Showkeena Akhter, a college graduate from Kandi village of district Kupwara, Kashmir, is a dedicated farm woman. She has set an example for young women from her work on integrated farming system, which includes broiler farming, backyard poultry farming, sheep farming, mushroom cultivation, high-tech Polyhouses for growing vegetables and seedlings.
Ms Akhter believes that anyone can earn handsome amount of money from their own startup by adopting single or integrated farming system instead of searching for a Government job. Currently she is having one high-tech polyhouse provided to her by the Department of Agriculture, Kupwara, on subsidised price, in which she grows vegetables like chilly, broccoli, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, knoll-khol, capsicum etc. under controlled conditions. She grows the seedlings of the vegetables in nursery and then transfers the seedlings outside the polyhouse for large scale vegetable production. Seedlings are then sold to adjoining villages and fetches handsome amount of money for Ms Akhter.
Apart from the vegetable and seedling production, Ms Akhter is also engaged in livestock farming like backyard poultry farming, broiler farming and sheep farming. Presently, she is having 500 broiler birds in her farm. She purchases day old chick from local dealer and rears those chicks in her poultry shed for 40 to 45 days. Then she sells those chicks back to the dealer and later dealer distributes the chicks to local shops. She also has about 100 vanraja birds under free rang system which was provided to her by KVK-Kupwara under the FLD programme. She rears them in open in her garden and sells their eggs as organic egg on premium prize. Importantly, Ms Akhter is also having a sheep unit of 40 sheep where she practises stall feeding during winter months and sends them to highland pasture for the rest of the months. She sells sheep as and when required. In mushroom cultivation unit, she grows mainly button mushrooms and sells it in nearby market or processes it to make pickle. Beside this she is also having one apple orchard on 4kanals of land.
Training:
Showkeena Akhter was not happy with her traditional agriculture methods and she wanted to become entrepreneur. One day she participated in training which was conducted by district Agriculture Office. Later, she attended various one-day trainings and awareness programmes conducted by Agriculture Department and KVK-Kupwara. She had discussion with KVK-scientific staff and officers from Agriculture Department regarding income-generating activities and, afterwards, with motivation from them she started farming with high-tech polyhouse and started adding one by one venture with this.
Agriculture Department also provided support in terms of training on poultry farming, sheep farming and vermicompost production. She has attended several training programmes organized under ATMA and other government institutions. She also received 7 days training on Integrated Farming system from KVK-Kupwara and started integrated farming and earning handsome amount of money from this venture as well. KVK-Kupwara is always providing technical support and know how to her farming.
Achievements:
She has adopted Integrated farming system including, agriculture crops, horticulture crops and livestock. She has tried to reduce excess of expenditure by using vermicompost inputs and adopted free range backyard poultry farming etc. She is practicing intercrop method, sheep farming, mushroom unit and Vermicompost unit for getting extra income.
Importance for Farmers:
Showkeena Akhter’s family members are very supportive and helping her to reach her goals, especially her mother motivates her to become entrepreneur. KVK, Department of Agriculture, and Animal Husbandry Department are supporting her in terms of innovations, technology, trainings and diagnostic visits. Other women farmers also want to learn Showkeena’s Integrated Farming System methods. So many farmers are visiting her field and implemented in their land. She has proved that integrated approaches can lead to get good yield, profitable price for all crop. She is becoming a role model to all farm women in Kupwara.
Now she is earning almost Rs 5-6 lakhs/annum from all the established units and became a big support to her family who works with her and trying to give a source of income to the women of her village who are directly involved with her.
She was honored by Deputy Commissioner Kupwara and Director Agriculture Kashmir, for her outstanding performance in the field of Agriculture on National Farmers Day.
Authors: Dr. Nazir Ahmed (Scientist Animal Science) KVK-Kupwara
Dr. F A Raina (Scientist Plant Protection) KVK-Kupwara
Dr. K M Malik (Senior Scientist Head) KVK Kupwara
