Thirteen years ago, Manoj Kumar — a gold medalist in Geography from Bihar University — wanted to sit for the civil services examination but was forced to abandon his plans and return to his Mustafaganj village in Muzaffarpur, surrounded by vast tracts of uncultivated land left untouched for fear of Maoists.
Today, Kumar, 39, has set up a green army of 350 farmers — members of the Bihari Thakur Kisan Club he started four years ago at Mustaganj in Minapur — moving around 20 blocks and introducing villagers to the latest in agriculture methods and encouraging women to cultivate.
His efforts paid off with agriculture now becoming the mainstay of farmers who had once left the land barren for fear of Maoists. Maize, wheat, potato and guava yield has doubled and women have left the kitchen for the fields.
Manoj first convinced farmers about the zero expenses involved and the need to use biological compost. He also had to wean away several of them from playing cards and wasting time. The club gave him access to farmers of over 150 villages under 20 blocks and helped him reach the district administration and banks to farmers.
Woman farmers, who have not yet shed their veils, have also come out to become club members. They want to know how to optimize their agriculture yields and are very keen to learn the grafting method. Some of them successfully planted mango, lemon and guava using the method. The club has 50 woman members.
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