According to a press release, the Holistic Rural Development Programme (HRDP) has facilitated women farmers in the villages in the Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh. It is supported by HDFC Bank Parivartan and implemented by Arpan Seva Sansthan.

One of the women farmers supported via HRDP

The Programme has been running from January 2022 to December 2024 in the villages of Sehore and Nasrullah Ganj tehsils. Notably, it stressed sustainable agriculture, crop diversification and women-led livelihood enhancement. Here’s one such story, which is presented as an example. One of the women farmers who is from Semli Khurd village is one such female agrarian whose life has been supported via HRDP. She has grown wheat and soybeans c on one acre of land and earned an annual income of just 20,000 and 25,000 before joining the programme. Her income was insufficient to cover household expenses, and farming remained vulnerable to heavy rainfall and water scarcity.

The programme facilitated her with seeds and training

Under this programme, she received around 100 Taiwan Pink Guava saplings, seasonal vegetable seeds such as fenugreek, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, tomato, potato and coriander, with hands on training in the multi-tier cropping system. Consistent technical guidance enabled her to optimise land use, diversify crops, and adopt scientific farming practices. Furthermore, the release revealed that she attained a gross income of ₹ 6,13 500 and a net income of ₹ 5,78 500 after investment. It added that enhanced water management increased water levels in her well, boosting long-term farm sustainability.