by Mainak Chakrobarty
Keonjhar is a district in northern Odisha, India. Its topography is harsh with difficult conditions for agriculture. Landscapes are rugged and difficult and weather is severe with very limited rainfall and scarce water; hence, sowing crops was always problematic here. Farmers from these areas mainly those who belong to the tribal communities, depend largely on the uncertain rains of the monsoon season. They used to grow only paddy crops, which were mainly consumed at home but it was merely a rain-fed crop.
Farming beyond subsistence has long seemed impossible in such an arid environment, but the women of Keonjhar have been rewriting this narrative. Since they have only been the first generation of commercial farmers, it is such bold steps that they have undertaken which have broken these barriers. They changed their agriculture practices by forming FPOs (Farmer Producer Organization) and adopting market-based interventions. They have started taking up watermelon farming as part of their commercial crops, a heavily unfavourable environment being turned into a thriving opportunity for growth and prosperity. It’s nothing but hope, innovation, and power over adversity.
The Birth of Sakam Sindur Farmers Producer Company Limited (SSFPCL): A Revolution in Empowering Tribal Women Farmers
These new entrant first-generation tribal women farmers in Keonjhar faced tremendous problems from the adverse environment but more importantly from a lack of technical know-how and quality inputs essential for commercial farming. To this end, with the active support and guidance of CInI, an initiative of TATA TRUSTS, Sakam Sindur Farmers Producer Company Limited (SSFPCL) was incorporated on 19 March 2021.
This FPO is a very strong woman-centric organisation, and each board member is a woman. Sakam Sindur Farmers Producer Company Limited (SSFPCL) offers these women critical training, quality seed, and technical know-how and gives them market linkage. Now, they are empowered to commercialize their farming practices and adopt market-based interventions for sustainable livelihoods in the challenging terrain of Keonjhar.
Innovative Practices for Sustainable Farming: Drip Irrigation and Expert Support at SSFPCL
The farmers in Keonjhar have adopted drip irrigation techniques to overcome water scarcity. They can make the most of their water supply by channelling it directly to the roots of their crops. Together with this approach, they employ solar-based lifting mechanisms to increase their cost-effectiveness and use the sun to make water accessible without fossil fuel costs.
The experts of Sakam Sindur Farmers Producer Company Limited, SSFPCL, developed a Package of Practices (POP) based on critical management practices in collaboration with eminent farmers from other states. This standard package allows farmers to care for their crops effectively as well as help the plants grow at an optimum rate.
SSFPCL does more than market linkage for their products; it also assists in the setting up of necessary inputs for farmers and monitors them over time. Such a support system helps not just for successful farming but also clears the grounds for sustainable and prosperous prospects for tribal women farmers in Keonjhar.
From Fields to Markets: Tribal Women Farmers Expand Watermelon Sales Across Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal
A group of 45-50 tribal women farmers in Keonjhar, Odisha, ventured into commercial farming by growing watermelons on 22-24 acres. This was the first crop that the group had grown; they had not grown such a crop before. Being first-generation farmers, the women were facing challenges due to water scarcity and had no experience at all with high-value fruit crops. With the help of SSFPCL support, they adopted innovative approaches, such as drip irrigation, and lifting mechanisms with solar power to save on resources efficiently and safely.
A package of practices for the right handling of the crop was devised through the involvement of expert farmers from other states through SSFPCL. The yield fetched was as amazing as 20,000 kilograms, watermelons sold at a price between ₹8 and ₹12 per kilogram. This would depend on size, taste, and colour.
Not only was the FPO giving some assistance to the production but also supplied market linkages. Now, produce is reaching key markets in Bhubaneswar, Barabati, Cuttack, and Jajpur in Odisha and Ranchi and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand all the way to Kolkata in West Bengal. Through its strategic distribution, the farmers would be able to fetch better rates for their watermelons and sell them in a high-demand market. This venture turned into a profit success.
Watermelon Wealth: How Tribal Women Farmers Are Reaping Rewards
Just three months were enough to see how watermelon cultivation brought in between ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 for every tribal woman farmer. That amount was a huge leap toward financial empowerment for women who had thus far only been subsistence farmers. For the most part, most of them had never even cultivated high-value crops before; their triumph in growing and marketing watermelons becomes even more remarkable by this factor alone.
They have, with the help of Sakam Sindur Farmers Producer Company Limited (SSFPCL), now put up modern techniques such as drip irrigation and lifting for water by the pressure of solar power to overcome water scarcity. SSFPCL also helped them with technical guidance in farm management and marketing linkages, ensuring fair prices for farmers at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Kolkata.
This income has been transformative to the tribal women as it provides an avenue for the betterment of their livelihood sustainably. The short crop of watermelon for three months stabilized their income, thus demonstrating vast growth and potential through commercial farming that can pull rural women out of poverty.
Cultivating Change: The Inspiring Journey of Tribal Women Farmers in Keonjhar
In a nutshell, it can be ensured that the Keonjhar tribal women farmers are one of the epitomes of the extreme power of resiliency and innovation. The Sakam Sindur Farmers Producer Company Limited has proven to be an opportunity for change in their agricultural practices and has managed to grow watermelons while confronting these adversities within this environment.
Their impressive earnings of ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 for three months are financially empowering and represent a significant shift in their first-generation commercial farming work. Modern techniques in conjunction with effective market strategies are changing the trajectory of their lives while influencing many others in the community.
As they move on expanding their market reach across Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, it reveals even the toughest challenges lead to exceptional success if well determined and supported. Their journey tells us that cultivating change can be as rewarding as cultivating crops.
