The Changing Face of Dhaka and Diggal Pahadi Villages

Known for its soil erosion during heavy rainfall, the infertile lands of Dhaka and Diggal Pahadi have been converted into green fields through tasar plantations and other agricultural interventions, ensuring food and financial security for the villagers.

P eople invest their time and labour on a resource only if the benefits from it are pre-determined and assured. The villagers of Dhaka and Diggal Pahadi in Jharkhand were no different. They believed that their 62 acres of uplands that stretched across the villages were not even suitable for maize cultivation, let alone yielding an income of a lakh of rupees. However, the introduction of tasar plantation and agriculture through an intervention has transformed the land over the last four years. The area that was not even giving them Rs. 100 now yields an income of Rs 5 to 6 lakhs and has become a symbol of prestige and prosperity for them. This is a vibrant example of the fulfillment of a dream visualized by the farmers. I never thought that my idea of tasar plantation and agriculture would yield such wonderful results so soon.

In 2006, the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, sanctioned a scheme for Arjuna plantation on private land for tasar farming. The programme was meant for tribal families only. PRADAN got an approval for two units of 85 acres each for tasar plantation. Ten to twelve villages in the Kathikund and Shikaripara areas were chosen for the plantation. It was a challenge for me, personally, because I had very little experience with such an intervention. Another challenge was to find land suitable for the Arjuna plantation in nearby villages.