Meet Pinki Kumari, Nikki Kumari, and Sunita Samad, who turned their lives around by updating their farming skills
When agricultural pioneer and Padma Shri awardee Papammal (109), arguably the oldest farmer in India, passed away on 27 September 2024, she left behind a legacy of incredibly rich and rooted wisdom, proving India’s women farmers are a force to reckon with. Rural farmers continue to grapple with challenges ranging from climate change to gender discrimination. Yet, numerous success stories stand out, such as that of Papammal, where women have carved a niche in areas like mushroom cultivation, and organic, natural, and mixed farming. On International Day for Universal Access to Information (September 28th), here are three women who bridged knowledge gaps about seeds, soil, markets, and government schemes, ultimately thriving as farmers and community leaders. Their stories highlight how information can be a powerful driver of rural prosperity.
An Overview:
1. Pinki Kumari
Pinki Kumari’s success has brought Fadilmarcha village in Ranchi’s Bero block into the national spotlight. The 27-year-old belongs to a farming community that had struggled in futility to make ends meet. Despite a deep respect for nature, her family earned barely ₹2.45 lakh annually as their traditional farming methods were not compatible with the shifting weather conditions. Pinki, however, turned a leaf with the help of Transform Rural India, a development design organisation. As part of TRI’s Millionaire Farmer Development Programme (MFDP), Pinki was identified by the programme’s Village Development Committee which helped her learn advanced farming methods, drip irrigation, intercropping, mixed cropping, grafted vegetable cultivation, mulching, and better pest management. She also found out how to raise productive nurseries, and with these positive interventions, her family’s annual income now touches over ₹13.24 lakh. She went on to lease more land and diversified into different crops she had never experimented with. These included tomatoes, brinjals, cauliflowers, peas, beans, and watermelons. Empowered with effective framing techniques, she began training other farmers to improve their yields. Now famous as “Pinki Didi” in her village, she is inspiring the next generation of women farmers at both the block and district levels.
2. Sunita Samad
Weather related disasters across India routinely impact rural livelihoods. Irregular monsoon cycle, fragmented land holdings, youth migration, post-harvest losses, lack of sustainable and profitable farming practices, as well as inadequate access to quality information are just some of the challenges faced by rural farmers. Sunita Samad from Manhu Village in Jharkhand was also caught in a punishing cycle of monocropping induced losses. Due to water scarcity despite close proximity to a river, insufficient knowledge about irrigation or adaptive farming techniques, Sunita and her family could not increase the productivity of their two-acre land. Sunita’s husband was forced to migrate to cities for work for most part of the year, leaving her to care for their children and his elderly parents.
Sunita’s life took a remarkable turn when she was introduced to the initiatives of TRI. Appointed as the Sachiv of her Village, Sunita got involved in the implementation of the Community Managed Micro Irrigation Scheme (CMMIS). This led to year-round irrigation with more than 80 households harnessing surface water with solar-powered technology and reviving unproductive land. Her own income rose to ₹1.5 lakh annually and now she is planning to set up a rice processing unit with her self-help group. She wants to invest in tractors and power trolleys for her community and knows that no dream is impossible when women farmers come together to share knowledge and profits.
3. Nikki Kumari
Nikki Kumari (29 years) from the village of Purana Pani in Ranchi District, Jharkhand, was once an underserved farmer. Despite tireless diligence, her large 6-7 acres of cultivable land yielded little or no profit. The reason was rooted in outmoded farming techniques and a lack of access to market opportunities during peak seasons. Even the annual income of approximately ₹3 lakh could not cover the cost of living and her family faced an uncertain future. Things changed when she joined the MFDP of TRI after learning about it at a CLF (Community Level Federation) meeting. What followed was exhaustive training in updated farming techniques, including machan and multi-tier farming, protected cultivation techniques, drip irrigation, and mixed farming. Nikki also attended demonstrations to gather critical knowledge about seasonal crop planning, crop selection, land preparation, nursery raising, mulching, and grafting. TRI also supported Nikki to access supportive government schemes, and she was able to get a loan to establish a solar lift irrigation system. Today, her fields are yielding an abundant crop because Nikki manages her crop calendar efficiently and grows diverse crops, including wheat, beans, brinjal, peas, cabbage, chillies, trellised vegetables, and biofortified sweet potato. Her annual earnings have touched an impressive ₹12–13 lakh. She has been able to buy a new home, a tractor, and afford education for her daughters. She is also helping other farmers in her region to update their farming skills.