Sunita Maskalle, from Mahadewadi in Deoni Block of Latur District, Maharashtra, has transformed herself into a leading sustainable organic farmer in her village. Coming from a farming household, Sunita tai and her family are fully engaged in cultivating their 5 acres of land. Earlier, the family used to cultivate only vegetables and sorghum on their farm. In 2022, Sunita tai got associated with SSP when she began to attend the integrated training on entrepreneurship, climate-smart agriculture, water conservation and digital and financial literacy.
On learning about the WCRF or ‘one-acre’ farming model, Sunita tai began to cultivate a variety of vegetables on 5 acres of their farmland to begin with. She also created her own insecticides and pesticides organically using locally available materials. With increasing family health and nutrition, and also a demand for organic vegetables, Sunita tai negotiated with her family and expanded the amount of organically cultivated vegetable farmland. On this, she also began to use water-saving irrigation methods like drip irrigation and sprinklers. Further, she built a small farm pond on her land and a rainwater harvesting structure near the family well for watershed development. With the support of the local SSP leader, she was also able to apply for a scheme from the Department of Agriculture and received a significant subsidy on creation of the farm pond.
Today, Sunita tai speaks about the difference that has occurred as a result of her innovative practices. The well, which remained dry in the peak summer months of May and June now contains water throughout the year and is being used to expand their vegetable cultivation. She has also started planting fruit and medicinal trees along the boundaries of her farm, and sees that as a future source of income in the coming years. She has built 10 vermicompost beds on her farm, and is using the large amount of manure created, on all 5 acres of the family farm. Today, Sunita tai proudly says that her income has doubled from Rs.40,000 to Rs.80,000 per season as a result of her hard work.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
April 21, 2023