This work was funded by World Bank – APART Project.

Lutfa Begum Laskar is a progressive female farmer from the northeast of India, who has set a shining example in tomato production.

Her success is a beacon of hope for other farmers in the region, inspiring them to embrace modern agricultural practices and reap the rewards of a more sustainable future.

She lives in Cachar District, southern Assam, an area prone to heavy rain and floods which make it difficult to grow vegetables. With recent fertilizer shortages, many grower faced losses due to poor plant growth, pest and disease infestation and seedling mortality.

As a response, in 2021, WorldVeg and the Assam Department of Horticulture demonstrated climate resilient market led (CRML) production technologies for tomatoes in Anuwarpar village, Borkhola Lutfa, under the World Bank’s APART project. Begum Laskar was there.

She expressed a keen interest in learning and adopting what she saw. Following project guidelines, she grew the Emerald variety. She learned how to enrich vermicompost with biofertilizer which helped her achieve excellent yields even without mineral fertilizer. She also adopted integrated pest management techniques that included sticky traps and pheromone traps, along with border crops and trap crops. These protected her plants from severe diseases such as tomato blight and bacterial wilt. It also meant that she didn’t need to spray, saving her Rs 7000 (US$ 95) in chemical input costs.

By using this package of climate resilient technology, Lutfa Begum Laskar harvested 160 quintals (16,000 kg) of tomatoes from 0.15 hectare, compared to 97 quintals (9700 kg) using normal farmer practices. This sold for Rs 320,400 (US$ 4330), or a net benefit in Rs 125,400 (US$ 1695).

There was additional income from selling her maize border crop (Rs 15,800) and flowers from the marigold used as a trap crop (Rs 18750), as per the guidance. Total benefit (extra tomatoes, maize and marigold, and less pesticides) from 0.15 hectare using the new technologies was Rs 166,950 (US$ 2256), or US$ 15,040 per hectare.

The additional income allows her to better support her family and her children’s education. She is an accomplished female farmer, and a role model for other local women to invest in horticulture.