Village: Dongargaon, Osmanabad District, Maharashtra
Once plagued by droughts and debt, Dongargaon, a small village in the dry Marathwada region, is now known for its thriving millet farmers. The turning point? A collective decision by women farmers to return to their roots — to grow millets instead of cash crops like soybean and cotton.
🌱 The Problem: Drought, Debt, and Despair:
Farming in Dongargaon was once a gamble. Year after year, soybean and cotton crops failed due to irregular rainfall. Input costs soared and returns fell. By 2017, nearly every household in the village was in debt, and many farmers had left agriculture altogether.
✨ The Shift to Millets:
With support from a local NGO and the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM), a group of 25 women farmers came together and started cultivating jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), and foxtail millet on shared land. They received:
- Training in organic farming
- Traditional seeds adapted to local soil
- Assistance in forming a Farmer Producer Group
The idea was simple — low investment, low risk, nutritious food, and a secure market.
🌟 The Results: A Transformation in Two Years
- 🌧️ Resilience to Climate: Despite erratic rainfall, millets gave a stable yield
- 💸 Economic Upliftment: Their income tripled from ₹20,000 per acre (soybean) to ₹60,000 per acre (processed millet products)
- 🧂 Nutrition Boost: Households started eating healthy millet meals like bajrichi bhakri, ragi ambil, and jowar upma, improving child nutrition
- 🧵 Employment: Some women set up micro-units for millet flour, laddoos, and snacks, creating local jobs
💬 Voices from the Ground:
🌾 Sushila Tai, 38
“Earlier, I had to borrow money just to buy school books for my children. Now, my son is in college, and I run my own processing machine. All because of millets.”
🌿 Namdeo Patil, 55
“I used to grow cotton, but it gave me nothing but tension. With bajra, I feed my family and sell the rest. No chemicals, no stress.”
🧩 Support That Made It Happen:
- State Agriculture Department: Provided certified seeds and subsidized drip irrigation
- NGOs: Conducted women’s training workshops on millet value addition
- FPO: Helped market products to cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Nashik under the label "Desi Dhan"
- SHGs: Enabled savings, loans, and entrepreneurship
❤️ Conclusion: A Model for Maharashtra:
Today, Dongargaon is a model village for millet-based agro-entrepreneurship. The fields are green, homes are healthier, and farmers are smiling again.
The story of Dongargaon proves that millets are not just ancient grains — they are seeds of hope, healing, and happiness.