In the heart of Hatigisha village under Naxalbari Block in West Bengal, the story of transformation unfolds as an ordinary homemaker, Mrs. Ava Toppo, emerges as the Dragon Fruit Lady. With unwavering determination and support from the U3 Programme, Ava turned her small kitchen garden into a flourishing dragon fruit plantation, becoming a beacon of hope for her family and community.

Ava belongs to a marginal farming family and lives with her husband and a son who is studying at a higher school. In her family, no one is earning, and they are depending on only paddy cultivation and some vegetables. Her economic condition was very poor, and her family’s condition was bad. The family survives on a kitchen garden, where Ava produces vegetables for family consumption.

Like many women in the village, Ava’s life revolved around household chores and raising her children. Opportunities for women to engage in income-generating activities were scarce, and many families struggled to make ends meet.

Ava’s life started changing when Seva Kendra Siliguri (SKS), one of the partners of Caritas India, and the Uttoran Project team visited her village and conducted several meetings and awareness programs. The purpose was to capacitate and promote income-generation programs in the village to enhance the quality of life. Seva Kendra Siliguri collaborated with the Comprehensive Area Development Corporation (CADC) for on-farm and off-farm income generation opportunities. Ava attended one of the trainings in 2018 and received 10 dragon fruit samples, which were planted in her kitchen garden. She received many discouraging comments on the success of dragon fruit, which disturbed her badly. The long fruiting time of Dragon fruit was making her more restless, as it takes more than 15 months to produce fruits.

After 15 months of waiting, the dragon fruits started producing fruits. After seeing fruits, she got more interested and took a loan of Rs. 10,000/- from the SHG group. She uprooted the vegetables from the kitchen garden and cultivated them on 10 Katha (0.165 acres) lands.

Ava’s determination and hard work soon bore fruit, both literally and figuratively. Her kitchen garden transformed into a thriving dragon fruit plantation. She took a loan of Rs. 10,000 from the SHG group and planted dragon fruits on 30 poles on 0.165 acres of land. Each pole produces 10 to 12 kg of dragon fruits. She received approx. Rs. 1,50,000 a year only from the fruits and an additional Rs. 1,00,000 from the seeds. Her total annual income reached Rs. 2,50,000.00.

Constant perseverance and hard work have made Mrs. Ava Toppo an example of women’s empowerment, and now her place has become a hub of dragon fruit. Many people go to her Dragon Fruit Garden for exposure visits. Being a woman farmer, she is earning profit by selling dragon fruit, which is improving her family’s finances. Now her annual income is Rs. 2,50,000. She is even more motivated after getting a recognition certificate from North Bengal University. She has become a famous lady because of dragon fruit cultivation, and she is inspiring many other women and men in Hatigisha. People started calling her the Dragon Fruit Lady of Hatigisha.

Beyond financial gains, the Dragon Fruit Lady’s success has had a ripple effect on the village’s social fabric. Many women and men farmers are inspired to try the cultivation of dragon fruits in their respective villages. Two of the women have also started in a very small area of 0.066 acres of land. They are very happy and are constantly working hard. Because of this, many other people from Nepal are inspired and are also buying dragon fruits for medicinal purposes like cancer.

She does not have to go around selling the fruits. The customer contacts her, comes to her house, and takes it in bulk at a rate of 300/- per kg. She is grateful to SKS and Caritas India for motivating and supporting her to make her venture successful and sustainable.

“When I met Mrs. Ava Toppo, the “Dragon Lady,” she explained about the cultivation of dragon fruits and income. Nothing is impossible if there is a “will” to do something. She has also inspired many more women in and around the area.” Fr. Naresh Beck, the newly appointed Director of SKS, was visiting Hatigisha.