Agriculture is disappearing in the modern world. However, the extent to which humans can restore is limitless.Organic farming is better than all other professions when proper management and appropriate efforts are made. Introducing, a nurse who explores the advantages of mixed farming and teaches us how to make farming successful. Thus she became a role model in farming methods and earned sufficient income.
A resident of Potia Gaon near Jorhat district in Assam, Nabanita Das ventured into organic farming and is now a progressive farmer.
Attracted To Farming
After passing her High School Learning Certificate exam, Nabanita underwent training to become an auxiliary nurse.Being the daughter of a farmer, she always cherished her dream of becoming a farmer even while caring for the sick.
Challenges In Her Way
Her village was strongly affected by the flood. Many of the residents have abandoned farming and shifted. Nabanita, who had given up her dream of becoming a farmer due to the scarcity of land, decided to try her luck as the resident farmers were abandoning their farms. She also had to deal with wild elephants, who proved to be a concern along with the floods. After succeeding in farming, she decided to abandon her career as a nurse.
Training
Under a programme on horticulture crops run by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam, she acquired formal training in 2014. Afterwards, Nabanita took part in training for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project, and Horticultural Mission for North-East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) (APART). She received guidance and assistance from the District Agriculture Department, Assam State and Assam Agricultural University and Krishi Vigyan Kendra along the road, which aided her in her quest to become a creative cultivator and farmer.
Mixed Farming Methods
Nabanita uses Mixed farming methods on her farm. She cultivates different flower varieties like Anthurium, Gerbera, Gladiolus, and Tuberose, as well as cultivation and preservation of various types of rice, including Keteki Joha, Kunkuni Joha, and Kola Joha, along with the production of a variety of pulses, oilseeds, fruits, and vegetables. Nabanita maintains a fish hatchery with native fish and carp species as well as a chicken farm with a range of duck varieties, such as the Silky Chicken, Rainbow Rooster, Bonroja, Kataknath, Turkey, Gunia Chicken, Pigeon (Mazokali), White Pekin. She cultivates Azola and engages in vermicomposting. She accomplished this by exploiting every farming square inch, including the vertical realm.
Dream Comes True
She opened her dream stall, “Nabanita Organic Vegetable Store,” in Jorhat on December 20, 2022, with the assistance and direction of Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Barman and department authorities.
Recognitions
Nabanita has won honours such as the “Progressive Woman Farmer Award,” “Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Agriculture” by the Vice-President of India in 2018 at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, and the “Innovative Rice Farmer Award” from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Patna.
In 2019, Nabanita got the opportunity to travel to Vietnam to learn about novel agriculture practices along with other farmers from the State, supported by the Government of Assam.
Nabanita decided to pursue farming as a means of self-independence. She believes that internet communities and networking will aid in the growth of agriculture. Her farm has grown into a small agribusiness, producing chickens, fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains, legumes, oilseeds, legume-based products, and aquaculture. There has been a good demand for her organic products. Switching from nursing to farming is an excellent example of her financial security. She wants to encourage more women to work in agriculture right now. Through her hard work and determination, she held back traditional farming and her initiatives to merge more options into farming made her a successful farmer as well as an entrepreneur. Now, several farmers visit her farm to learn more from her.
