A collaborative approach is always the best way to yield evident results. When such collaboration is created to generate income, it can have a profound impact on increasing the earnings of everyone involved. One such success story is brewing in a remote village called Rampur in Kollar Gram Panchayat, part of the Boipariguda Block in the Koraput district. With around 75 households, like many others, this village relies primarily on agriculture for income. During the non-agricultural season, most farmers barely earn enough from their single-crop harvest.

CYSD, through its intervention, has promoted a Producer Group comprising 7 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the village, named Ma Tulasi. These SHGs empower women from these rural tribes to become independent and financially stable. In March of this year, Adisakthi SHG and Gramadevi SHG, out of the seven, came up with a collaborative idea to establish a vegetable nursery. The Watershed project in the area has provided each SHG with financial support of ₹25,000.

Without any further delay, an action plan was developed. Seeds were procured from a local seed vendor, and a mixture was prepared using cow dung and soil collected from the farmlands. Additionally, a fence was constructed, and a green net was spread over the prepared area. Polythene and packing bags were purchased. Various fruit and vegetable seedlings are currently being grown in this nursery.

Dauna Majhi, the president of Gramadevi SHG, explained that they cultivate seedlings such as Guava, Papaya, Chili, Drumstick, Tomatoes, and Brinjal. She emphasized that the nursery is helping them generate income, which is being used for the development of their SHGs and to support their livelihoods

She mentioned that the most popular seedlings they sell are Papaya at ₹10 each, followed by Drumsticks at ₹7 each. Additionally, Brinjal and Chili are sold in sets of 25 seedlings for ₹10 per set. Currently, the nursery holds seedlings worth ₹15,000.

Dauna also shared their plans to expand by planting these seedlings in a larger area, which would help generate more revenue while also meeting the demand for seeds. She expressed that with a bit more support, this nursery has the potential to provide an even better livelihood for the community.