Farmer reaps rewards of a full tank

The 2.5 acres that he inherited from his father are V Chinnalagu's most prized possession. But 20 years ago, it was just a bald patch of land. "I left the land barren for two decades because the irrigation tank was dry," says the 61-year-old villager in Kesampatti, 35km from Madurai. "If the monsoon was good, the tank filled up partially. But it would dry up quickly and the crops wilted."

He avoided paddy, for it needs a lot of water. "Whenever I tried to grow something, I ended up with losses," he says. But, Chinnalagu couldn't bring himself to sell his land. "Even if I had decided to sell, no one would have bought land in a water-starved area." His wife, Chinnamal, worked as a daily-wage labourer to support their family of four. In 1994, the Dhan Foundation approached the villagers, Chinnalagu among them. 

"They offered to deepen and reclaim the tank." The foundation said that if the village contributed a quarter of the cost it would take care of the rest. "We hesitated initially, but ultimately agreed." Chinnalagu pledged his wife's jewellery with a pawn broker and contributed his share of Rs 5,000. The tank was deepened and a sluice built. "After 20 years, I grew paddy on one acre and reaped 40 bags."

Now, the tank retains water for five months after the monsoon. Chinnalagu has repaid his debts and is now a circle treasurer of Dhan's Vayalagam Federation. He says the groundwater table has risen and he now plans to dig a well. Last year, he made an investment of Rs 22,000 to cultivate paddy on about 1.5 acres and made returns of Rs 42,000.

From fruit vendor to green entreprene

Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Munaf Madlur, 50, is a fruit vendor. He stumbled upon the Selco scheme in 2008, courtesy his bank manager. Madlur banks with the Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank. Its manager, Tigadikar, told him how he could supplement his income by providing solar lighting to local market vendors.

Madlur was game and the bank sanctioned him a Rs 4 lakh loan. Selco provided him with solar lamps, batteries, equipment and know-how to set up a charging unit at his home. At sunrise, he starts charging the batteries. By evening, Madlur's son Babajan reaches them on his three-wheeler to vendors who are using his lamps. Every evening, the batteries are supplied and taken back at night for recharging. Babajan has 50 batteries. On an average, he supplies 40 of them to vendors and collects Rs 20 from each.

Madlur's average daily collection is Rs 1,000. Of this, he spends Rs 300 on petrol and Babajan's pay Rs 400 goes in loan instalments That leaves him with a net month ly income of about Rs 9,000. hopes to clear his loan in a year Solar lights are hassle-free and vendors save on fuel. "I'm happy that I am engaged in an eco-friend ly activity. It provides my son part-time job. If there are technical problems, Selco staff are always ready to help," says Madlur.

How FES has turned Sarjubai Meena's life around

 "I simply sit and grow fat these days," Sarjubai Meena laughs as she sums up how the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) has turned her life around. "Ten years ago, most of my day went in g etting water from the handpump for my goats," she says. 

"Then the FES sahib came. They taught us to build anicuts to recharge groundwater and save our forests." Sturdy and active, this 50-year-old grandmother is today engaged in building a strong community sensitive to the environment.

The dalit woman proved her mettle when she stopped the village thakur from digging a borewell in the hydrological dark zone. "Women lay down in front of giant machines and didn't let them enter our village. Now no one dares to dig borewells here."

Sarjubai owns five cows and two bulls. Her 2 bighas yield up to three crops a year. She saves Rs 12,000 on fodder as there's enough for her cattle in the village jungles. Her five children had to drop out of school, but she hopes to pay for her eight grandchildren's education. "It's all been possible because my well and other water bodies are full the entire year. Forests in the hills don't let rainwater wash away fertile soil from my field," she says.

When an IT mind took the organic route to farming

 

 Devesh Patel, 30, graduated in computer applications in 2005. But the idea of flying off to the US didn't attract him. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a farmer, returning to the land of his forefathers — Anand's Boriavi village.

Until recently, Devesh's father Ramesh, 56, suffered from chronic breathing problems induced by the chemical fertilizers he used. Nausea and headaches were part of life. "Only when his health worsened did my father realize that increasing yield wasn't everything. There's no point making money if one can't enjoy it. We switched to organic farming," Devesh says. 

They shifted to Anand Agricultural University's newly developed liquid biofertilizer (LBF). That changed their lives. "Dharti maa chhe (Earth is our mother)," Devesh says. "A farmer should give her what she deserves. My father doesn't fall sick now. Hundreds of farmers in Gujarat are living healthier lives, largely because of AAU." Devesh uses 70 litres of LBF a year on his 4ha. 

"The health of the soil has improved. Chemical fertilizers cost up to Rs 28,000 per ha for crops such as sweet potato and ginger. LBF has cut my cost to below Rs 4,000/ha," he says. Proprietor of an organic brand, he supplies potato chips, turmeric and ginger powder to retail stores, earning Rs 30-40 lakh annually.