In Odisha, coffee cultivation is not widely recognized, but a few small farms are making a difference for local farmers. One such farmer is 37-year-old Tulabati Badanayak, who manages her farm in the hills of Koraput while caring for her four children. For years, the farm has been her family’s primary source of income. However, limited resources and a lack of training made it increasingly challenging for Tulabati and her husband, Purna, to support their family.
Determined to improve their situation, Tulabati and other farmers in her community sought ways to enhance their farming practices. Their turning point came when they connected with Project Unnati Coffee, a collaboration between ISWAR (Integrated Social Welfare and Research Centre) and Coca-Cola India. This initiative focuses on sustainable farming and provides training on best agricultural practices.
Through Project Unnati, Tulabati and her fellow farmers learned effective techniques that improved both the quality of their coffee harvest and their self-sufficiency. They embraced sustainable practices like selective harvesting, pulping, and sun drying. “The training taught us how to manage our plantations better. Clearing wild shrubs and selectively plucking ripened fruits has doubled the market value of our coffee,” Tulabati shared. This improvement caught the attention of traders, who began offering higher prices for her premium beans.
With this newfound success, Tulabati anticipates an additional income of Rs 25,000 from her enhanced coffee harvest and guided tours of their plantations. Inspired by her progress, she and her fellow villagers participated in a three-day eco-tourism training program organized by ISWAR. This initiative aimed to reduce pollution and make local waterfalls and streams more accessible. They restored their environment and created pathways for guided tours, generating income that supports a village fund for environmental preservation.
Now, Tulabati shares her knowledge with 20 other women farmers, teaching them about plantation management, post-harvest processing, and marketing. Her efforts have sparked a collective movement toward sustainable practices within the community.
“With my additional income, I plan to upgrade my house’s earthen flooring to concrete with beautiful tiles for my children’s comfort. I also want to save for their higher education because I believe that is the key to a better future,” Tulabati concluded, noting that her daughters attend school about 6 kilometers from their village.
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