Shivanand Garur of Afzalpur taluk’s Gudur in Gulbarga district is one among these progressive farmers. He has been using organic manure, gathered from his own field for agricultural purposes. At one point, Shivanand was in great difficulty. He had borrowed heavily and struggled to make ends meet. Today, he is a progressive farmer. All thanks to the vermicomposting training he took from expert Raju Teggelli of the Gulbarga Krishi Vignana Kendra. He availed a loan of Rs 3.94 lakh from Ganagapur’s Krishna Grameena Bank, and took to preparing manure.  He even started marketing it. He earned at least Rs 3.5 lakh from the 140 tonnes of manure generated. There is a lot of demand for vermicompost. His unit has earned the distinction of being the district’s biggest and most well-organised unit. Shivanand has also installed four borewells on his farm.

He has installed a drip irrigation system on his eleven acres of land. He has grown water melons, cucumbers and other crops on a 2.75 acre patch, and has made decent profits.