Farmer Vipin Patel’s Journey from a small pond to a big dream

Vipin Patel, a young and aware farmer from Uttar Pradesh, is excited to give new and profitable dimensions to his traditional farming. Vipin, along with his family, is moving towards an agricultural startup through goat farming and fish farming. During the conversation, he shared his experience, challenges and future plans.

Goat Farming and Fish Farming: A Practical Approach

Vipin explained in detail how goat farming and fish farming have become a major part of his farming. His goat farming journey began about a year ago, in which he started with 15 goats. He specifically selected local native breeds and nurtured them in a natural way. Vipin believes that goat farming is particularly effective in rural areas as it can be started with less capital and farmers get a regular supply of meat, milk and manure. Moreover, there is not much complexity in caring for goats, making it a simple and sustainable option.

Challenges and Solutions in Goat Farming

Vipin shared that goat farming involves initial challenges like disease management and nutritional care. For this, he consulted veterinarians and got support from local experts. He keeps the goats healthy by using natural feed and medicines. He also explains that due to the increasing demand of mutton in the market, goat farming is a profitable business, provided it is done systematically.

Expansion of fish farming

With regard to fish farming, Vipin told that he built a pond in his farm two years ago and started the process of rearing fish like Rohu, Katla. He saw fish farming as a strong economic model, especially when water resources are available. The water quality and health of the fish in his pond is regularly monitored. To ensure that the fish grow quickly and healthily, he uses high quality fish seed and organic manure.

Vipin believes that fish farming not only boosts rural income but also provides nutritional security in the local community. He also said that his fish usually sells at a good price in the local markets, giving him ample profits. In addition, Vipin plans to expand fish farming with other species in the future, which will help him diversify and increase potential income.

Innovation in farming and increase in income

Vipin’s approach shows how farmers can increase their income by diversifying and making proper use of natural resources. Combining fish farming and goat rearing together has not only made his farming sustainable but has also helped him become self-reliant. This combination can also be an inspiration for other farmers, especially those who want to do something new apart from traditional crops.

Vipin believes that in the future, if more farmers adopt this model and take full advantage of government schemes, it can give a big boost to the rural economy.

Why did Vipin choose this path?

Vipin elaborated that there were many important reasons behind his choosing this business. The first reason was his curiosity and desire to learn new things. When he visited various modern goat farms and fish farming places in Lucknow and nearby areas, he realized that these businesses have less risk and more profit potential as compared to traditional farming. His visit also taught him how traditional farming can be upgraded using modern technology.

He observed that if high quality breeds are reared in goat farming, then both milk and meat production can increase. Apart from this, proper care of the pond and selection of the right fish species can also be very beneficial in fish farming. Fish farming, especially the farming of species like Rohu, has a good demand in the local market. Through this, not only local needs can be met, but it can also be made a sustainable and profitable business.

Vipin says that his father has always been associated with farming, and the idea of ​​​​transforming his legacy into a new dimension also inspires him. He wanted his family to do something instead of traditional methods, which is modern yet connected to the village environment. According to him, this path is not only financially beneficial but also an opportunity for him to create a new identity.

Stable income and sustainability: Vipin also realized that the profit in fish and goat farming is long-lasting. This is a business where regular income can be maintained once started in the right way. Apart from this, Vipin told that the biggest feature of this business is that it is sustainable and also protects against the adverse effects of climate on farming.

Inspiration for the community: His efforts are not limited to his family only. Vipin believes that when other farmers see how these new methods can benefit, they will also be inspired to adopt it. He also said that new employment opportunities can be created in the village through collective efforts. 

Change from traditional to modern

Vipin’s father has also been doing farming for a long time, and Vipin’s education has brought many positive changes in his farming. Vipin has done his studies from Chandrashekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur. He told how his studies helped him learn new methods of agriculture. In particular, he got a chance to understand the problems of farmers through survey and field work in the fourth year of BSc Agriculture.

Initiative to spread awareness

Vipin says that he wants other farmers to also adopt these new techniques. However, he also believes that it is difficult to connect farmers immediately. For this, he is thinking of running an awareness campaign so that farmers can see how these methods make crops more fertile and reduce costs. Vipin says that he himself has also learned a lot and he is confident that other farmers will also be inspired by his efforts.

Benefits of government schemes

At present, Vipin has not directly taken advantage of any government scheme, but he is planning to take advantage of them from time to time by keeping information about the schemes. He said that if government schemes support fish farming and goat farming, it can prove to be very beneficial for the farmers.

Additional information and government initiatives

• Government assistance in fish farming: The central and state governments are running many schemes to promote fish farming, such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana’. Under this, grants are provided for building ponds and purchasing fish seeds.

• Possibilities in goat farming: Goat farming is an effective business in rural India, especially in areas where other means of agriculture are limited. Many types of government schemes are also available under this, which provide financial assistance to poor farmers.

Young farmers like Vipin Patel are doing new experiments in farming today and are trying to increase their and their family’s income by resorting to modern techniques. His story is not only inspiring but also shows how efforts started at a small level can bring about big changes.