India is a nation of farmers, and farming is still a majority of people's primary source of income. However, most of the areas in India suffer from low rainfall, and age-old farming techniques that haven't kept pace with time.
Many farmers have experienced tremendous losses due to the lack of the availability of proper water and irrigation facilities paramount to the farming of certain kinds of pulses and vegetables. Something similar was experienced in the tribal-dominated district of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh.
Farming in the hilly tribal region of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh
The undulating topography relying on rainfed farming combined with shallow and eroded soils resulted in stagnant crop productivity that wasn’t yielding well for the farmers. One farmer -- Ramesh Bariya -- was frustrated by this and wanted a resolution to farm with better yields amidst these challenges.
He got in touch with NAIP (National Agricultural Innovation Project)-KVK scientists in the year 2009-2010 and under their guidance, he started vegetable cultivation in a small patch of land during the winter and rainy season -- fit for the kind of land he owned.
Here he started growing bitter gourd, sponge gourd. Soon he even set up a small nursery. However, during the early growth stage, he experienced an acute shortage of water due to delay in monsoon.
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