Agrarian families in India pass their legacy of practices and methods to the next generation. After the green revolution, the impetus is shifted to quantity over quality in agriculture. The rat race has brought many malpractices in the agriculture system which has also brought its consequences in term of health challenges.

Gendalal Buddhu, 38, a Korku farmer from Khorda village in Khalwa Block in Madhya Pradesh is also practising the conventional farming by using chemicals and pesticides in his five acres of land to get a higher yield for the family. Occasionally, he used work as a mason to take care of his family of eight, as the agriculture was not giving sustained income.

He cultivates vegetables in his farm but after toiling for the whole month he used to get Rs. 3000 – 4000 from the daily masonry work and selling the harvest of his field.

Gendalal was introduced to the Caritas India’s Sabal program which is operational in the Khalwa block of Khandwa to address the chronic malnutrition and hunger issues. The program is promoting the farmers to increase their production through various capacity building trainings on agriculture. After attending one of Sabal project meeting, Gendalal was interested to grow vegetables in his land. He was inspired by the success stories shared by other participants in the meeting. He decided to begin with vegetable farming in a half-acre. He received a variety of green and leafy vegetable seeds from SABAL project.

Gendalal worked hard in his field and adopted various bio-solutions for nutrient and pest management as guided by the Nutritional Health Worker. He cultivated 8 – 9 varieties of vegetables which included eggplant, ladyfinger, bottle gourd, tomato, luffa, pumpkin in his farmland during the summer. The vegetables grown were enough to feed his family and sell the surplus in the market. He earned Rs. 8000 just double from the half-acre of land.

After experiencing the impact of organic solution in his half-acre plot, he is now planning to gradually extend his land coverage under organic farming. He also plans to do Moringa cultivation in his farmland now and regularly treating his land with various organic nutrition and pest solutions which include LAMIT, Cytosine, Jeeamrut etc.

Now, he is more confident and motivated to upscale vegetable farming. He shared with pride and joy how his vegetables brought relief to many in his neighbourhood during the time of the lockdown. As weekly bazaars were under lockdown, he supplied vegetables to his neighbours and families in neighbouring villages.

Vegetable farming has become a sustained source of income and has also ensured food and nutrition security for his family. He needn’t go for daily labour from now on. “I am thankful to SABAL project for helping me find a way to sustained livelihood. Their technical inputs and seed supplies were crucial for my entry into this new venture.” shared Gendalal.

Many more farmers are benefitting from this program and currently, 710 farmers have started vegetable farming in their field during this Kharif season.