Amba Dutt Pandey, a marginal farmer in Almora District, had been hit hard by water scarcity. At his wit’s end at not being able to adequately irrigate his modest holding of 0.2 hectares of land, he had almost resigned to a bleak future of back-breaking labour with dwindling crops, when fate in the guise of the Vivekanand Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS) intervened. Amba Dutt heard that an offical of the organization was visiting his village Bhagartola.
The official discussed his problems along with other similarly affected farmers. He examined the terrain, saw the natural perennial springs near Amba Dutt’s farm and soon found a long term solution to his water crisis. “Water harvesting from these springs in tanks lined with low Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE) is your way out of your irrigation problems,” he said, going on to explain in some detail.
Amba Dutt, who had asked for help with a faint hope, was encouraged now by knowing that he would be provided with funds to install the tanks. As part of the scheme, he was also advised on the most suitable crop.
In his case, he quickly learnt that vegetable farming in poly houses to overcome inclement weather conditions, would best suit him. He was also provided with necessary training on vegetable crop rotation and the intial funding to implement these initiatives.
That was the beginning of a whole new chapter in Amba Dutt’s life. Soon, through water harvesting in LDPE tanks, he could draw upon reserves of 50,000 litres of water. He set up four poly-houses to grow vegetables. He learnt how to rotate different vegetable crops to maintain soil fertility and manage diseases and other pests.
The formation of the Vivekanand Self Help Group, of which he was one of the first members, further facilitated access to credit from banks through Kisan Credit Card scheme. With the advent of new rural telephone, he could find out the price of vegetables in all the adjoining towns in advance to get the best possible price for his produce.
In the 3 years since Amba Dutt first tried to improve his lot, his earnings have trebled. Emboldened by his success, he is planning to expand the 400 square meter area under protected cultivation. He is a happy man today who counsels others to seek help in order to intelligently help themselves.
(PIB Features)
Inputs from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/amba-dutt-pandey-of-almora-hope-springs-eternal/
