“The second season changed my life”
How farming families in Odisha and Tamil Nadu are pairing new tools with knowledge they already hold.
“The first season was terrifying,” says Sumitra Pradhan. “The second season changed my life.”
Sumitra farms half an acre in Odisha. She was the first in her village to try a low-cost greenhouse, through Jeevika's partnership with Kheyti. Our figures for her farm show 50 to 80 litres of water per kilo of produce, against a national average of 500 to 800, and profit of about $1,400 an acre, against $360 to $480. That's one farm, and we don't treat it as typical. It does show what becomes possible when a farmer is backed to take a risk.
What we're doing
Smart Farming helps families earn more, and eat better, from very small plots. In Daspalla, Odisha, it's run by our partner Jeevan Rekha Parishad (JRP), an organisation led by Adivasi women, for Adivasi women and their families. JRP reports 500 households in 10 Farmers Clubs, with 10 shared greenhouses. In Tamil Nadu, SCAD and NIRMAN Trust support a small group of oyster mushroom growers. What's changing 25 nutrition gardens planted by women farmers
What's changing
25
nutrition gardens planted by women farmers
₹ 300 to ₹ 450
saved a month on vegetables, about £2.30 to £3.50 (JRP reported)
98%
of the June mushroom harvest sold
Some of the most useful work happens next to people's homes. Women farmers in Daspalla have planted 25 nutrition gardens, growing okra, brinjal, beans, pumpkin, spinach and local greens. JRP reports these households saving ₹ 300 to ₹ 450 (about £2.30 to £3.50) a month on vegetables they no longer need to buy.
Nutrition gardens in Daspalla Block, Odisha. Photos: JRP.
Seed matters as much as soil. Twelve women now run a traditional seed bank in Jamusahi, so local varieties stay with the families who grow them. We’re now working with JRP to set up seed banks in other Smart Farming villages, so more families can save, share and replant seed they know works in their own fields.
Building a seed bank, Odisha.
Knowledge made in the village
Much of what's working draws on skills farmers already have. Families now make most of their own soil inputs. JRP reports 2,800 litres of Jeevamruta, a fermented mix made from cow dung, prepared by 12 trained women, along with 400 kg of neem cake and village vermicompost units supplying 178 farmers. The units are raised tarpaulin beds on bamboo frames, filled with chopped crop waste such as banana stems. JRP estimates that 60% of trained farmers have moved partly or fully to organic inputs. Fifty farmers growing grafted brinjal, with chilli, beans or cabbage between the rows, report earning ₹7,000 to ₹11,500 (about £55 to £90) each a season.
Village vermicompost units, Odisha
In November 2025, twelve women farmers spent two days at SAMBHAV organic farm learning composting, mulching, seed treatment and natural pest control, then brought those methods home. JRP reports that several now hold lead roles in their Farmers Clubs.
Selling together matters too. A solar cold store at Janisahi, run by a farmer producer group, lets women hold produce until the price is fair. Farmers sell tomato, brinjal and leafy vegetables as a group and share prices in a WhatsApp group. JRP reports that some greenhouse groups now earn ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 (about £12 to £16) a week from vegetables.
Why it matters
At the UN biodiversity talks in October, a campaign led by Nia Tero and partner organisations called for clear recognition of the territories and knowledge of Indigenous and traditional communities. Smart Farming works at a smaller scale, on family plots, and it rests on the same principle: people who work the land should shape the help they receive. Your support lets families try something new without carrying all of the risk alone.
What's next
Growers' input costs are now recorded at about ₹2,765 (about £22) per batch of 50 to 60 bags, not counting labour. We still can't say what growers earn after labour, so our new monitoring framework tracks costs and sales, so next year we can report income properly and see whether the gardens change what families eat.
Rupee amounts are converted at ₹128 to £1, the rate used in our SNAPs Phase 1 report.
Do you know a business or foundation working on food, farming or women’s enterprise? Introduce us.
Email Arun Rasuri at info@jeevika.org.uk with “Smart Farming introduction” in the subject line.
More about Smart Farming · https://www.jeevika.org.uk/smart-farming
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