In Nirpur village of Nalanda district, Bihar, 30 year old Surbhi Kumari is transforming the way she farms and how she earns a living.
When Surbhi first entered the fields, it was out of necessity. With a family to support and little opportunity for an independent income, farming was simply a way to make ends meet.
Everything began to change when she joined SSPโs Women led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) training in her village in 2024. She began adopting climate resilient farming practices, producing bio inputs, diversifying into vegetables and fruits, and gradually emerging as a WCRF leader in her community.
Then Surbhi began looking beyond farming. She started small enterprises selling animal feed, organic manure, solar lanterns and other products. With every new venture, her confidence grew and so did her ambition.
In 2026, an opportunity came to select one woman from Nalanda district for training and an agricultural drone. Surbhi applied. After a competitive selection process, she was chosen.
Today, Surbhi provides drone spraying services to farmers in her area, earning โน450 per acre and serving 3โ4 farmers a day during the season. Her husband, who had earlier gone out for wage work, now works alongside her in the enterprise and on their farm.
For Surbhi, the biggest change is not the drone. It is the change in how she sees herself.
โI entered the fields out of necessity, but farming gave me pride, identity and a new path to prosperity. Today, I donโt just cultivate crops, I cultivate opportunities.โ
From farm worker to farmer, community leader and technology enabled entrepreneur, Surbhiโs journey shows how an opportunity can change not just a livelihood, but the way a woman sees her own possibilities.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
07 September, 2026
