Soso Khurd (Ramgarh), Jharkhand
Renu Devi sells vegetables from a shack located near the Ranchi-Bokaro road. The resident of Soso Khurd village, in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand also works on a piece of land she owns, looks after some cattle and poultry, and works at another farm based products shop nearby.
The 28-year-old has multiple avenues of livelihood because of which she is able to raise her two children comfortably and also save for a rainy day.
But life wasn’t always that easy for Renu Devi. She was married off to Ajit Kumar Mahato, a driver, when she was only 15 years old in 2009. She completed her matric and intermediate studies after her marriage. In order to earn some extra money to fund her education, she joined a self help group (SHG) called Sharda Mahila Mandal in 2017, as a data entry person where she earned about Rs 5,000 a month. But this wasn’t enough to make both the ends meet.
In August 2021, during the pandemic, she attended an online training that transformed her life. The 36-day online training in agriculture related matters was organised by Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF), a non-profit. On the basis of her training, she was appointed as a saleswoman at a farm product based shop in June 2022. The training changed her life, Renu Devi said. It was attended by 25 other women from her village.
Renu Devi also helps farmers get a fair price for their produce in open markets or at government units.
“We were introduced to scientific methods of cultivation, including information on what grew best in what season, identifying the best suited seeds, using pesticides that would not damage the soil, and so on,” she explained.
Economic improvement
Renu Devi is reaping the benefits of improved agricultural practices. “I used to get about 100 quintals of paddy in one crop from my 80 dismal land. Now I get 150 quintals a season,” she told Gaon Connection. She saved anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 a month, she said. (1 dismil = 0.01 acre)
With the earning Renu Devi purchased a deep freezer for storing vegetables at her vegetable shop.
Renu Devi not only grows vegetables but also sells them from a shack located near the Ranchi-Bokaro road.
Recently, she visited Hyderabad in January 2023 for a training capsule on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) cultivation methods. She learnt new aspects of paddy farming and is eager to apply them in the next cropping season.
“TRIF has provided farm based training to young entrepreneurs. Renu Devi was one of 89 we trained. Besides best practices in cultivation, the trainees were also taught about creating business plans. The agri entrepreneurs project was started after the first phase of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,” Ratan Kumar Singh, TRIF Manager, Ramgarh, told Gaon Connection.
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Forming an FPO
While the farming practices of these women improved considerably, the formation of a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) in the village brought about an even more positive impact.
About 500 residents of Soso Khurd village contributed a few hundred rupees each and formed the FPO. Renu Devi is one among 10 members of the FPO board of directors in her village.
Renu Devi recently attended a training in Hyderabad. There, she learnt new aspects of paddy farming and is eager to apply them in the next cropping season.
In June 2022, they opened an outlet in the village to sell quality seeds, fertilisers, and other products to its members. Two per cent of the annual sale profit is divided among each of FPO shareholders of which Renu Devi is one. She gets an additional one per cent commission for working at the shop that ensures quality products for farmers at reasonable prices.
Also Read: Training in cultivation and animal husbandry empowers Birhor tribal women in Jharkhand
“I am also able to share my knowledge of best agriculture practices with the farmers who visit the shop. And getting all their requirements under one roof at this shop is a great time saver for the farmers,” Renu Devi said.
About 500 residents of Soso Khurd village contributed a few hundred rupees each and formed the FPO. Renu Devi is one among 10 members of the FPO board of directors in her village.
At the shop, Renu Devi also helps farmers get a fair price for their produce in open markets or at government units (grain purchasing centres). This eliminates the role of exploitative middlemen. She also keeps farmers abreast of the several government schemes for farmers that could help them.
Renu Devi said the training by TRIF earned her a lot more than just physical comforts. It had made her independent, it had enabled her to admit her son into an English Medium School that was a dream earlier, and has helped her get her daughter a proper education at a residential high school in Gola. She has also constructed shops in one corner of her land where nothing grew and rents them out to others, she said.
This story has been done as part of a partnership with TRIF.
