Haji Mohammed, a farmer from Agon, is a victim of polio, but his hard work and ambition has allowed him to lead a normal life. He is raising six children and owns 18 acres of land in the village - 9 acres are leased against bare minimum charges and 5 acres are mortgaged. He cultivates the remaining 4 acres of land with the help of his wife who is partially blind and two children who are about 12 and 16 years old. Mohammed's lack of knowledge about better agricultural practices makes this task even more challenging.

When the team from the Sehgal Foundation approached Haji Mohammed, he was growing jowar, bajra, and onion on his four acres, which produce a yield only after six months and then must lie fallow for six months after harvest. As a result, he was barely making ends meet. The team educated him in more productive agricultural practices like using raised bed nursery, intercropping, and diversifying vegetable cultivation.

Mohammed, though convinced about the better practices, owing to lack of experience he decided to test the new methods only in one acre of land; growing chilies and eggplants--each on a half acre of land. The Foundation's staff gave him instructions on the use of compost and fertilizers, specifying the exact amount but Haji was reluctant to act upon the staff's instructions. Never having employed these techniques, he was unsure about the results and worried about the potential high cost of production. Therefore, he only used part of the recommended compost and fertilizer, but he followed the raised bed nursery technique.

The chili crop bloomed within three months, and because vegetables are a cash crop, Haji earned an income every day; his initial harvest earned him Rs.200/- per day, then Rs.300/- and, finally, Rs.500 per day. The profit covered his day-to-day expenses and the cost of production for the other three acres. After the first yield, he recognized the benefits of a raised bed nursery, acknowledging that the heavy rains would have damaged the crop if not for the new technique he used. His net income from the chili crop for one season was Rs.40,000/-, enabling him to pay off part of his land under mortgage.

Haji Mohammed attributes his productivity to the Foundation and their technical assistance. His profit from growing chilies and eggplants gave him the confidence to venture into other high value vegetables. His ambition coupled with his achievement led him to approach the Foundation for assistance growing green pepper (capsicum). Reminiscing his achievement, Mohammed commented that he would prefer to grow vegetables in his 4 acres of land than cultivate commercial crops in 100 acres, which shows his attitudinal change. Despite his enthusiasm for branching out into new crops, Mohammed added that chilies will always be part of his cultivation for the sweet memories they bring him of his initial success.

For further information please contact:

Pooja O Murada
Institute of Rural Research and Development
A Sehgal Foundation Initiative
Plot No. 34, Sector 44, Institutional Area
Gurgaon, 122002 (Haryana), India