JOIN USWoman farmer shows way to agricultural success
When garment business couldn’t hold Lakshmidevamma for long, she ventured into agriculture on the advise of her father. Since then, she has not looked back being the successful woman farmer.
Lakshmidevamma was born into a family of agriculturists; Kaveri Gowda and Channamma of Hosakote. She was married to Ramakrishna a postmaster and settled in Pandavapura. Even when her husband was transferred to different places, Lakshmidevamma remained in Pandavapura. It was there she started garment business buying 10 sewing machines from the government aid.
Inspiration
However, it didn’t take much time for Lakshmidevamma to think she was not cut out for tailoring. It was at that time her father asked her to try farming. Lakshmidevamma bought three acres of land at Kanchahalli and constructed a house on the land, where she also began to live.
Fortune turned in favour of Lakshmidevamma, who bought another three acres of land. She tried mixed farming cultivating sugarcane, paddy and banana plantation. She later opened a stall of decorative fish at K R Pet, thanks to the training she underwent at a camp organised by Banuli Krishikara Balaga, Mysore.
Ramakrishna also joined hands with his wife after retirement. Thus the couple took to complete farming. Lakshmidevamma who has got a habit of experimenting on field, grows maize as internal crop, besides adopting technology to enrich the fertility of soil in the cultivation of sugarcane. Similarly, she grows maize between the row of coconut trees as cattle feed and sapota. Teak plantation adorns the contour.
Lakshmidevamma has adopted bio-digester with the subsidy of agriculture department, producing manure in the form of liquid.
Organic manure
She wants to lessen the dependency on chemical fertilisers, utilising 90 per cent of organic manure and compost. As a result, she has got a yield of 80 tonnes of sugarcane per acre. In the last year alone she had 600 tonnes to her credit.
Her successful farming has not only drawn scientists and officers to her field, but also Mandya district level agriculture award.
Recognising her feat, she is also made the director of Banuli Krishikara Producer Company of Akashvani, Mysore. In the recently organised State-level women’s empowerment workshop at Mangalore by the department of information and publicity, Lakshmidevamma shared her success story at the workshop to the applause of the participants.