In rural heartlands women lead green revolution silently

Time of India

5 days ago

Ranchi: A silent agricultural shift is transforming the rural hinterlands of the state, including districts like Lohardaga, Gumla, and Khunti where over 25,000 farmers from 40 panchayats have embraced regenerative farming.
Considered a new concept, regenerative farming is an eco-sensitive approach that revives soil health, reducing dependency on chemicals, and empowering local communities, especially women.
This grassroots movement is fast becoming a model for sustainable agriculture and farmers are replacing chemical fertilisers and pesticides with natural soil inputs apart from growing diverse crops, and adopting practices that restore ecological balance.
While organisations like PRADAN have provided technical guidance in some pockets, the real change is being driven by the farmers themselves, through village meetings, peer-to-peer learning and through local initiatives.
In Lohardaga's Salgi gram panchayat, Rocho village is setting an example in this regard. What began in 2022 with just three families has now expanded to 32 households, all of which practise chemical-free farming.
Women's groups are at the forefront of this change, working collectively to make their panchayat self-reliant and "poison-free".
"We dream of making our village green and plastic-free in the next three years. Women deserve recognition as farmers and through regenerative farming, we are ensuring better nutrition for our families and protecting our forests and water bodies. This is about stopping migration, conserving our land, and making farming attractive for the youth," said Sumitra Devi, the village head of Salgi
Reshmi Oraon, another farmer from Rocho, shifted from chemical-intensive farming to regenerative methods two years ago.
Today, she grows paddy, millet, pulses, potatoes and vegetables on her 1.2-acre plot, using natural preparations like 'Jeevamrit', 'Shivansh' compost and multi-seed mixtures. She has also planted mango trees with intercropping of seasonal vegetables and pulses, improving both income and soil fertility.
"Earlier, I spent a lot on fertilisers and pesticides. Inputs weren't always available on time, and my land was losing productivity.
Now, I prepare my own organic inputs. Costs are lower, yields are better, and my family eats chemical-free food. My land is healing," Reshmi added.
In Gumla's Poda village, Rajmuni Devi has adopted similar methods. For the past four years, she has practised relay cropping, green manuring and azolla cultivation to enhance her paddy fields. She prepares bio-fertilisers like 'Jeevamrit' and compost at the village's resource centre, sharing them with other farmers.
"We stopped using chemical fertilisers in 2021. Since then, the soil moisture retention has improved and the number of pests are less while the crops are healthier," Rajmuni said. Her field no longer just produces food but it also regenerates the local ecosystem.
In Khunti's Derang village, Savitri Devi has demonstrated how even small landholders can benefit from such practices. She developed a multi-layer vegetable garden on just 10 decimals of land, or about 0.1 acre, growing radish, French beans, peas, onions and coriander.
This model earned her nearly Rs 14,880 from a single cycle, alongside better nutrition for her family.
"My vegetables look fresher and last longer because they are grown naturally. Customers prefer them in the market. I also consume these vegetables at home. We've stopped consuming pesticide-laden food," Savitri added.
Beyond income, Savitri's success has become a learning model for nearby farmers, proving that small steps in natural farming can lead to big gains in livelihood and health.
Across these districts, the shift is not just about agriculture; it's about reclaiming local knowledge, reducing farming costs, making villages self-sufficient and creating an eco-friendly rural economy that works with nature, not against it, officials said.