Alim Yimkhiung
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Leamwang Konyak
Roll No: B-1336/20; B.Sc.(Hons) Ag. NU:SASRD
Alim Yimkhiung is an amazing and passionate 40 year old farmer from Penkim village under Kiphire district, Nagaland. She has 2 daughters and 3 sons and her husband works as a Gaon Bura in the village.
Since her younger days Alim said she had a very deep and profound feeling of joy, love and inspiration towards farm agriculture. She said, “I was instantly attached and felt so much joy going to the field.” She would happily go along with her parents and help them in the fields. But since it is the customary traditions for girls to look after the house and do the household chores, she did not have much freedom to spend as much time in doing farm work. However, she was quite a rebel and did not go by any such rules and it was straight from her heart, to live and love the life of being an independent farmer. And such gender roles did not stop her from learning and experiencing new things about farming when she had the chance. It was only after marriage and when her kids grew old enough, that she was able to truly commit to farming. Now she works tirelessly and wholeheartedly for her family, as she is the main earner in the family. And because of her hard work, her children are blessed with the best education, pursuing their own dreams in different parts of the state.
With visions of improved farming, Alim also became a beneficiary of NEIDA and she has been introduced to new and advanced techniques through efficient training and development programmes. Under the guidance of NEIDA she said she has made great progress and her livelihood has become so much easier.
She has a total of 35 fields, some gifted by her parents and some which she bought over the years. She cultivates maize, potato, ginger, kidney beans, garlic and rotates each crop depending on the soil and climate conditions. In 2021 she earned Rs. 1, 20,000 from these crops alone. She sells her produce in the local markets of Pungro town, a nearby town and transports her produce by hiring a pickup truck. Her produce is also sent to Dimapur where people known to her buy in bulk because of her reputation as a meticulous and efficient farmer and her insistence on going the organic way. She holds the view that mother earth can provide the best and healthy yields if we only dedicate our efforts towards nurturing the crops in the natural way. This practice of farming has given her better quality of produce with lower expenses and she has become well known in her village and beyond.
Her dreams have turned to reality because her parents gave her the freedom to work the land and even gifted her the fields and most importantly, she has been supported by her husband and her children in her endeavors. Her children also work the land alongside her during their vacations and she proclaimed that she is thankful to God for giving her the land, her loving family and for granting her so much happiness.
She believes she can pay back by rightfully cultivating and nurturing the land and producing good yields to feed her family and share with others.
According to her she has achieved so much and she said, “I have always been blessed and I have not experienced any serious problems but what really brought about the drastic changes was after I joined NEIDA. I feel empowered and independent and the burdens on my shoulders have lessened. Now I feel truly free to make my own living on my own terms.”
She explained further by saying that thanks to NEIDA she has acquired and improved her agricultural knowledge and skills and now even the other people in her community are coming to her for advice and consultation.
Thanks to Alim and NEIDA, natural solutions for sustainable farming practices are encouraged and implemented and are helping to produce chemical-free food for consumers.
Alim is the prime example for all as she loves the sun, the rains and everything that comes from the earth. She invites all young people to change their mindsets about agriculture and says that it is as important as education to live a healthy and prosperous life. She firmly believes that knowledge of work and knowledge of books should go hand in hand. If not, we will never know the wonders of the land and what comes with it. Be passionate and enlighten the core of one’s heart with new experiences is her message.
