Panaji: At a time when abandoned paddy fields have become a familiar sight across North Goa, one village in Pernem has scripted a different story. Nearly 70,000 sqm of long-neglected agricultural land in Parcem has been brought back under cultivation after an initiative led by a former sarpanch, Ajay Kalangutkar, who is now a biodiversity management committee (BMC) representative who persuaded individual farmers to return to their fields.“The biggest challenge was getting farmers back to farming,” Kalangutkar told TOI. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, many farmers in the village had stopped cultivating their fields. Towards the end of 2023, we decided to call village meetings to understand their problems,” he said.The discussions repeatedly pointed to common obstacles such as lack of fencing, inadequate infrastructure, water-related issues, and limited awareness about govt assistance. The BMC, along with the local panchayat, helped bridged that gap over the past two years.“We connected individual farmers with the agriculture department’s schemes for each of their concerns, whether it was availing mechanised farming equipment or financial assistance for seeds or fencing,” he said.“Reviving the khazan fields posed a challenge because of saline water intrusion. The water resources department constructed bandharas that prevented seawater from entering agricultural fields, making cultivation viable once again. For other infrastructural needs, the panchayat funds were utilised,” he added.As a result, most of the revived land brought under paddy cultivation translated into tangible gains. “Production has increased by around 30 to 40% compared to prior to the pandemic,” said Kalangutkar.Encouraged by the response, the village is now looking at bringing cultivators together under a community farming model.“With thousands of hectares of agricultural land lying uncultivated across Goa due to labour shortages, stray cattle intrusion, fragmented landholdings, reviving farming may seem daunting. Yet, once farmers come together and solve practical problems, reviving fallow land is possible. This is a model that other villages grappling with fallow farmland could emulate,” he said.
