“How did you succeed in farming oranges at the hill slope,” asked the journalist who came to interview Daniel Maring who has made a distant dream come true in the Konaitong village of Manipur. Daniel had worked his way up one patch to another and then a few acres and is now a proud owner of the 3-acre orange farm on the hill slope of his village.

It was a challenging journey. The terrain was difficult and soil conditions were against him, but Daniel was determined to turn his slopy land into a rich farm. In 2014, he planted 100 grape saplings but that did not work. He did not stop there and tried next year with the help of the District Horticulture Department’s and planted 200 sapling and could save 120 plants to earn Rs. 10,000.

He focused more on the plants by taking care from time to time in terms of applying proper manure and weeding/clearing of the unwanted plants etc. from what he learnt under the FARM Northeast program. The learnings have helped him to harvest more than double the last time and he received Rs 40,000 in a single season.

The FARM Northeast is a thriving example of People Led Development program, which empowers small and marginalised farming communities towards food sovereignty. In the last three phases, the program has helped thousands of farmers to lead prosperous and self-sufficient life.

Daniel’s success was noted by the local media where the journalist came and interviewed him on his success. Seeing the success of Daniel’s farm, many people came forward and asked him how the saplings are planted and treated and how to get the saplings. Since 2020, around 20 farmers from neighbouring villages like Thingapur village, Wabaching and Thamlai villages have motivated and started orange cultivation.

Daniel shares that as the soil is favourable for oranges, lemon etc. and he has decided to expand the areas and plant more saplings. He has decided to earn a livelihood and support the family in farming. “I have also decided to set up a model farm and let the villagers to me. Many youths are searching for jobs but due to their weak financial condition, they cannot start any business. But now I have decided to share my learnings with the youths to show earning opportunities through the farm,” says Daniel.

The farmers of his village are engaged in the shifting cultivation which seems to be non-productive due to the impact of climate change. He says that it is his mission to motivate farmers for alternative sources of agri-based livelihoods. He is trying to motivate farmers to opt for settled cultivation with agri and horti crops. Now, around 30 farmers are in the process of taking up settled cultivation of Oranges, Sweet lemons and Heiribob (Citrus macroptera).

Daniel has been part of the FARM programme since its inception way back in 2013. He has been an inspiration for the community with his out of the box thoughts and the will for hard work that has no substitute.