Ataria is a small village in Budhar Block of Shahdol district. Shri Buddhsen Prajapti of this village has become an ideal person for other youth of this village who have been wandering in the towns and cities looking for a job in spite of the fact that they have enough land for cultivation. Fifty four-year old Buddhsen is showing them how to earn a good living through hard work in the agriculture land. Today, Prajapati earns around Rs 8 lakh per year through his hard work and experimenting with new techniques in farming.
After graduation, Prajapati preferred to manufacture bricks instead of looking for a white-collar job. Even though he had five and half acres of agriculture land, he could not utilize it properly for want of irrigation facilities. Unemployment and deficient rains made his life miserable because without proper irrigation facilities cultivation proved a loss earning venture. To fight unemployment, Buddhsen decided to manufacture bricks along with farming. During the rainy season he could cultivate only in a portion of land and produce some paddy. But he decided to fight against his fate with hard work.
When he explained his travails and determination to come out of his present pathetic condition to the agriculture department officers, they were ready to help him. Under different welfare schemes of the government, the officers helped him to dig a tube well, and made arrangement for sprinkler and pipes too. The agriculture department also helped him to dig a pond in his farm land and made arrangement to provide fertilizers and seeds. The department also arranged for Madagascar system machine, other farm implements along with pesticides. Taking advantage of the facilities available, Buddhsen expanded his activities – farming in the available land, fisheries in his pond, sale of tube well water and started brick kiln near his land. With his hard work and spending money initially, the results have started pouring in. The Madagascar system of paddy cultivation proved successful and beneficial than expected. With sufficient water availability, now Buddhsen cultivates paddy, wheat, oilseeds and vegetables, three times a year instead of only once, that too depending on the rains.
With three times farming, income of Buddhsen increased manifold. Now Buddhsen is an expert in farming with application of new techniques. According to him, “If the government had not encouraged modern techniques in farming and developing irrigation facilities, this revolution in his life would not have happened”.
Buddhsen has become an expert farmer to grow paddy, wheat, oilseeds, and vegetables according to the seasons. His pond in the land is a place for fish production. The brick kiln is also doing good business and he earns around Rs five lakh per year from it. His agriculture products, bricks and fish are sold in nearby places and he is getting good prices for them.
When money started pouring in with his hard work, Buddhsen decided to improve life style. He constructed a good house, purchased a tractor with trolley, three motor cycles and purchased ornaments too. According to Agriculture Development Officer Shri S. B. Singh, “With infrastructure development there is unlimited scope for increasing agricultural produces here. The state government is giving all encouragement to the people in this direction”.
