Profile – Dondubai Hannu Chavan: “If you leave hard work, the field will stay empty; if you learn, you will become a king.”
Dondubai Hannu Chavan: The story begins in Karnataka’s Vijayapur district’s Arkheri village with that woman, who once used to grow only grains on a small piece of land to feed her children — Dondubai Hannu Chavan. Today that same Dondubai is not only a model in her village, but an example across the district.
In Dondubai’s voice, there is both calmness and confidence. When she laughs and says, “Now people call our field not a field, but a school!”, it becomes clear that she has farmed not only with soil, but with the pain and dreams of her life.
Start: Land full of tears
Dondubai recalls,
“We used to grow only bajra, maize. If there was no rain, everything was over. Empty hands, tears in eyes, heart sank seeing the children.” Then the annual income was ₹53,800 — with that, fulfilling family needs was difficult. Her four children, husband, and the responsibility of the field were all on her shoulders.
“A time came when I felt like leaving farming. But the heart said — Dondubai, if you give up today, then from whom will you hope?”
Turning point: Fire of learning
An NGO sent her to Vijayapur’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for training. There for the first time, Dondubai heard the name ‘Integrated Farming System’ — that is, mixed farming.
“I understood that if you rely only on one crop, you depend on God. But if you combine cows, goats, hens, fish, horticulture, then even God will look and say — sister, she is working hard herself!”
Dondubai adopted new breeds with the help of KVK —
Poultry farming: 70 Swarandhara breed hens
Goat farming: Shirohi and Osmanabadi breeds
• Dairy farming: Murrah and Gir breeds
• Fish farming: in farm pond, after training from KVK
“Didn’t adopt much new technology, but whatever I learned, I did properly. Small-small changes made a big difference.”
Change: A new story on the land of the field
Today, the picture of Dondubai’s field has completely changed.
Maize, bajra type crops
Orchards of guava, fig, papaya, drumstick, curry leaf
Murrah and Gir breed cows
Shirohi and Osmanabadi breed goats
70 Swarandhara breed hens
Fish farming in farm pond
“Now people ask, sister, do you have a farm or a fair!” — she says laughing.
Everyday struggle
She has a borewell and a farm pond, which provides irrigation. But nothing was ever easy.
“Took no loan, no subsidy. Kept selling hens-goats, collected money, then expanded work further. Every time it felt like this is the last money, but the heart said — keep courage!”
Income rise: From tears to smiles
From ₹53,800 annual income in 2016-17, reaching ₹3,64,200 in 2020-21 was not easy.
“Now the children’s education, household needs, medicines — everything goes smoothly. And when sometimes there is a little saving in hand, it feels — see Dondubai, your hard work has paid off!”
Recognition: Queen of the field
Dharwad Agricultural University gave her the ‘Best Woman Farmer’ award.
“When I got the award, the village people said — sister, now you will come on TV! I laughed and said, brother, we don’t want to be on TV, we want to be seen in the field!”
Family strength
Dondubai says,
“There are nine people in our house. My husband and I both work hard in the field. The daughters are studying, the sons help in field work. The biggest thing — we are all together.”
Her husband handles marketing, going to the market to sell milk, eggs, vegetables, and fish.
Dondubai’s words for other farmers
“Don’t wait for the government. Start with what you have.”
“NGO, Krishi Vigyan Kendra — learn from them. We are uneducated, but there is no age for learning.”
“Take small-small steps, big dreams start fulfilling themselves.”
Five success mantras
Dondubai’s heart-touching message
“If you leave hard work, the field will stay empty. If you learn, if you work hard, then that same field will make you a king!”
She says,
“I never thought that with such little land, I would achieve so much. But every time difficulty came, I looked at my children, and said in my heart — Dondubai, you don’t have the right to give up.”
In the end… a true farmer’s victory
Dondubai Hannu Chavan’s story is a story of tears, sweat, and courage. She shows that even if resources are less, education is less, government help doesn’t come — if there is fire in the heart, a desire to learn, and hard work in hand, then no farmer can be left behind.
Dondubai Hannu Chavan is a model for farmers across India. She shows that even if resources are less, education is less, government help doesn’t come — if there is courage, eagerness to learn, and hard work, then no farmer can be left behind.
So farmer brothers and sisters, if you too have kept your fields limited only to the grain market, then learn from Dondubai —
Raise goats,
Raise hens,
Grow vegetables,
Raise fish,
And turn your dreams into reality with your hard work!
“Whoever moves little by little, that one becomes the king.”
Contact us – If farmers want to share any valuable information or experiences related to farming, they can connect with us via phone or whatsapp at 9599273766 or you can write to us at “[email protected]”. Through Kisan of India, we will convey your message to the people, because we believe that if the farmers are advanced then the country is happy.
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