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4 min read

Layered for Success: Pramila’s Integrated Farm

Tetliguri Village, Bodoland Territorial Region, Assam
Integrated Farming
Intercropping
Pramila Urang, with produce from her intercropped plot in Tetliguri.

Pramila Urang, a member of the Nirmali Self-Help Group in Tetliguri village, is proving that one plot of land can carry many crops and many sources of income, at once.

Like many families in Tetliguri village in Bodoland Territorial Region, Pramila depended on a single seasonal crop for income, leaving her land underused for much of the year and her earnings tied to one harvest.

With support under MGNREGA, Pramila planted 350 arecanut saplings across 3.5 bighas of land. To generate income while the arecanut matured, she adopted intercropping — growing bottle gourd and banana on 2 bighas of the same plot, alongside banana and lemon planted along the boundaries.

Pramila arecanut plantation
Pramila’s arecanut plantation, intercropped with bottle gourd and banana.

The intercropping paid off quickly: Pramila earned ₹45,000 from selling 18 quintals of bottle gourd, with more income expected from her banana and lemon plants as they mature. Her integrated approach means the land keeps generating income even as the main arecanut crop grows toward its own harvest, years away.

Outcomes at a glance
Arecanut planted
350 saplings on 3.5 bighas
Intercropped
bottle gourd & banana on 2 bighas
Earnings
₹45,000 from 18 quintals of bottle gourd
Boundary crops
banana & lemon for future income
Support
MGNREGA-backed plantation

Her efforts are now inspiring other women in Tetliguri to follow a similar path toward integrated and sustainable farming.

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