Nabarangpur, 24th July 2025: In the predominantly tribal district of Nabarangpur, agriculture remains the primary source of livelihood for 90% of the local population. Most residents depend on farming, with paddy and maize cultivation being the major crops.
While agriculture has been integral to human survival for ages, the growing influence of modern machinery, techniques, and scientific approaches has gradually reduced the time and labor involved in farming. However, this shift has also contributed to the decline of age-old traditional agricultural systems that have sustained communities for thousands of years.
With the expansion of mechanized farming, there is a growing inclination among farmers toward modern methods. Yet, despite poverty, around 70% of the poorest farming families still rely on traditional agricultural practices.
In these areas, the use of bullocks for plowing, manually sowing paddy, preparing the land using wooden implements, harvesting with sickles, and other labor-intensive methods are still visible in many remote villages of Jharigaon block.
Women play a major role in these agricultural activities. As per data from the block agriculture department, though paddy cultivation is reported in 8,652 hectares, only 4,726 hectares are under active cultivation on paper, indicating discrepancies in land use and reporting.
The region’s agriculture is heavily rain-dependent, and with the onset of the monsoon season, some farmers are preparing fields, some are already transplanting paddy, and others are midway through the process. Traditional farming is still thriving in many parts.
In rural hamlets, it is common to see women grouped together, engaged in transplanting paddy as a means of earning income. These include housewives, young women, and elderly village women, all forming small groups for the work.
Group sizes vary depending on agreements with landowners, and women are either paid daily wages or hired on contract basis. They begin their day early, finishing house chores and cooking, then head to the fields by around 10 AM, often carrying their lunch with them.
They work continuously for about 8 hours, with only short breaks, often sitting on the field bunds or grass to eat. Meals are shared, usually simple—boiled rice with greens or local vegetables—enjoyed together in a communal spirit.
Despite standing in muddy water for hours, enduring physical strain, these poor and ultra-poor women are always ready to work during the monsoon season.
In contract work, they might earn slightly more than the standard daily wage. In some areas, daily wages range from ₹200 to ₹250, depending on location and the landowner. Larger and medium farmers hire these women for transplantation work, paying in both cash and kind.
Each group has a leader or organizer who coordinates with landowners and sets the payment rate based on field size. For these rural women, this season becomes a valuable opportunity to earn money, despite the hardship.
What makes this work environment unique is the sharing of stories, poems, and songs while working. Women often sing in their native dialects, recounting ancestral stories, folklore, romantic tales, and village legends—some real, some imagined—passed down through generations.
Among the group, there are women with special talents—they can compose and recite poems, bringing characters and events to life in lyrical form. Their performances mesmerize the others, lifting spirits and easing fatigue.
Even in hardship, these women find joy and comfort in sharing their feelings, discussing personal issues, giving advice, and offering emotional support.
Spending 8 hours daily in the fields, many travel from nearby or distant villages to work, then return home at sunset, resuming their household responsibilities after a long day.
Thus, paddy transplantation is not just a livelihood—it is also a cultural and emotional experience for rural women, blending labor, tradition, creativity, and community in the heart of Odisha’s villages.
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