Women-Led Integrated Farming: From Subsistence to a Thriving Agri-Enterprise in Chhattisgarh

Smt. Lekesh Bai, a progressive woman farmer from Village Thanabodi, Block Narharpur, District Kanker, Chhattisgarh, stands as a powerful example of women-led agricultural transformation through the adoption of an Integrated Farming System (IFS). With primary education and strong determination, she has successfully converted subsistence agriculture into a sustainable, diversified, and market-oriented farming enterprise.

Before institutional intervention, Smt. Lekesh Bai practiced traditional rainfed agriculture, cultivating paddy and maize on about four acres of land. Her farming system was characterized by low productivity, lack of diversification, and high climatic risk, which restricted livelihood security and resulted in an annual net income of nearly ₹2.0 lakh.

Her transformation began in 2012 after establishing contact with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kanker. Through skill-oriented trainings, demonstrations, and continuous technical guidance, she gradually shifted from mono-cropping to diversified farming. Support from the Agriculture Department enabled the construction of a tube well, while assistance from the Horticulture Department facilitated the adoption of drip irrigation. These interventions converted her rainfed land into an assured irrigated system and laid a strong foundation for the adoption of an Integrated Farming System.

At present, Smt. Lekesh Bai manages 17 acres under a comprehensive IFS model. This includes commercial vegetable cultivation under drip irrigation on 12 acres, fodder crops on three acres, fish farming integrated with duck rearing on 0.5 acre, goat rearing on 0.5 acre, poultry farming on 0.1 acre, and an improved dairy enterprise with 40 cattle. Value addition through processing of milk into paneer and ghee, efficient recycling of farm resources, and strong market linkages ensure year-round income generation and employment opportunities.

As a result of these interventions, her annual net income increased dramatically from ₹2.0 lakh in 2012 to nearly ₹40.0 lakh in 2025, clearly demonstrating the economic viability, resilience, and sustainability of integrated farming systems. Her success highlights the potential of diversification and convergence-based interventions in enhancing farm income and reducing risk.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to agriculture, Smt. Lekesh Bai has received several prestigious awards, including the Farmer Fellowship Award in 2016 from IGKV Raipur, the Innovative Farmer Award in 2018 from ICAR Patna, the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Krishi Antyodaya Puruskar (Zonal) in 2019, and the Best Farmer Award in 2025 from ICAR–NAARM. Notably, on 16 July 2019, she was conferred the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puraskar (2018) by the Union Agriculture Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, along with a citation and a cash prize of ₹50,000.

Today, Smt. Lekesh Bai’s farm functions as a live demonstration unit, attracting around 850 farmers and farm women annually who visit to learn about integrated farming, diversification, and sustainable livelihood practices. Her journey underscores the critical role of KVKs, institutional convergence, and women farmers in promoting climate-resilient, income-enhancing agricultural systems and serves as an inspiring model for rural transformation.

(Source: ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Jabalpur)