Jayantibhai Chimanbhai Patel’s farm in Kesargam village in Bharuch district of Gujarat was no different from many others in the vicinity. He grew cotton and pigeon pea with traditional irrigation system. He then heard about the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), at Chaswad in Bharuch. He leant about new high yielding varieties of crops, use of micro nutrients, benefits of balanced fertilisers and water harvesting from KVK. In 2001, he began to make use of drip irrigation and established fruit orchards. He constructed a check dam for water harvesting and on the advice of scientists, diversified into papaya cultivation. These measures increased his net income from Rs.10,000 to Rs.1.5 lakh per ha. He also saved 40% expenses on water, electricity costs and fertilizers and the products showed a marked improvement in quality. Through a Farmers’ club organised by NABARD, he could get access to larger and more lucrative markets like Delhi. The success of Jayantibhai has been featured in the book “’Harvest of Hope” which highlights the success stories of 101 farmers from all over the country.
Transforming Lives and Livelihoods
It is a pleasure to present the first four editions of the collection of case stories from the HDFC Bank Parivartan project initiated with the support of the HDFC Bank CSR and implemented by the BAIF Institute…
