In the course of about three years, farmers in Jharkhand’s Mahuari and Basari Villages have achieved significant increase in yield and income and experimented with several new cultivation methods. Several of the farmers are also keen to move towards natural farming and reduce their dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Bharat Dogra talks to cultivators who have benefitted from the HRIDAY Development Project at various levels
Several small farmers of an OBC (Other Backward Classes) community in Jharkhand’s Mahuari Village have formed a group called Pragtisheel (translated as progressive). In the course of around three years, they have achieved significant increase in yield and income and also experimented with several new cultivation methods. 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). The farmers say, initially they had some hesitation in adopting these changes, but once significant gains became apparent, they were open to even further experimentation, particularly in terms of crop diversity.
A new bore-well equipped with a solar pumping set brought under the HRIDAY (Holistic Rural Initiatives for Development Action and Yield) Development Project being implemented by Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra, a voluntary organisation, with support from LIC Housing Finance Limited, has helped immensely too. Using 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, cultivation of wheat, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables have significantly increased and, best of all, without having to spend on diesel.
Members of the farmer group have decided to make a regular modest contribution to create a fund for repair and maintenance work on the solar pump set. Farmers who are not members of the group but use the irrigation facility have to pay a somewhat higher, but still affordable, amount. Several of the farmers are also keen to move towards natural farming and reduce their dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Having experimented with this, they are happy with the improved quality of their produce. However, as Sudarshan, the group head, explains, they wish to do so gradually.
Understanding that small farmers often need intermediate technology rather than expensive machinery which traps them in debt, HRIDAY has made available tools which can be adapted for different uses and can be shared by farmers. In some hamlets here, farmers have given up the use of bullocks after the advent of tractors, but the Pragtisheel farmers do not want to do away with bullocks entirely even though they use tractors. As Sudarshan explains, families club together to share the expenses of maintaining the bullocks, and share the use of the animals.
In Basari Village, the Unnat (translated as developed or prosperous) Group of farmers have a somewhat higher resource base and better irrigation facilities. These farmers also report significant increase in production through SRI and SWI, better opportunities to cultivate legumes and vegetables, and improvement in the quality and availability of seeds, after associating with the HRIDAY Project.
Nawal Kishore is a farmer and also a krishi mitra or extension official. He has achieved significant increase in production of moong dal and vegetables. Vishwanath reports big success with multi-layer vegetable farming, and feels his yield can be even better with proper soil testing. Kishore says he’s in the process of arranging for this. There is a growing tendency of farmers to share ideas and possibilities with each other and HRIDAY is working to take this further, facilitating better linkages with relevant government schemes and exposure visits.
The farmer groups hold regular meetings and each one contributes about Rs 100 per month to a fund, from which members can borrow at low interest rates whenever any need arises. Help has been extended, though in more sporadic ways, even in cases where groups cannot be formed because the farmers are scattered and have inadequate land holdings. Pinky Devi, a Dalit woman of Basari Village, says though her piece of land is extremely small, she has been able to increase yield using SRI and better seeds.
Apart from supporting farming-based livelihoods, HRIDAY has extended livelihood support at several other levels to women and youth, striving to link emerging needs with new employment opportunities. For example, there is growing demand in the village for amenities like photocopying, computer-related work, money transfer and help with formalities to avail of government schemes and job applications. Going to the city repeatedly for such work is cumbersome.
Noting the need, HRIDAY helped a talented young man, Gautam Kumar, to start an establishment offering these services. This has proved to be such a success that Gautam has been able to start a second unit using his own resources. He says, “HRIDAY’s help started me on this journey; now I have the capacity to progress on my own.”
(The writer is a senior freelance journalist and author who has been associated with several social movements and initiatives. He lives in New Delhi.)