NABARD
Drought-hit Maratha village turns to natural farming
Kumbharwadi, a drought-prone village in Maharashtra, is set to rewrite its future as it undergoes a natural farming revolution. The lands are now laboratories for organic farming and natural practices as farmers apply what they learn at “school”.
Chhattisgarh farmer’s transformative “ATM model” of crop-growing
Like an ATM that dispenses money anytime, a Chhattisgarh farmer creates a process of cultivation where a field produces crops that can be consumed and sold anytime. He calls it his “ATM model” and it’s catching on.
Returning to roots – natural farming bears fruit in Telangana
After three decades of using chemicals to cultivate food, a Naikpod tribe farmer returns to the natural farming her mother used to practise. Now Kanthamma embraces year-round intensive cropping, which is bearing fruit for her in ways she never imagined.
This Andhra man’s rhapsody revives natural farming
Music and manure don’t usually mix, except in the case of Janni Narshingh Naidu from Illayipuram village in Andhra Pradesh, who finds a novel way to inspire his fellow farmers to adopt natural crop-growing techniques.
This Jharkhand changemaker turned adversity into an opportunity
Rani Chaki, a farmer from Jharkhand’s Konkoa village, rose from tragedy to resurrect her family’s fortunes, becoming an inspiration for other women. She is now recognised as a changemaker in her community.
Why natural farming stops Maha villagers migrating
Thanks to natural farming, the people of Kumbharwadi are embracing agriculture as a vocation, eschewing the tendency to migrate to cities for income.
Reviving traditional red gram in drought-prone Dewas, MP
When everyone around him was growing genetically modified Bt cotton, one Madhya Pradesh farmer saw red. Finding the negatives of GM crops outweighed the positives, the farmer from Dewas switched to red gram.
Cock a doodle do – how women are changing the pecking order in Banjhi Kusum
Livestock farming was once a dreaded livelihood idea in the small village of Banjhi Kusum. But when a handful of women were armed with the necessary skills and resources, they did not chicken out. Instead, they turned livestock farming into a sustainable enterprise.
How integrated farming saved the day for Andhra farmer
Madhusudan Rao and his wife Karamma, from the Soura community in Andhra Pradesh, fought challenges like illiteracy to embrace progressive farming techniques. Their success has inspired others from the region.
How an Andhra woman inspired her village to adopt natural farming
When Janni Jyoti adopted natural farming techniques, she had no idea that her entire village would soon follow in her footsteps. Read about the trailblazer from Andhra Pradesh’s Rankini village.
Golden empowerment: Women effect change through turmeric
In a remote village in Jharkhand, women take to turmeric cultivation and processing – learning everything from scratch, transforming their lives and inspiring other women to follow in their footsteps.
A supermarket for the women, by the women
Sanjeevini Supermarket is a testament to the power of collective action, a celebration of local talent, and a marketplace of empowerment where women’s dreams are taking root, and a brighter, more sustainable future beckons.
Groundnut farmers get a protective shell in Andhra
Coming together as a collective, groundnut farmers of Andhra Pradesh earn the rightful income for their produce, reduce risks and develop multiple income streams.
She brings fruitful farming to Leh’s cold mountains
Inspired by the verdant fields of Punjab, research scientist Jigmet Yangchin motivates women in the cold mountainous regions of her homeland, Leh. She introduces easy vermicomposting and cleaning the River Sindh – anything to make life better for her people.
Azolla “water weed” becomes cattle superfood
With the cost of maintaining livestock a constant burden for most poor farmers, azolla goes from being a pesky water weed to a sustainable and cost-effective superfood for cattle.
Bengal women find viable livelihood in turkey
Overcoming hurdles and non-starter self-employment projects, members of women self-help groups persisted tenaciously and took to rearing turkeys, setting a successful livelihood trend
Debts drive breadbasket farmers to daily wage labor
With farm income failing to keep pace with their debts, a large number of small and marginal farmers in Punjab and Haryana have started supplementing household earnings through daily wage labor