For decades farmers in Shyamala’s village sold okra for ₹15 per kg while urban shoppers paid ₹45—the difference lost to layers of middlemen. Six years ago she resolved to close that gap.

Turning Point

After attending a natural-farming workshop, Shyamala converted her two-acre holding from chemical inputs to organic practices and diversified into year-round vegetables and fruit. Healthy soils soon delivered consistent, flavour-rich harvests—yet local traders still offered the same low farm-gate prices.

Cutting Out the Middleman

Shyamala set a table at the highway junction outside Melur, labelled every basket “organic”, and talked to passers-by about toxin-free food. Within months her roadside stall became a trusted retail outlet; customers placed advance orders and picked up weekly vegetable kits. All pricing and payment stayed in her hands.

Results

• Income growth: direct-to-consumer sales now net ≈ ₹1 lakh per month, a three-fold jump over her earlier earnings.
  Market loyalty: repeat buyers cite freshness and traceability; word-of-mouth keeps demand ahead of supply.
  Sustainable practice: compost, bio-inputs and crop rotations have lowered costs and restored fertility, securing long-term productivity.

Shyamala’s model proves that smallholders can earn urban-comparable incomes when they combine organic production with direct marketing. Her success story is fueling interest among neighbouring farmers to bypass conventional supply chains, retain profits, and keep the next generation rooted in agriculture.

Significance