Women Farmer Success Story
Mamata Mondal is a farmer and resident of Bankra Dobar village of Hingalganj. She is a member of Joy Nitai Mahila Samity, a cooperation group facilitated by the Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC). In this region, DRCSC is implementing the CROPS4HD project with the key objective of popularizing Neglected and Underutilized Species ensuring agroecological farming for nutrition and food security with enhanced production and market linkage.
Mamata lives with her husband and their 2 sons. She has a total cultivable land of 0.66 acres, including 0.495 acres of field and 0.165 acres for gardening. Mamata has one child differently abled and she has been struggling to ensure her economic and nutritional security, as her existing livelihood mainly relied on wage labour and seasonal migration. She has a small garden, a pond and a patch of paddy field near her house. On her land, she rears small animals and has multipurpose trees but lacks orientation on sustainable agriculture and integration of natural resources within farming practices.
Since 2021, Mamata has been a member of Joy Nitai MCG. By taking part in this project, Mamata was oriented on principles and practices related to agroecology and NUS cultivation. She now applies several of these methods in her garden and field. Her interest in agroecological farming and NUS cultivation has helped her to grow, and become a champion farmer in the region. Prior taking part in the project, Mamata was cultivating around 4-5 crops: paddy and vegetables like ridge gourd, sponge gourd, taro, indian spinach; and reared poultry. Her average annual income from agriculture and other activities reached Rs 40’000-50’000/- (around 400 CHF).
Since she joined the Joy Nitai Mahila Samity group, Mamata has integrated new crops and agroecological practices in her farm. She now cultivates 10 -12 crops, across two seasons, including traditional varieties like paddy (Patnai, Gobindabhog, Dadshal, Radhunipagal), turmeric, yam, bottle gourd, pumpkin, ridge gourd, ash gourd, brinjal, lesser yam, pigeon pea, roselle, okra, cowpea. She is preparing her own bio-inputs like compost, amritpani, and poulty excrement-based compost rich in NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium). Mamata is also implementing a wide range of agroecological practices, such as mixed cropping, intercropping, trellis cultivation, and mulching. She has used the innovative idea of live fencing of Jeol Tree, supporting growth of yams, cowpeas, sponge gourds etc.
Mamata follows a circular farming system. She is currently engaged in small-scale livestock rearing, including 10 goats, 13 ducks, 16 hens, and one cow. She uses biomass produced from her fruit trees—such as jackfruit, java plum, guava, banana, and water spinach—to feed her goats. For poultry, she relies on bottle gourd leaves, ash gourd, and rice bran. In addition, she practices fish farming in both her farm pond and household pond.
Through the project, Mamata has been linked to the local market. She now sells vegetables, fruits, some fish and poultry at the local market, resulting in her daily income. Her last year’s annual income was increased by 20% thanks to the diversification of her cropping and livestock systems.
Mamata is a leading example in her community. Her farm has become one of the demonstration farm for her village and the surroundings. She prepares bio-inputs out of the resources available on her farm. She is also a community seed bank leader and contributes to the quality seed production activities of the seed bank. As of now, she has trained and supported 150 farmers and 25 seed producers across three villages in the Hinagalganj cluster. Her inputs on agroecological practices and NUS integration with farmers is well accepted by the community. She is also the primary shareholder of a Farmer Producer Company (FPC) and contributes to FPC business by selling her produce there. Women leaders like Mamata Mondal are key drivers of agroecological change in their village and beyond. Mamata spreads the message of agroecology, NUS and healthier diet at cluster level institutions where she represents as one of the leaders.