A Resilient Livelihood Through Livestock Rearing
Meris is a powerful example of how targeted support and capacity-building can transform rural livelihoods. A mother of two grown children, Meris lives in a household of six and works alongside her husband as a marginal farmer. The family cultivates cash crops and vegetables and is also engaged in livestock rearing, including pigs and turkeys.
As a participant in the Dimoria Food Security and Nutrition Focused Agriculture Program, Meris has significantly strengthened her farming practices and household income. She attributes her progress to the program’s training and capacity-building initiatives, which sparked her interest in livestock rearing.
Prior to the program, opportunities for training or knowledge exchange were largely absent in her village. With consistent technical guidance and exposure, Meris has emerged as a confident and skilled livestock farmer, earning approximately 10,000 Rupees ($108) through the sale of piglets and turkeys.
Today, Meris’ family manages a diversified farming system. While her husband and children focus on crop cultivation, she manages the livestock. She is an active member of the Jonali Farmers Group, which is made up of 11 members. In 2024, they were successful in accessing a joint bank loan of 500,000 Rupees ($5,410). Using her share of the loan, Meris purchased three piglets and ten turkeys, which have since multiplied to nine pigs and eleven turkeys. Thanks to connections made through the program, she also received essential inputs, including two 100 kg bags of pig feed and a mineral supplement, through two other local institutions.
Ongoing support from the program has played a crucial role in Meris’s journey. She has participated in multiple trainings on kitchen gardening, bookkeeping, value addition, livestock management, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene, all of which have enhanced her technical skills, confidence, and decision-making ability. Grateful for the opportunities and encouragement received through the project and her farmers’ group, Meris continues to build a more resilient livelihood and a secure future for her family.
India Dimoria is led by World Renew and local partner Northeast India Committee on Relief and Development (NEICORD)