๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ซ-๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ก๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ
In Hisori village of Latur, Maharashtra lives Sangeeta Shinde, a woman who turned her small home-based work into a sustainable, year-round livelihood. She lives with her family of five, and everyone helps on the farm. For many years, her income came from seasonal businesses like shevaya (vermicelli), papad making, and tailoring. These provided earnings for just three months each year, while the rest of the months remained difficult.
To improve her farmโs irrigation, she used a government scheme to build a well, which allowed her to grow sugarcane. Yet she wanted more stability. In 2025, Sangeeta joined the training program of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) focused on farm-based business. The sessions opened her eyes to new opportunities โ dairy, pulse processing, and organic farming. She learned how to manage expenses, keep records, and use natural bio-sprays to grow healthy food for her family.
With her savings, she bought a buffalo and a calf for โน75,000, and started a small dairy. She also began processing pulses like moong, urad, and tur, while practising Sakhi Food Security Farming methods. This helped reduce costs, improve soil health, and ensure nutritious food for her family. Her efforts soon paid off. Within a few months she earned โน12,000 per month from dairy, โน16,000 seasonally from pulse processing, and saved โน15,000 per acre through organic farming.
What once offered income for only a few months now provides earnings throughout the year. Her success gave her the confidence to share what she learned. She formed a group of 50 women farmers in her village to practise sustainable farming and dairy together. Because of Sangeeta, all of them received โน4,000 from the ATMA department to begin organic farming.
She says, โSustainable income starts with smart ideas, not big investments.โ Sangeetaโs journey shows how training, hard work, and the right guidance can help rural women become self-reliant. Her story is not only about improving her familyโs life, but also about building a movement of women farmers who grow healthy food, earn with dignity, and lead their villages toward a more secure and sustainable future.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
06 December, 2025