Ragi was consumed by our ancestors, but we stopped eating it after learning that it would darken our skin. But after learning once more that ragi strengthens immunity, I have grown it and have begun adding it into our diet, says Leelmati Hembrom, a resilient woman farmer from Dango village, located in the Saraikela region of Jharkhand. Leelmati has rewritten her family’s narrative through an unexpected ally—millet. Her journey is a testament to the transformative power of community-led initiatives and the revival of age-old practices.

Before the winds of change swept through her life, Leelmati, with her spouse and two children, toiled in the fields using conventional farming practices. Confined to her village, she lacked exposure to modern techniques and remained unaware of her family’s untapped potential in the form of farming equipment. The arduous traditional approach to paddy cultivation brought with it a myriad of challenges—agricultural failures, rampant weed growth, and excessive labor burdens.

Then, in July 2021, the tide turned as Caritas India and Caritas Australia unveiled the Gram Nirman initiative in 165 villages across Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The program, rooted in the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) strategy, aimed to provide marginalized communities with not just livelihood opportunities but a pathway to dignified living.

Leelmati’s journey with Gram Nirman began with a series of eye-opening training sessions at both village and block levels. Previously confined to traditional farming, she embraced the insights from sessions on organic pesticides, crop diversification, mixed cropping, line cultivation techniques, seasonal cropping, and drought-resistant crops. These sessions, conducted at the village level, equipped her with the knowledge to transform her approach to agriculture.

In a significant year dedicated to millets, 2023 marked the International Year of Millet. Caritas India, in collaboration with Caritas Australia, seized this opportunity to promote millet cultivation. Leelmati, motivated and armed with newfound knowledge, attended workshops on millet cultivation. Her dedication soared, leading her to receive a precious one kilogram of millet as part of the Gram Nirman Programme, intended for cultivation on her half-acre plot.

Guided by the ABCD strategy, Leelmati and her husband prepared the land and meticulously planted the millet seedlings. Despite the challenges of sporadic rainfall, the millet thrived, becoming a symbol of resilience against nature’s whims. On November 27, 2023, Leelmati reaped the rewards of her labor—a bountiful harvest of 82 kg of millet.

Now, with a portion of her millet harvest transformed into flour, Leelmati doesn’t just provide sustenance; she initiates a ripple of change within her family. The aroma of millet flour, kneaded into the fabric of their meals, signifies not just a dietary shift but a cultural revival.

Emboldened by her hands-on experience, Leelmati has become a torchbearer of millet cultivation. Her decision to promote millet within her village echoes the essence of the ABCD strategy—nurturing local talents, utilizing available resources, and fostering sustainable practices.

Leelmati’s gratitude extends to Caritas India for the holistic support she received—ranging from transformative training sessions to essential seed inputs. Through the Gram Nirman Programme, Leelmati’s life has evolved from the constraints of traditional farming to the empowerment of embracing modern, sustainable agricultural practices.

In the symphony of change orchestrated by Gram Nirman’s ABCD approach, Leelmati’s story reverberates as a testament to the transformative power of community-led initiatives. Beyond mere cultivation, millet becomes a metaphor for resilience, empowerment, and a promising future for Dango village and its people.

As the sun sets over the revitalized fields of Dango village, Leelmati’s millet fields stand tall—a canvas painted with the colors of empowerment, growth, and the promise of a dignified living. In her journey, Gram Nirman’s ABCD strategy emerges not just as a program but as a melody of change, played in harmony with the dreams and aspirations of the communities it touches.