Barpanii a village twenty kilometres away from the district headquarters of Jashpur. It is a remote hamlet with 68 households. Farming is the main source of livelihood here. Lack of agricultural facilities as well as that of knowledge about advanced methods of farming was, however, impeding the economic growth of farmers in this village.

They followed traditional methods of farming and the yield from the fields was not enough to sustain the farmers and their families.It was not even enough for annual consumption. Therefore, the inhabitants of the village would go out to other places to work as labourers.

However in 2016, the scenario changed. The Village came under the ambit of Sampann 40,an initiative by the district administration. Sampann 40 is an initiative to help farmers multiply their income through convergence of various schemes under various departments.

With Sampann 40 being introduced, the farmers were now learning advanced methods of learning and also how to benefit from the convergence of various schemes of different departments like agriculture, horticulture, fisheries etc. They were also given better seeds, fertilisers and other materials. In the year 2016, 30 farmers cultivated paddy in the SRI (System of Rice Intensification) method. It increased their yield 1.5 times. They are now getting both Rabi as well as Kharif crops.

25 farmers also started cultivating mustard and it was highly profitable. During the Rabi season the farmers always faced dearth of water.This time they decided to deal with the problem themselves. 2000 rupees were collected from every household and the farmers constructed a small dam on a nearby canal. Seeing their efforts the district administration also extend support in the form of 1,80,000 rupees for stone pitching on the dam. The dam has helped irrigate 100 acres of land. Solar pumps were installed for irrigation purpose.  The farmers have also taken up wheat and vegetable farming. 50 families have also taken up lac farming and they are earning around 30-40 thousand rupees on an average. Beekeeping has also helped many families  earn 12-15 thousand rupees extra.

In order to encourage organic farming, the farmers have been trained under Mukhyamantri Kaushal Vikash Yojana to prepare vermi compost. 60 farmers constructed 10 vermi beds.

Several farmers have constructed bio gas plants and this is again helping them in cooking and other household activities. Under the MGNREGA, wells have been dug and these are helping the farmers in irrigating the fields.

The farmers have also got an opportunity to sell their produce directly in the market without having to depend on middlemen.

After coming under the ambit of the Sampann 40 programme, the farmers of the village have seen a significant rise in their incomes. Nobody has to go out searching for jobs now as farms at their own place have become viable sources of livelihood for them. The farmers of Barpani no longer think of giving up agriculture. Instead they are happy that they don’t have to do anything else for earning and can devote their undivided attention to their fields.

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