Dashmantapur, Nov 22 : Shobha Pradhani, a farmer from Gulimusa village under Lula Panchayat of Dashmantapur Block, has set an example for others by cultivating paddy through organic methods. Even though she lives in a remote region, Shobha is well-known in the area as an aware and progressive farmer.
On her own land, Shobha has been cultivating paddy, ragi (finger millet), sesame, and various other crops through organic farming to sustain her family. According to Shobha, she lives happily with her husband and only daughter. Since she does not have a biological son, she has adopted a boy as her foster son and is raising him with care. Earlier, she used chemical fertilizers to cultivate her small piece of land. However, with time the crop yield started decreasing, and the soil became degraded, which left her disappointed.
During this time, some volunteers from the NGO Agrami visited the village, gathered the farmers, and advised them to adopt organic farming methods. Inspired by this, Shobha prepared Jeeva Khata (organic fertilizer), enriched her field with it, and began cultivating paddy, ragi, sesame, and vegetables using organic practices.
At present, Shobha grows various traditional varieties of paddy, including medicinal black rice, Laisari, Ratan Chudi, Kala Chudi, Tiki Chudi, and Umuri Chudi. She continues her efforts to protect native rice varieties from disappearing.
Seeing her success, some other farmers in the village have also started organic farming. Since medicinal black rice is available from Shobha, people from the surrounding area are buying it from her.
Additionally, Shobha has planted broom grass on more than half an acre of land by collecting saplings from the forest. Last year, she sold broom flowers worth ₹20,000, and this year she hopes the sales will reach ₹30,000.
Through organic farming, Shobha has become an inspiring example for other farmers.
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