MAN INSPIRES COLLECTIVE ACTION

Pegmir Tada comes from a tiny village named Ripari under Kamporijo Block of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh. He is a hard working farmer by profession and is dependent on agriculture the sustenance of his family. He was following the conventional methods of farming practices which did not yield results as expected. He could hardly support his family the production from his fields until 2012. He could not even afford sending his children to a good school for education.

It was only during 2013 when the FARM North East I interventions were carried out in Pegmir’s village.  Pegmir took the opportunity learn new things from the trainings conducted by IDEA on agricultural practices. Pegmir lost no time in applying those useful technologies in his fields. It was only a matter of time when Pegmir saw his crop yields growing on the higher side. Earlier Pegmir’s produce could support his family hardly for half a year but now he has even surplus to be sold out to market.

Pegmir, today has unleashed a source of inspiration to his fellow farmers who were still struggling to enhance their livelihood options through better technological interventions in agriculture. The fellow farmers in RIpari are following Pegmir’s footsteps towards a better future. It is worth mentioning here that Pegmir has been instrumental in bringing in drinking water to his village through help and advice from IDEA team. The nearest drinking water source from Ripari was 2 Kms away that made peoples’ life difficult. However, Pegmir initiated a collective action of his people and ended up by bringing in drinking water pipelines to his village.
Pegmir goes on inspiring his people and putting in all efforts to make the lives of his and his people better.

Contributed by: Sanjit Basumatary

Coordinator, IDEA

Arunachal Pradesh

Edited By: Prabal Sen

Caritas India

KESHAB DAS - AN INSPIRATION

Khaloibari in Kamrup metro district of Assam is one of the project villages under FARM North East II where lives, Keshab Das, as 62 years old farmer is doing all that is possible to inspire his own people. Keshab, a born farmer is blessed with the skills that make him different from other conventional farmers. Keshab stuck to organic farming when all his fellow farmers resorted to chemical farming. Keshab was still adamant to keep alive the values of traditional farming that never encouraged chemical inputs. Keshab is also a custodian of knowledge on indigenous health system. He hardly goes to a hospital for any cure as he knows the cure by using plant resources growing in his garden and around.

Keshab has always open to new ideas and technologies and he wastes no time in trying those useful ideas and technologies. It was for FARM NE I to come to his village with interventions in agricultural activities that made Keshab follow them religiously and do better and better in his fields.  

Today, Keshab is growing more than what he used to by putting practice the technologies he learned from Caritas India’s interventions under FARM North East. Keshab became an entrepreneur by selling products like paddy, vegetables and even compost that produced. Keshab is also a plant grafting expert, an art he learned before. He is selling a good number of grafted saplings to the open market.

Three varieties of paddy seeds from Bangladesh have been grown by Keshab in his fields. These seeds in a very minimum quantity were brought by the State Officer from Nepal in 2015. Keshab ensured that he would grow the seeds and the story is not just over! Keshab is now willing to not only sell the paddy but also distribute among his fellow farmers.

Keshab’s is not just a story but a saga of inspiration. The hardworking people of his village are looking forward to him to inspire them as always.

Contributed by: Prabin Minz

Coordinator, GGSS
Assam

Edited By: Prabal Sen

Caritas India