Custom Hiring Scheme Transforms Women Farmers in Bihar

A state-level push to modernise agriculture in Bihar is opening new doors for farmers, especially women in rural areas. Through the ATMA scheme, districts across the state are working to share improved farming methods and make advanced tools more accessible.

The programme relies on farmer schools and field demonstrations, where farmers observe and practise new techniques. Farmers are also taken to training programmes in other parts of the state and outside Bihar, where they gain knowledge that they can apply locally.

Custom hiring centres play a key role in this model. They allow farmers to use modern agricultural machines without the need to buy them outright, helping to ease the work of farming and bring down expenses.

The experience of Anita Kumari, a farmer from Vaishali district, illustrates how these measures are changing lives at the grassroots level.

From Anonymity to Recognition

Anita Kumari belongs to Chandwara village in Karhata panchayat of Vaishali district. She is part of the Pooja Jeevika Self Help Group and the Maa Jagdamba Mahila Gram Sangathan. Her panchayat hosts a custom hiring centre offering five machines, including a tractor, rotavator, zero tillage machine, thresher, and bed-making machine.

She says the scheme has changed how women are seen in the village. Once largely unknown, they are now recognised as 'Kheti Didi'. With the support of farm machinery, cultivation has become more manageable. Women are now producing grain on their own and generating income by selling it. In her view, the initiative has created a meaningful path toward self-reliance for women.

Making Machinery Affordable

The Bihar government continues to focus on helping small and marginal farmers access modern agricultural equipment. Since owning expensive machines is out of reach for many, custom hiring centres allow farmers to rent equipment according to their needs.

Additionally, the government will provide a subsidy of 40 to 80 per cent to support the purchase of agricultural machinery. The aim is to reduce farming costs and raise both production and farmers' earnings.