A story of Monbialin Khardiengngan - A Fruitful Farmer and Beekeeper

From Daily Labourer to Entrepreneur

Monbialin Khardiengngan is a woman from Porla A village, West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya. She is a member of Nangkiew SHG, which is part of Iengskhem Porla VO. She joined the SHG on October 6, 2018, and since then, she has transformed her life and livelihood.

Before joining the SHG, Monbialin Khardiengngan was a daily labourer who depended solely on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) work for her income. She had no other source of livelihood and could not think beyond the four walls of her house. She had a small piece of land where she grew some fruits and vegetables, but she did not have the knowledge or resources to make it profitable.

After joining the SHG, she actively takes parts in every awareness program and training program arranged by BMMU Staff. She always aimed to start any kinds of livelihood activities to help her family daily income and to earn some more from her work. She began growing guava plants, orange trees, passion fruits, beekeeping, and other income-generating enterprises. However, she is never able to produce in huge quantities.

She underwent a variety of training programs that opened her eyes to the potential of her land and the opportunities for livelihood diversification. She learned about natural farming, apiculture, broom grass cultivation, paddy cultivation, and other income-generating activities. She also received loans from the SHG to invest in her livelihood activities.

She started growing guava, lemon, scrubber, box myrtle, and passion fruits on her land. She also started beekeeping and harvesting honey. She learned how to prepare organic fertilizers and pesticides such as Dravajeevamrutham, Ghana Jeevamrutham, Beejamrutham, and Neemasthra from the natural farming training sessions conducted by Mallela Ramanaiah, an expert from Andhra Pradesh. She applied these organic inputs to her fruit garden and kitchen garden and saw remarkable results. Her fruits and vegetables became healthier, bigger, and tastier. She was able to sell them to aggregators at a higher price and earn more income.

She also cultivated broom grass and paddy on her land. Broom grass is a high-value crop that is used to make brooms, which are in high demand in the market. Paddy is a staple crop that provides food security and income. She used organic methods to grow both these crops and achieved good yields and quality.

As a result of these interventions, Monbialin’s farm became more productive and profitable. She was able to grow and sell more fruits and vegetables, such as guava, lemon, scrubber, box myrtle, and passion fruits. She also increased her honey production and sold it to aggregators. She diversified her income sources by cultivating broom grass and paddy as well.

Monbialin’s annual turnover from all her livelihood activities is Rs. 100000, which is a remarkable increase from her previous income as a daily labourer. She has also repaid her loans from the SHG and saved some money for her future needs.