By M.J.Prabu/ The Hindu

The success of a technology is measured by the number of people adopting it. In villages, especially, the introduction or adoption of a new system is often not easy. It takes a long time to convince and earn the confidence of farmers.

“Dealing with a farmer is an art,” says Dr. K. Ramasamy, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, which has taken strenuous efforts to improve the living standards of a group of Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe farmers of the Periyakalakkadi village on the outskirts of Chennai through the World Bank funded TN-IAMWARM (Irrigated Agricultural Management and Water Resources Management) project. The project aims at helping farmers manage water resources like lakes, ponds and dams in an integrated manner to increase productivity.

A major portion of lands in the village was donated to poor farmers through the bhoomidhanmovement by an NGO called ASSEFA. The NGO also deepened a small pond nearby to provide water for irrigation and domestic use. But the move did not help much as the lands were bone dry in summers and, often, farmers cultivated only short-term crops. Many left their lands and migrated to towns for jobs. But the scene changed in the last one year. Today, the village attracts many government officials and the media, thanks to some 70 farmers. Each farmer has a story to tell — a story of hope, success and happiness.

“Achieving this was not easy. We had to meet the farmers many times, explain to them how the new technology would help them earn money. We stationed a specialist in the village to meet the farmers and instil confidence in them. The woman started talking to the village women every day. After some days, she was able to make some of them convince their husbands to accept the new technology. The rest was quite easy for us,” says B.J. Pandian, Nodal Officer and Director, Water Technology Centre.

Initially, drip irrigation was laid out in 60 acres and sprinklers in 27 acres. Vegetables like brinjal, bhendi, cluster bean, lab lab, moringa, curry leaf and tuberose are now being grown on them. Today, farmers earn a daily income of more than Rs.1,000.