Gudiya is a resident of Babupur village in Banda district, Uttar Pradesh. She has two sons, both of whom migrated from the village five years ago in search of employment opportunities.
Her husband, Ramcharan, has been chronically ill for many years. The responsibility of caring for him and maintaining the family rests entirely on Gudiya. Although she was eager to support her family, she could not find a suitable way to do so.
When Gudiya met the staff of Vidya Dham Samiti and shared her concerns, she was encouraged to cultivate a piece of family land that had remained barren for more than a decade. As a result of these discussions, her sons decided not to migrate again.
Today, the entire family is engaged in farming and has also established a small kitchen garden within their homestead. They grow wheat, rice and a variety of vegetables for household consumption, while also selling surplus produce in the local market. Seeds and other agricultural inputs were provided by the organisation.
This initiative helped many families avoid distress migration during the pandemic. More than 300 families, inspired by stories such as Gudiya’s, have been motivated to adopt Natural Farming techniques and revive agricultural livelihoods.