Muniguda: Organic farming has transformed the standard of living of people living in Dhobagudi village under Muniguda block in Rayagada district.
Dhobagudi village is nestled in the lap of nature with hills and jungles surrounding it from all directions. Prior to being introduced to organic farming, the villagers used to grow paddy in their respective lands. That was limited to rainy season only as they did not have irrigation facility. In the rest of the year, they used to collect minor forest produces and sell them in local market to earn their living.
Their fortunes, however, changed after a non-government organisation (NGO) visited their village following which solar power was introduced to them. It proved to be a stepping stone towards making their lives better.
Using solar power, the villagers started to draw water from their wells and irrigate their lands. They started growing vegetables as well. Taking note of the sudden change in their approach towards agriculture, agriculture department came forward to help them. They provided quality seeds and training to improve the yield.
Their hard labour and penchant for learning new things is now giving them dividends. Even during the summer, they are now able to grow vegetables such as broccoli and capsicum.
“We are using cow dung, cow urine and vermicompost to grow vegetables such as broccoli, capsicum, green chilli, tomato, brinjal etc. Nearby people are aware of it. We never face difficulty in getting buyers at Muniguda market for our produces. Now our earning has increased and we are living better lives,” said Purandar Pidikaka, a farmer from this village.
Sarat Sahu and Udhab Sahu – district coordinators of the said NGO said that they would provide training to other nearby villagers to use solar power in agriculture and organic farming as well.
