๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐
Laxmi Biradar lives in Sonal village of Bidar district, Karnataka. She helps her husband run a small service centre in the village. Since Sonal is a small place with limited customers, the business was not doing well, and it became difficult for the family to meet household expenses. Laxmi started thinking about other ways to earn income and support her family.
In 2023, she attended a meeting organized by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) in her village. The discussion on womenโs leadership and organic farming encouraged her to take the first step. Though her husband was not sure at first, he later attended an SSP meeting and began supporting her. With his support, Laxmi decided to try the one-acre organic farming model.
She started preparing Jivamrut, Nimboli Arka, and vermicompost, applying them on 20 gunthas of land. In the beginning, the results were slow, but during the next crop cycle, her family saw the clear difference in soil health and yield. She saved about โน7,000 by using organic fertilizers instead of chemicals. Encouraged by this success, Laxmi continued the practice on the rest of her land.
She says, โAt first, my family was not ready to accept organic farming, but when they saw the healthy crops and savings, their thinking changed. Now everyone supports it.โ
Laxmi also joined other training sessions and exposure visits organized by SSP. She learned about soil testing, crop insurance, and natural pest control methods. Gradually, she began cultivating vegetables like chilli, coriander, brinjal, leafy greens, and beans, which improved household food supply and reduced expenses. By using bio-inputs and compost, her annual income increased by 30%.
Today, Laxmi earns a steady income through farming while supporting her husbandโs business. She has become a cluster-level leader, guiding around 40 women in her village to adopt climate-resilient farming. She helped link 35 farmers with government schemes for irrigation and supported women to take leadership roles in Self-Help Groups.
Through her steady work and learning spirit, Laxmi has shown that even small changes in farming can lead to big changes in life.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
08 November, 2025