One buffalo can feed a family

I met Suvarna during my field visit to Alaknoor village in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. Suvarana is a mother of four, and a former Devadasi. She is one among the few who successfully broke free from the Devadasi system to establish a life of her interest. Like many others in the village, she is a full-time agricultural labourer, and she also runs a small scale animal husbandry business. Her husband also supports the family by working as a labourer. Suvarna explains that since most of the crops grown in the village are seasonal, they cant rely on agricultural income year-round. This encourages most of them to own small micro enterprises to gain a stable source of income.

Suvarna's three daughters attend the local government school, while her son is pursuing his Pre-University education. They spend close to Rs. 5000 per month for the son's education. With a household income of Rs. 9000, the family is finding it difficult to meet expenses. Since Suvarna has expanded her animal husbandry business by buying a buffalo from the loan that she availed from Milaap, she has been able to earn an additional income of Rs. 4000 per month. The buffalo gives close to 5 kgs of milk per day, which is sold at Rs. 30 per kg. The income earned from this helps the family to pay for the household expenses. With this income, Suvarna and her husband can now dream of a better future for their children.