Geeta Devi, a farmer from Dharna village in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh district, turned her challenges into opportunities for a better life. This is the story of a tribal woman whose tenacity and determination to succeed in life and overcome adversity has earned her recognition and a better way of life.
Journey of Geeta Devi:
Coming from a family of farmers, she always wanted to do something in agriculture; however, limited resources and very little knowledge of modern farming techniques were the biggest roadblocks for her.
But, a few years back when she was introduced to the sustainable integrated farming programme run by Germany-based foundation Karl Kubel Foundation for Child and family with the intervention of civil society VAAGDHARA, she learned and understood advanced farming techniques, which she later applied in her agriculture land.
Over the years she has not only adopted these techniques but also helped other women groups understand and use these techniques in their farms as well.
Now, Geeta Devi has not only improved her livelihood but also she is taking care of a family of nine members, who otherwise were wage labourers wandering from state to state in search of work.
“My journey started four years back when I came in touch with an organization named VAAGDHARA. I attended a programme named sustainable integrated farming programme, where I learned the integrities of modern farming techniques and also came to know how with limited resources farming can be done. This training motivated me to do something good with my available 4 bigha land. I started with the creation of a bund wall to prevent soil erosion, tilling the soil and making it even, so that multi-cropping can be done. Besides, did water well-deepening work so that water can be collected over the year.”
She also shared that after preparing her land for multi-cropping, she started with the farming of green gram and tur dal and used the green gram straw as animal fodder.
Initially, she made a profit of Rs 12,000 which she used to get some more equipment for her farm and the remaining used for her household needs.
Today, she has a steady source of income and is one of the hard-working farmers who have managed to do good for her children. She has become a role model for other women and is serving the women farmers’ community who want to take up farming and create a niche for them.
