Supporting His Family With His Farm
Rishailang is proud to be supporting his family entirely from his farm rather than having to find work elsewhere, thanks to all he’s learned about farming from the program. He says, “I can now fully engage with my farming. I’m expecting good returns from my various initiatives so I can support and improve the standard of living of my family.”
He and his wife and son own one acre of land. Because of their poverty and uncertain income they were never able to take out a bank loan to buy quality seeds and diversify their production. Since other farmers were also trying to sell the same vegetables in the market as Rishailang, he couldn’t make much money, so he had to find work elsewhere to supplement their income. He was stuck in the cycle of poverty.
Local partner NEICORD identified Rishailang in 2017 as a farmer in need, and selected him to receive agricultural training. He was highly motivated to improve his practices. He joined the Self Help Group which already existed in the village, and saved a little money each week. The group loaned him a small sum to buy a wider assortment of high-quality vegetable seed, including cauliflower, peppers, carrots, lettuce, beans, and tomatoes. His family ate better, and he earned much more from selling his excess produce. He was soon able to repay the full amount of the loan, meet family expenses, and purchase more seed.
This successful and hardworking young farmer is now growing rice more efficiently, using better methods of planting on sloping land, and is growing fruit trees. After studying livestock production, he qualified for a loan from his government to build a pigpen. Once it’s done his family will be rearing pigs. Looking back, Rishailang said, “This was what I needed for a long time – the knowledge and skills to change the agricultural practices which my family and I had been struggling with.”