In Naxal country, the call to farm

Seeds of the societal revolution were sowed here in 2001, when Poonam, a resident of Budmu block and an undergraduate student in a local college, joined the Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra (KGVK), an NGO. She was trained by the ICAR’s Ranchi-based Horticulture and Agro Forestry Research Programme (HARP) to grow mushrooms inside a dark room.

As her initiative took off, the Jharkhand government’s World Bank-aided Swashakti Project (SP) gifted her a moped, which she used to travel from village to village, mobilising women to form self-help groups. ‘‘The Naxals tried to recruit me, offering to double the amount KGVK had paid me. But I declined,’’ says Poonam.

As the MCC and the PWG looked on, the self-help groups took off and even began weaning away professional extremists. Anju and Hemvanti Devi, who head the group in Dadia village, were once actively involved with ultra-Leftism; now that’s all in the past.

‘‘They are worse than goons. We want to make a living through hard work,’’ says Hemvanti, who has prospered after joining the self-help group. ‘‘Since mushroom cultivation is not very labour-intensive, we are beginning to make good profits.’’

According to Murlatoli group president Kiran and member Munni Devi, the high demand for their crop is responsible for their good fortune. ‘‘There is no dearth of buyers. As soon as we take the mushrooms to the market, they disappear. Even our bankers book their supplies in advance,’’ they say.

Each self-help group in Budmu has 15 to 20 woman members, each of whom procures seeds from HARP to sell mushrooms at Rs 60/kg.

Starting with just Rs 400 in 2002, the Murlatoli group has a proud sum of Rs 4,050 in its bank account as on March 3. The groups across Murlatoli, Gurgai, Mudatoli and Dadia farm out their capital among villagers keen to take up alternative vocations.