he can improve even more with proper soil testing, Nawal Kishore responds that he is in the middle of arranging this for several farmers.
There is a growing tendency of farmers to share ideas and possibilities with each other and HRIDAY works further to take this further with better linkages with some of the more relevant government schemes and with exposure visits.
Farmer groups hold regular meetings and contribute monthly savings of about Rs. 100 per month per member which accumulate and enable members to borrow at a low interest whenever any need arises.
In the case of marginal and scattered farmers with very inadequate land holdings, where groups could not be formed, help has been extended in more sporadic ways. Pinky Devi, a dalit woman of Basari village, says that her farmland is extremely small but yes, she too could get a higher yield by practicing SRI and using better seeds.
Apart from supporting farming based livelihoods, HRIDAY has extended livelihood support at several other levels to women and youth in various social skills, striving to link emerging needs with new employment opportunities in villages or very close to villages. To give an example, there is growing demand in the village for facilities like photocopying, computer related work, money transfers and for various formalities related to availing government schemes and applying for jobs. Going to the city tine and again for this was very cumbersome, and so HRIDAY helped a talented youth Gautam Kumar to start a shop which could provide these services. This has proved to be a success and attracts rural customers all the time, so much so that Gautam has been able to start a second unit on the strength of his own resources. He says, “HRIDAY’s help started me on this journey, now I have the capacity to progress further on my own.”
Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071.
