INDIA – Barkha’s small investment on buffalo brings big change

Uttar Pradesh, India – Barkha, a resident of Akhtiyarpur village in Sultanpur Gram Panchayat, has always been known for her resilience and determination. Along with her husband, Vinod Kumar, she worked as a farmer and agricultural laborer to support their family of five daughters.

Despite their hard work, the income from farming was never enough. Meeting basic household expenses was a daily struggle, and Barkha could not even think of sending her daughters to better schools. “We could only run our household expenses. I could not think about sending my daughters to a good school,” she recalls. Though her daughters were eager to study, financial constraints meant they attended a government school where the quality of education was limited.

A turning point came when Barkha attended a community-level meeting organized by Neelam, a SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association) agewan (community leader) of the Lucknow Mahila Sewa Trust. With support from SEWA through the APFP-FO4A program, such meetings were created to build financial literacy and encourage women to use their savings for income-generating activities. During the session, Barkha shared her challenges and mentioned that she was already part of an NRLM group.

Neelam encouraged Barkha and other members to think differently about their group savings. Instead of keeping the money idle or using it only for emergencies, she suggested investing in income-generating activities. One practical option was purchasing a buffalo, which could provide both milk for household use and income from sales.

Taking this advice to heart, Barkha and her family decided to withdraw INR 40,000 from their NRLM savings to buy a buffalo. The decision proved transformative. The buffalo not only improved the family’s nutrition with fresh milk but also created a steady flow of income. With this new source of earnings, Barkha was able to ease the pressure of household expenses and begin sending her daughters to better schools.

Barkha’s journey highlights the powerful impact of financial literacy, community support, and livelihood opportunities. A single investment in a buffalo helped her strengthen her family’s financial stability and secure a brighter future for her children.

Grateful for the support she received, Barkha says, “Thank you very much for the service on behalf of my family. It has not only improved our financial condition but also helped us build a better future for our children.”

The APFP-FO4A program is implemented by the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC), with funding support from the European Union (EU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The program aims to strengthen the capacities of farmers’ organizations to provide economic services, advocate for enabling policies, and promote sustainable livelihoods for small-scale family farmers across Asia.