๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐: ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฃ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ
Pooja Kamle is transforming her familyโs farming practices through sustainable methods. While her husband runs a kirana store and an LPG business, he actively supports their farm and encourages Poojaโs leadership in Women-Led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF). Though she spends most of her time caring for their infant son, she was determined to make a change.
After just two days of training in September 2024, Pooja planted five food crops in October, harvesting them in 40 days. Encouraged by the success, she expanded to eight crops, including coriander, onion, garlic, beans, and spinach. Her family had always practiced traditional farming but lacked structured knowledge.
“We knew about natural farming but didnโt know how to start,” Pooja shares. By replacing chemical fertilizers with vermicompost and humic acid, they now enjoy fresh, chemical-free vegetables dailyโa luxury they once could afford only once a week. Their โน600-800 monthly expense on vegetables is now completely saved.
Until 2023, they only grew sugarcane, but frequent pig attacks forced them to switch to tur and soybeans in Kharif 2024. Later, in Rabi, they planted jowar, wheat, and peanuts, setting aside 0.5 acres for natural farming. This shift reduced costs drasticallyโfrom โน25,000 per acre for sugarcane to just โน2,000 for a one-time vermicompost bed.Seeing the benefitsโhealthier produce, cost savings, and improved soil fertilityโPooja and her husband now plan to expand their natural farming efforts, proving that sustainability is the future of farming.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
21st April, 2025