Ramesh Kumar's four-acre cotton field in Barmer district sits in one of Rajasthan's harshest agricultural landscapes. Average annual rainfall here is just 280mm. The scorching summer temperatures push past 48°C. And for most of his farming life, Ramesh had been fighting this environment the same way his father had — flood irrigating his fields every 10 days, running a diesel-powered tube well for 18 hours straight, watching money evaporate as water soaked away into the sandy soil.
"My pump ran on diesel. Every month, I was spending ₹3,800–4,200 just on fuel to water my cotton. In a bad season, when I'd need extra irrigation runs, it could reach ₹5,500. And my yield was still mediocre — 6 to 7 quintals per acre, some seasons even less," Ramesh explains, gesturing toward his fields where drip irrigation lines now run in precise rows between cotton plants standing nearly shoulder-height.
Life Before CG Foundation
Ramesh had heard about drip irrigation. The concept wasn't unfamiliar — some larger farms in the region had installed systems years earlier. But for a smallholder with four acres and limited savings, the upfront cost (₹45,000–60,000 per acre at commercial prices) was simply out of reach. "I looked into it twice. Both times, when I saw the cost, I gave up immediately. How do you borrow that kind of money when you're already carrying debt from previous seasons?"
The debt cycle was real. Like many Barmer cotton farmers, Ramesh had taken informal loans from local money lenders at interest rates of 24–36% annually. By 2019, his outstanding debt stood at ₹1.4 lakh — not catastrophic by regional standards, but a constant source of anxiety for a family of five.
"Before CGF, I was pumping water for 18 hours a day and still watching my cotton struggle. I was working harder than anyone I knew and earning less than I needed. Something had to change."— Ramesh Kumar, Barmer District, Rajasthan
Joining the CGF Programme
In early 2020, CG Foundation's Community Field Facilitator for Barmer's Block 3, a local woman named Savitri Devi, visited Ramesh's village during the pre-season training cycle. "She came to our village centre and explained everything — the drip system, the training, the government subsidy they would help us access. I had heard about government schemes before but always assumed they were too complicated or the money never actually arrived. Savitri was different. She was from a nearby village. I trusted her."
What CGF offered in 2020 wasn't simply training — it was a comprehensive package: navigation of the PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) government drip irrigation subsidy, bulk procurement of drip systems at 40% below standard market price through CGF's collective purchasing arrangement, on-farm installation support by locally trained technicians, and an 18-month post-installation support programme.
Ramesh enrolled. His four-acre farm qualified for the 90% PMKSY subsidy tier (for holdings under 5 acres). His out-of-pocket contribution was ₹8,200 — a fraction of what he had been quoted commercially. Within six weeks, his field had a fully operational drip system and he had completed the first 48 hours of CGF's structured training programme in sustainable cotton practices, IPM, and water management.
The Transformation
The first season results were striking but not yet transformative — a 14% yield improvement and a ₹1,800/month reduction in diesel costs. It was the second and third seasons that changed Ramesh's perspective fundamentally. "By my third season, I understood how the system worked — when to irrigate, how to read the soil, when my cotton needed water and when it didn't. My yield hit 9.2 quintals per acre. I had never seen that before in my life."
By the 2023-24 growing season, Ramesh's farm numbers looked radically different from his pre-CGF baseline:
- Water usage: Reduced from approximately 1.2 lakh litres per acre per season to 74,000 litres — a 38% reduction
- Diesel cost: Down from ₹4,200/month to ₹800/month (now used only for backup systems)
- Yield: Up from 6.5 quintals/acre to 9.4 quintals/acre — a 44% improvement
- Net income: Increased by ₹62,000 in 2023-24 versus his 2019 baseline year
- Pesticide expenditure: Down 42% following IPM training and adoption
Beyond the Farm Gate
The financial transformation has had cascading effects on Ramesh's family. His eldest daughter, Puja, enrolled in a BSc Agriculture programme at a Jodhpur college in 2022 — something Ramesh credits directly to his improved financial position. "Before CGF, I couldn't have imagined paying her fees and supporting my other two children through school at the same time. Now I can."
Ramesh has also emerged as an informal community leader. He runs monthly informal knowledge-sharing sessions at his farm for eight neighbouring farmers who have since joined the CGF programme, inspired by what they saw happening on his fields. "When your neighbour's crop looks better than yours every single year, you want to know why," he says with a laugh.
"My daughter is studying agriculture at college. My fields produce more with less water. My debt is almost cleared. If you asked me in 2019 if this was possible, I would not have believed you. CGF made this happen — but more than anything, the knowledge they gave me is what changed my life."— Ramesh Kumar, Barmer District, Rajasthan
Looking Ahead
In the 2025-26 season, Ramesh plans to expand his CGF-enrolled acreage from 4 to 6 acres, having leased an additional 2-acre plot. He has also applied to become a formal Community Field Facilitator for CGF — meaning he will train and support other farmers in his block. "I want to give back what I received. There are still farmers in my village who are doing what I was doing in 2019. I want to help change that."