Ramkali Devi, from Khajur village in Mohra Block of Gaya District, Bihar comes from a small farming family. She works with her husband on 1.5 acres of land to cultivate vegetables and pulses. Since joining SSP in 2022, she has worked towards improving her family’s income and embraced new innovative technologies like the ‘subjee cooler’ that helps store produce for a longer time with low input costs.
Ramkali Devi initially started working with SSP as a clean energy entrepreneur, selling energy-saving solar products, menstrual and personal hygiene products and organic fertilizers in her village. In early 2023, she attended a meeting organised by SSP, where she was introduced to the concept of the ‘subjee cooler’. This device could store agricultural products and keep them fresh for over 3 days, requiring only water to maintain its cooling temperature. Very interested in this useful device, Ramkali Devi received the device as a ‘demonstration farmer’ from SSP in March 2023.
Earlier, Ramkali Devi and her husband used to take their vegetable products to the wholesale market in Bajirganj, located 30kms away from her village. They had to bear the cost of transport, and also received lower wholesale rates for their produce. Ramkali Devi used to try to sell the remaining vegetables in the village locally, and whatever remained at the end of the day was either fed to the cows or thrown away. Since receiving the Subjee Cooler, Ramkali Devi has been able to store the produce at home itself, without it getting spoiled. Her husband and her have also stopped selling the produce in the wholesale market, and are now selling all the vegetables at retail rates in the village itself. The profits generated have doubled, with a resulting daily income of Rs.1000.
Today, Ramkali Devi and her family are much more economically secure than before. Her success has also inspired her to promote the ‘subjee cooler’ in her village, as an innovative technology that is part of her clean energy entrepreneur repertoire.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
April 28, 2023