With Community Managed Micro Irrigation Scheme, Sunita Samad has transformed farming in her village and now plans to start other ventures like a rice processing unit.
Women’s Day Special Series: An unstable monsoon cycle, inadequate or unseasonal rainfall, aftereffects of monocropping, a non-scientific approach to irrigation, and lack of knowledge have created a slew of issues for rural farmers in Uttarakhand. Sunita Samad hailing from Manhu Village, Birhu Panchayat, Khunti Block in Jharkhand was no exception. Despite having two acres of farming land, she was finding it hard to care for her children and elderly in-laws.
Scarcity Of Water Was Major Issue For Farmers
Her husband, like many other men in the region, would often migrate for almost 8-9 months at a stretch to find work, leaving the burden of fending for the family on her. The scarcity of irrigation water was a major issue for not just her but many local farmers even though there was a river close to the village.
Speaking to India.com, Sunita said, “I was trying to grow kharif crops in the face of severe water scarcity. My life however took a turn for the better when I was appointed as the Sachiv of my Village Organization (VO). We worked together to implement an irrigation method that is now helping not just me but over 80 other households to grow and harvest crops all year long.” The new burst of prosperity has also prevented men in the village from migrating.
Sunita Now Earns Rs 1,50,000 Annually
This Community Managed Micro Irrigation Scheme (CMMIS) initiated by TRI (Transform Rural India) demonstrated how equal opportunities for economic sustenance can be brought to rural India via the convergence of many stakeholders. Due to TRI’s timely help, Sunita now earns Rs 1,50,000 annually, and encouraged by the success of the irrigation scheme, she is now planning to start other ventures like a rice processing unit at the VO level along with her sakhi mandal.
She further added that this year, she is planning to start either a rice processing unit or purchase a tractor or power trolley and will share the profit as well as the risks as a group.
“I feel Self-Help-Group (SHG) run enterprises can unite rural communities like ours to achieve many common goals,” she said.
How Micro-Irrigation Scheme Was A Game-Changer
The pathbreaking micro-irrigation scheme that changed Sunita’s life is managed by TRI in tandem with the State Irrigation Execution Cell (SIEC) and SRLM-supported iPFT ( Institute Of Technology and Formulation). It is helping to revive unproductive land by utilizing surface water with the help of technology and solar energy and Sunita is just one of many beneficiaries of this scalable and sustainable community irrigation model.
The formation of collaborative Water User Associations (WUA) also helps underserved women farmers like Sunita to have agency over water usage and to control the management and maintenance of the irrigation system.
Farmers Now Don’t Have To Depend On Rain
Sunita added, “Thanks to CMMIS, small farmers like me no longer have to depend primarily on rain or expensive irrigation systems to nourish our crops. We can now thrive despite the vagaries of weather and dare to dream of an abundant future.”
In fact, Transform Rural India has taken another landmark step by rolling out the Youth Empower Bond through the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) platform to benefit more women farmers like Sunita.
The bonds will offer an opportunity to donors, CSR spenders, the general public, and philanthropic foundations to invest in the development of the rural sector through TRI’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Program (YESE).
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report, the unemployment rate among Indian youth was 45.4% in 2022-23, a staggering six times higher than India’s overall unemployment rate of 7.5%. The situation is even more challenging in rural areas with more than 70% of the rural youth not engaged in education, training, or formal employment. TRI’s listing on the NSE is a stride towards enhancing transparency in India’s social investments.
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