Baburam became a successful farmer by adopting vegetable intensification method
Bank is a village Panchayat of Sumerpur block of Hamirpur district in Budelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. It is located almost 21 kilometers away from district headquarters. The total population of the village is 1199 and the number of total households is 251 in this village. Bank village is dominated by backward castes and scheduled caste communities.
In the year 2014 with the support of Hindustan Unilever, Parmarth initiated Jal Samriddhi (Water Prosperity) Project for ensuring the livelihood of the communities through sustainable water conservation and water management practices.
Under this project, formation of Pani Panchayat, capacity building of community through awareness training and exposure visits, construction of water structures for water and soil conservation, demonstration and training for promotion of improved and sustainable agriculture practices were initiated through community participation.
Under this Jal Samriddhi Project, farmer Baburam of this village was provided seed support for cultivation of vegetables through intensification technique. He was also provided detailed information regarding seed treatment, line sowing, harvesting etc. Baburam followed those instructions and treated the seeds through organic methods. He sowed the seeds and saplings of vegetables through line sowing technique maintaining the desired distance between two saplings. He also planted lemon saplings in the vacant area between the vegetables saplings that helped him in getting additional income from them.
Baburam says earlier along with his father, he used to cultivate wheat, gram and peas through traditional practices. However due to consecutive droughts in Bundelkhand region, the crops failed and his family suffered huge losses, besides they could not get sufficient price of whatever little yield they got from the fields. Because of all these problems and reduced income, he was losing interest in farming. But Prabhat and Parmarth team motivated him by not only providing guidance on improved agriculture practices but also by providing seed and sapling support.
Today, he has a good yield of vegetables like eggplant, ladies’ finger, tomatoes which are now being supplied even to Kanpur apart from Hamirpur and has fetched him a good income of Rs. 20000-25000 per month.
Baburam is very thankful to Jal Samridhi Project and says, “This project which is being supported by Prabhat and Parmarth is a boon to the farmers of our village as they are being provided information and support both for improved agriculture practices.”
Baburam further says “I had lost interest in farming and wanted to go to city in search of some job, but Parmarth changed my life and my thinking both. Parmarth team supported me through training on improved agricultural practices and seed support was also provided. It helped me to get a good income from the vegetable cultivation. I am able to get more than 25,000 per month by vegetables which I had never imagined. Today I have abandoned the idea to migrate to city and my interest in farming is now revived. I am a very happy person today and very thankful to Pramarth team for their support.”
