Ram Rajpur, a 52 year old farmer, came to Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Badgaon, Udaipur, traveling hundreds of kilometers from his village, Bagpua to earn 200 rupees extra.
His story, like those of many others, is one of persistence against the odds. Ram Rajput, Aarti Devi, and Mohan Lal were farmers in their own village, Bagpua. But two years ago they had to leave their house, their village. They could not get sufficient water for cultivation, they are facing difficulties since years, to transport their crops for sale to the mandi (APMC market). Most of the time they do not get MSP (minimum support price) on their crops. So they decided to leave farming and started working as farm labourers. But even doing this, they could not manage their two square meals.
Their wages were only 300 rupees a day. Sometimes they got their wages after 30 days, and sometimes they did not get it at all. That is why they were forced to migrate to Badgaon and become farmers at Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
Seasonality
They migrate, every year, to KVK from the middle of March to the end of August. In KVK they cultivate all types of crops, which grow in region. When i interacted with them (August), they were preparing the land for planting sunflowers. And the sunflower crops will harvest in the middle of February. They stay at home from the middle of April to the middle of June.
Come June to the end of August, there are huge incidents of snake infestation in the village. There is no hospital in their village. The distance of the nearest hospital from their house is about 50KM. That’s why they can not take the patient to the hospital at the proper time. So people take snake bite victims to the traditional healer (ojha). But in that case most of the patients die. They do not get sufficient drinking water from October to February. So their life becomes very difficult at this time. They migrate in March to July to the city to get a job; before the time for KVK comes again.
But even after coming to the city their problems are not solved. During the conversation, farmers in KVK mentioned about their uncomfortable lifestyle. Generally, farmers used to go to their village during festivals. They prefer to go home in March for Holi, August for Rakhi, in October for Navratri. Their earnings are so minimal that if they go home for any reason, most of their earnings will be spent. That is why they skip some of the festival time.
The Dreams Survive, Still
Despite all of these difficulties they have dreams in their eyes. Aarti Devi (45) is one of the few farmers in her village. A role she took on after her husband passed away 5 years ago. She has two children, so she has to step into the fields. In her words,
“I never thought I would have to do cultivation. But life is not easy, even if you don’t like it, you have to do a lot of work.”
Aarti cultivated wheat and mustard on her small plot of land in her village. But now she has more responsibilities. “I walk up before sunrise and make food, then I spend the rest of the day in the field”, she said with a smile in her face.
They are afraid of whether it will rain this year or not. There has been very little rainfall this year. Fateh Sagar lake in Udaipur is almost dry. Water security was a daily struggle for them when they lived in their village. The village was dry several times in the past few weeks. Mohan Lal is working in KVK, but most of the time he works as a labour in Udaipur. He sends money home to support his wife and children. Also his wife tries to cultivate in their village. And try to support him financially.
“I miss them every day, I miss the fields when the crops are ready to harvest. I never wanted to leave my family or the land. But I had no choice. It was the hardest thing I have ever done.”
The decision to migrate is one that many farmers in Udaipur are forced to make. With no rainfall or unpredictable rainfall and costs, farming alone is not enough to sustain a family. He is hopeful that one day he will be able to return home permanently to farming full time in his village. But till then he has to do this difficult job far far away from his family. And no one knows when that dream day will come.
Rajasthan In The Country’s Yield Map
The agriculture in Rajasthan is very much significant in India. Rajasthan is the largest producer of rapeseed, bajra, mustard. The second largest producer of oilseed, spices and milk. And also, the third largest producer of soyabean in the country. But nowadays farming has become very difficult and costly. Farmers do not have sufficient water to drink and farm. The tap water comes once every 10 days. Villages have to go a long distance to collect water even for drinking.
Many farmer organizations claim that they are not getting an adequate rate for their crops, especially wheat. The government announced MSP (minimum support price) for farmers but the government is not buying crops from them. They appealed to the government to solve their problems.
The stories of Ram, Aarti and Mohon reflect the difficulties and regions of farmers, not only in Udaipur but across Rajasthan. Farmers face challenges of water, economic pressure and impact of climate change. That is why they were forced to migrate to the city and become daily-labor. But Ram, Aarti and Mohan choose farming as labor in KVK, where most of the problems are solved by the authorities. Yet, in the face of adversity, these farmers continue to dream of returning to their fields, holding on to the hope of a better future.
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