Sunita Ahirwar, a 29-year-old homemaker from Kolua village, lives with her husband, Surendra Ahirwar, and their two children. The family struggled to meet their daily food needs with just one acre of agricultural land and no livestock. Sunita’s husband worked as a daily wage laborer and caretaker of village livestock, providing only a meager income that barely sustained the household.

Through the SAFBIN (Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network) program initiative, Sunita began cultivating a variety of vegetables using scientific and eco-friendly methods. This approach boosted her farm’s productivity and improved her family’s food and nutritional security. The proram work towards imporving food and nutrition security for smallholder farmers like Sunita through sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices.

Haat Bazars are traditional weekly marketplaces where villagers sell goods directly to local consumers. These markets offer fresh produce and other essentials, ensuring fair prices for farmers and keeping money circulating within the community.

As farm production increased through improved farming practices promoted by SAFBIN, the Kolua community felt the need for a local market. The growing harvests made the need for a local market more pressing, compelling villagers to find a solution that could increase their returns without dependence on middlemen.

The SAFBIN project team organized local farmers into Smallholder Farmers Collectives (SHFC) to address challenges. Through community meetings and micro-planning sessions, they worked with villagers and the local panchayat to propose the idea of a Haat Bazar. The Gram Panchayat approved the initiative and allocated a central space in the village for the market.

The launch of the Kolua Haat Bazaar presented Sunita with an opportunity to sell her surplus produce. Sarpanch Bhupendra Chadar inaugurated the Haat Bazar, commending the villagers’ collective action and SAFBIN’s contribution to strengthening the local economy.

The market features stalls with fresh vegetables, fruits, sweets, tea, toys, and household items, making it a bustling economic hub for the community.

By setting up a vegetable stall, Sunita now earns an average of Rs. 300 every week, supplementing her family’s income and reducing their financial strain. “Haat Bazaar has made me capable to contribute to family income,” she expresses her gratitude for the opportunity provided by the SAFBIN-initiated Haat Bazaar, which has enabled her to contribute to her family’s income.