This farmer doubled his farm income with just one simple change

Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan

Jai Narayan Bairwa from Juwar Village of Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district was practicing traditional farming cultivating wheat, mustard, gram and maize along with a few seasonal vegetables for commercial purposes on in his 3.5 ha land. In spite of his sustained hard work, income was low and inadequate.

In 2019, Jai Narayan came in contact with Reliance Foundation’s awareness and capacity building initiatives, where he was introduced to improved agricultural and horticultural practices.

After attending these sessions, Narayan was convinced about the various benefits of horticulture. He expressed interest in Red Lady Papaya cultivation. With support from Reliance Foundation, he was able to plant 200 papaya saplings on 0.125 ha of his land by adopting improved farming practices. For higher yield, he made use of drip irrigation and other organic ingredients. Between November 2020 and September 2021, he reaped around 75 quintals that he sold for Rs. 2000 per quintal locally and earned over Rs. 1 Lakh. Out of the 200 planted saplings, 50 were pestilence stricken, therefore the revenue came from 150 plants (Average 50 Kg fruit per plant).

This positive experience gave him the confidence to plant 700 more saplings in his nursery across another 0.375 ha in March 2021. Content, Jai Narayan thanks Reliance Foundation for introducing him to a new highly profitable livelihood initiative. He says, “I am expecting to earn a minimum of Rs 4-5 lakhs through papaya farming in total 0.5 hectare land. I encourage other farmers to bring in the same changes; this will earn them more than they are earning now, bringing strength and security to the livelihood”

Soon, another bounty of papayas will be ripe for harvest. An inspiration for his fellow villagers, Jai Narayan Bairwa motivates other farmers in his community to adopt the changes with help from Reliance Foundation.

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