Tribal Farmers Earning Lakhs through Drip Irrigation

As per PTI, Tribal farmers in 68 villages of Harichandanpur block, who were dependent highly on monsoon and harvested just one crop in a year, have used drip irrigation to reap benefits of crops for commercial purposes. No electricity nor pucca houses are there in the tribal village of Tangiriapal in Kendujhar district of Odisha but the technique of drip irrigation has reached the small farmers for big benefits. 

“I have 4 acres of land. I have cultivated chilli using drip irrigation on less than half acre. The chilli crop is fetching me good returns,” said Babla Hasda from Tangiriapal village. Hadsa stated that she had sold 35 quintals of chilli at around Rs 3000 per quintal. She managed to save Rs 25000 after spending on crop inputs, repayment of loans and other expenses and has enough liquid money from chilies. 

Drip irrigation is controlled irrigation wherein water is allowed to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from soil surface or buried below the surface, thereby efficiently using water and nutrients. 

According to Tangiriapal Village Association Secretary, Sumitra Kudu, the handholding support and training from the Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiative (CInI), an organisation of Tata Trusts has led to the transformation in the village. Learning about drip irrigation technique from CInI, 11 families adopted it in three acre farm land in Kotagati hamlet of Tangiriapal. The cost of drip irrigation was Rs.1 lakh of which 50% was borne by CInI, and the rest 50% by farmers.

 More farmers in the district are keen on adopting this practice. Women tribal farmers are taking the lead with support from local NGOs collaborated with CInI. A woman farmer Binjia Singh challenged her husband and opted for drip and mulching on one tenth acre in her farm and managed to earn Rs.40000. 

CInI’s spokesperson Ganesh Neelam said that due to lack of electricity in the 68 villages, diesel and solar based systems are used. “As a result, about 1,000 families out of 6,500 families in 68 villages of Harichandanpur block are earning minimum ₹1,00,000 a year, becoming lakhpati kisans,” he added. 

ClnI aims to make the farmers self-dependent and phase out from the villages in the next two years. 

Also go through Micro irrigation in India.