New avenues towards the economic sustainability…
Bhaganha is a village in Khadda Gram Panchayat, located in South of the district headquarters of Bettiah, Bihar, India. The village has about 60 families from the Paswan caste, most of whom are landless. Traditionally, the villagers worked as agricultural labourers in the village, while the youth migrated to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and other work places. Jitendra Paswan was one such youth who worked as a labourer in Punjab.
Four years ago, a farmer group was formed in Bhaganha. Jitendra Paswan joined the group and eagerly participated in every training session and field visit. He learned about various agricultural techniques, including vegetable cultivation. He was also provided with good vegetable seeds and know how to start his vegetable cultivation.
Inspired by the training, Jitendra Paswan took a lease of 10 kathas (0.85 acres) of land from a village landlord and started cultivating vegetables. He and his wife worked hard, and soon they were able to produce a variety of vegetables, including cauliflower, tomato, onion, chilli, peas, bottle gourd, and cluster bean.
The hard work paid off. Jitendra Paswan and his wife were able to earn Rs. 1,75,000 from vegetable cultivation this year. This increase in income allowed them to repay all their debts, improve their diet and clothing, and build a pucca (brick) house. Jitendra Paswan’s children are now able to get a good education. He no longer needs to migrate to Punjab for work and is able to support his family from the comfort of his own home. Jitendra Paswan’s story is a testament to the power of agricultural training and extension services. By providing farmers with the knowledge and skills they need to improve their productivity, we can help them lift themselves out of poverty and improve their standard of living