With a little support and guidance, farmers can transform their lives and become resilient to changes in weather and markets. The case of Pitar Sabar shows how a tribal farmer with the support from WOTR, changed the way he farmed and enhanced the income levels, besides becoming a resource person in his area.

Pitar Sabar is a farmer residing in Targising village of Gunupur in Rayagada district of Odisha.  He is a small farmer, dependent on agriculture and allied agricultural activities for his livelihood. He lives with his wife Sanjanita Sabar. He owns 7 acres of land, out of which, one acre is cultivated during Kharif under rainfed conditions. The rest six acres is pasture land where he has planted forest breed cashew, which yields low.

Collecting biometric data for SRI Paddy

He grows only one crop a year, leaving the land fallow during the winter season. Paddy is cultivated during Kharif and the grain is used for household consumption. Other household expenses are borne by the amount gained by selling cashew and local labour work.

Along with many others in the village, Pitar migrates for about four to six months to States like Arunachal Pradesh,  Tamil Nadu and Pune in search of labour work.