“I was able to earn more than Rs.80,000 in the last six months because of Caritas India’s Gram Nirman programme training and input support,” says Sonaram Bodra of Dango village, Kuchai block, Saraikela Kharsawan district.

Sonaram, comes from a tribal group who lives with his wife Pushpa Bodra in Dango village of Kuchai block. It is an administrative block of the Saraikela district in Jharkhand and home to around 13,405 families, of which 75% are tribals, as recorded under the Saraikela District Census – 2011. Almost 5,004 people in this area are cultivators (owner or co-owner) while 1,414 work as agricultural labourers.

Rain-fed rice cultivation is the primary source of livelihood for the residents of the Kuchai block. The area gets around 1100 mm of rainfall every year which forces people to practice subsistence farming.

The scarcity of water and the absence of non-farm enterprises are the push factors for people to migrate to distant cities in search of jobs. The younger generation also doesn’t find farming an attractive occupation and feels that cities hold better opportunities for them. Despite the capricious agricultural production system, migrants return home during the rainy season to cultivate their fields. This clearly shows their affinity for farming and desire to live at home.

Sonaram’s father died when he was very young, leaving his family to struggle with uncertainty. His mother managed to take care of him by working as a daily labourer at construction sites, but in this struggle, she could not afford to educate him. The family had some agricultural land, but due to a financial problem and a lack of expertise, they were unable to cultivate.

In 2012, Sonaram decided to cultivate his one acre of land after receiving some guidance and subsidy from government departments, but his confidence was undermined due to early failures and low income. In 2017-2018, he again tried his luck by opening a grocery store near Kuchai block office with the help of a friend and his mother’s savings. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, he was unable to make a profit in 2019-2020, and his business suffered a significant setback. He was unable to recoup the initial money investment because the loss was huge.

In 2020-2021, Sonaram with the support of Caritas India, Gram Nirman programme learnt about sustainable agriculture especially vegetable cultivation. He was able to access government schemes and dig a well for irrigation with the help of community-based organizations formed during the programme. He was also supported with vegetable seeds such as tomato, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, and chilli as part of the Gram Nirman program’s input support. He put his knowledge and skill to raise a nursery for the seeds and resumed agriculture on his one-acre land. Sonaram has earned over Rs.80000 by selling vegetables in the last six months, and he is currently cultivating throughout the year.

It is mentionable that the Gram Nirman initiative of Caritas India with the support of Caritas Australia is following an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) strategy to increase community livelihood income for a dignified living. Gram Nirman program also ensures access to various government schemes and programmes to enhance the income of families through on-and off-farm livelihood initiatives and making efforts towards availing recognition and empowerment of the people in the community. The new phase of Gram Nirman has been implemented in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and urban slums of East Delhi consisting of 4 clusters covering 165 villages and 18 urban slums from July 2021 onwards.

With the help of the Gram Nirman team, Sonaram and 25 other farmers have revived the dormant farmers club “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan,” which was formed in 2012 but was non-functional due to a lack of support and guidance.

Another 5 farmers have become perennial farmers because of the group’s continual knowledge and input sharing, while the remaining 20 have diversified their crops. In addition, this farmer’s organization has begun aggregation and collectivization for marketing which allows them to bargain for a better price.