Mr. Rambhau, a smallholder farmer from the drought-prone region of Nandurbar in Maharashtra. In 2012, Rambha was growing traditional crops like soybean and wheat, but erratic rainfall and depleting groundwater meant his yields—and his income—were increasingly unreliable. Plagued by mounting debts, he considered giving up farming altogether.
Discovery of Millets
At a local agricultural fair, Rambhau attended a session on millet cultivation hosted by the State Agriculture University. There, he learned that pearl millet (bajra) and finger millet (ragi) require far less water, tolerate heat and poor soils, and offer strong market demand for their health benefits. Intrigued, he decided to experiment on half an acre of his land in 2013.
Trial and Learning
With guidance from Krishi Vigyan Kendra experts, Rambhau adopted these key practices:
- Soil Moisture Conservation: He built shallow field bunds for rainwater harvesting.
- Seed Selection: He sourced improved, drought-resistant pearl millet seeds that matured in 75 days.
- Integrated Pest Management: He used neem-based biopesticides and pheromone traps to keep pests at bay.
His maiden millet crop yielded 25% more grain per acre than his previous wheat harvest, and costs were 20% lower due to reduced irrigation and chemical inputs.
Scale-Up and Diversification:
Encouraged by this success, Rambhau converted all 5 acres of his farm to millets in 2014, adding sorghum and foxtail millet alongside bajra and ragi. He also began value-addition at home: parboiling and sun-drying ragi to make ready-to-cook flakes, and milling bajra into coarse “bhakri” flour. These products fetched premium prices—20–30% above raw grain—when Rambhau sold them at the weekly rural market under the brand name “Rambhau’s Millets”
Community Impact
Rambhau’s turnaround drew attention from neighboring farmers. In 2016, he partnered with his local Krishi Vigyan Kendra to host field days, demonstrating his water-saving bunds, intercropping patterns, and home-based milling unit. Over 150 farmers from five villages adopted millet cultivation the next season, collectively reducing water use by over 30%.
Recognition and Growth
By 2018, Rambhau had repaid all his debts. The “Rambhau’s Millets” brand was stocking healthy-food stores in Indore and Bhopal. He won the district “Krishi Ratna” Award in 2019 for innovation in sustainable agriculture, and was invited to speak at state-level conferences on climate-resilient farming.
Key Takeaways
- Resilience: Millets thrive under heat and water scarcity where other crops fail.
- Value-Addition: Simple home-processing—flaking, roasting, milling—can significantly boost farmer income.
- Knowledge Sharing: Demonstrations and peer learning drive rapid community adoption.
Today, Rambhau’s farm is a model of sustainable, profitable millet cultivation. His journey from a debt-ridden grower to a recognized millet pioneer shows how embracing the right crops, techniques, and small-scale processing can transform livelihoods in India’s semi-arid landscapes.