Baijnath Kushwaha is a resident of village Lurghuti No. 2, Baijnath ji told that the main crop of Kharif is paddy, which is sown by all the farmers of the village, but this year there shortage in the early days of the rains, due to which the farmers became very disappointed as every farmers prepared nursery of paddy in their respective fields. Due to less rainfall farmers were unable to plant the saplings of nursery in their respective fields as it required huge amount of water for production. He set up a paddy nursery, but due to lack of rain, the seedlings could not be transplanted from the nursery in time, even many farmers did not transplant paddy. Baijnath ji told that the construction of the farm pond was done by the watershed committee in his farm in the summer season, and when it rained his pond was filled with plenty of water. Due to the availability of water in the farm pond, he and the farmers who were close to his farm pond like Baiju Baiga, Sukhsen Baiga, Mahesh Kushwaha, Ramesh Kushwaha, Dhirwa Baiga, including 6 farmers planted paddy on time. They planted the seeds on 10 acres of land on time . All the above mentioned farmers have also irrigated their land by putting electric pump in farm pond. Since the farm pond is made in his land and before the formation of the farm pond, a letter was taken from him by the watershed committee that he will not stop any farmer from using farm ponds water. He didn’t stop any farmer on the water of the farm pond. and all tand all the beneficiaries irrigated their fields by taking water from the farm pond. The farm pond built by the Watershed Committee in his land this year has proved to be a boon for all the farmers

Sushila Singh is a resident of village Lurghuti No. 2. On her land a pond was built by the Watershed Committee in the year 2020 during the CBP phase, in which rain water is stored. Sushila Singh says that when the pond was not built, she used to sow crops in this area but due to lack of water, the production was very less and even the crops used to dry up. About 10 quintals of paddy was cultivated in 10 acres of land. But due to the formation of the pond, 5 farmers including her and the farmers adjacent to the pond such as Dinbandhu Singh, Ramcharan Singh, Naval Singh, Sobhnath Baiga are now taking benefit of irrigation in 10 acres of land by taking water from the pond. Sushila Singh said that in the year 2021, all 5 farmers have yield production of 30 quintals paddy by irrigating 10 acres of land from the pond. Apart from this, the moisture remains in the fields in the lower part of the pond till the summer time.

Rajmati Singh, wife of Mahipal Singh, aged 40, is a simple and humble tribal woman from Medra village in Kusmi block. However, her multidimensional efforts are transforming her simple life into one marked by a remarkable and inspiring personality. Her work has now moved beyond the traditional boundaries of household chores and is creating a distinct identity around the core ideas of nature, environment, participation, pollution control, and public domain. Let us now explore how this humble tribal woman is indirectly contributing to shaping these powerful ideas into reality. After the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident how crucial ecological balance is for human life. Following this realization, in 2021, through the efforts of Gram Sudhar Samiti and with the support of NABARD under the Wadi Development Project, Rajmati decided to develop a kitchen garden (wadi) on her barren land as a wadi farmer. She planted: 30 mango trees 20 amla trees 20 drumstick (moringa) trees 20 karonda plants 20 teak trees Due to the rocky and infertile nature of the land, the growth of plants was initially very slow. Concerned about this, she shared her problem with Prakash Dubey, a field associate from the organization. He guided her on preparing organic fertilizers and pesticides and also provided her with an informational pamphlet. Following this guidance, Rajmati began preparing organic products such as Ghan Jeevamrit, Jeevamrit, and crop tonics using locally available household resources like cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, gram flour, wood ash, mahua cake, goat manure, neem leaves, and buttermilk. The results amazed her. She could hardly believe that such simple and natural methods could yield such powerful outcomes. Her barren land began to flourish, turning the saying “barren land turning into gold” into reality. Within three years, her mango trees started flowering and bearing fruits. She also started cultivating crops like urad and moong in the spaces between the trees. Farmers from nearby villages began visiting her farm to observe her practices. Rajmati did not limit this experiment to her wadi alone. She extended organic practices to her farming and horticulture activities, including crops like paddy, wheat, peas, and pulses. These methods consistently produced excellent results. Through her dedicated efforts, she not only improved her own livelihood but also inspired around 300 women from nearby villages and communities to adopt organic farming practices, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability. Financially, her efforts have also been rewarding: Saves around ₹5,000 annually on fertilizers Earns approximately ₹10,000 per year by selling organic manure Earns about ₹5,000 from vegetable sales Earns around ₹20,000 from poultry and goat rearing Earns approximately ₹30,000 from small business activities Additionally, she motivates others in her village to adopt organic farming, helping them reduce costs and improve sustainability. Although Rajmati may not fully realize it, her efforts are significantly contributing to participatory development, pollution-free practices, and building a sustainable public domain. The organization has recognized her talent and dedication, appreciating her efforts wholeheartedly and working towards providing her with a platform and wider recognition. If you want, I can also: Make it s