“I own a small piece of farmland and I grew peanuts on it, but I couldn’t earn enough to support my family.” Climate change, drought, and lack of rain are forcing thousands of people like Bassappa to leave their homes behind and seek their fortune as day laborers in the cities.

Bassappa went to the city of Bangalore in search of work, his life there was not easy. “I shared a small room with another man from our village, but we could barely pay the rent or buy food. But I had no other choice, I had to earn money to support my family. The worst part was not seeing my kids for months.”

But in 2017 the tide turned for Bassapa. The Rural Development Trust (RDT) built rainwater storage tanks in Bassapa’s village and installed solar water pumps and drip irrigation systems. The resource-saving management of the arable land has alleviated the chronic drought in the Kundurpi region and the farmers were no longer forced to migrate to the cities.

This was the beginning of a new life not only for Bassappa but also for hundreds of families in the region. “The water reunited me with my family and brought the whole village back to life,” he says with a smile.

Basappa proudly shows off his farmland with cotton, eggplants, and chili peppers, which he now grows alongside peanuts. “I never thought I could grow so many things on 2 hectares of land. I’ve seen with my own eyes that every drop of water counts.”

Please watch a short video below on how a new micro-irrigation system helped transform the lives of small farmers, like Bassappa.

For more information visit our campaign: https://vffusa.networkforgood.com/projects/162051-micro-irrigation-campaign